Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 353

She flopped down at the table, eager to get the ordering over with.

"What'll it be?" the waitress asked, eyeing the imposing Ludwik with a mix of sympathy.

"Same as my wife."

The waitress's pity deepened as she shot Orion a look, "Seems like there's no shortage of guys on the side these days, not even half as good-looking as the real deal." Orion?

Calling him the other man was one thing, but saying he wasn't as handsome as Ludwik? That was a low blow.

He scowled.

Ludwik stood up and made his way to the barbecue grill where the cook was preparing their food. His brows furrowed in disgust, his obsession with cleanliness kicking in, "Did you wash everything my wife ordered?"

"We wouldn't serve it if it wasn't clean, we've been in business for over a decade!" the cook retorted.

Ludwik tossed a wad of bills at the waitress, "Wash hers again, just to avoid any stomach issues."

The waitress looked conflicted, "And what about his?" She nodded towards Orion's order.

Ludwik didn't reply, instead, he walked over, picked up a handful of dirt, and sprinkled it over the skewers, "Just like that, the dirtier, the better."

The cook and waitress were both speechless.

So, it wasn't long before Orion was chewing on more grit than meat.

"This is ridiculous," he complained to Whitney, "Doesn't yours have any grit in it?"

"Not at all," Whitney replied innocently, her lips tinged pink from the spices, puffing her cheeks as she ate, her face a delicate shade of red. Ludwik's gaze deepened, reminiscing about the time, three years ago, when he introduced her to spicy street food. Back then, she had none of the airs of a high-society lady, just a girl who loved the thrill of spice.

But those days were long gone, replaced by a cold, cunning woman, shrouded in mystery, slipping from his grasp.

his heart racing. Damn it, he was about to get married... He averted his

looking

Elaine's wild ways. Whitney felt a brief pang of

"It's dirty."

Fine, play the aristocrat.

he handed her a wet wipe, and she accepted it, her heart feeling oddly heavy. When it was Orion's turn, Ludwik tossed the whole pack into

on accompanying her to those jewelry expos, or I'll

was taken aback by

to Whitney, stern, "I'm driving you home. Stay out of

eyes, thinking he should focus more on Elaine, with

was broken by Ludwik's phone ringing. "Felix?... Right, I'm on my way back

Whitney, "There's an

get home myself, thanks,"

him, leaving Whitney to reflect on the night in the taxi

Did you see the way he looked after you tonight? Still,

skipped, but she quickly dismissed the thought. After being hurt by him, she couldn't afford to trust

Elaine rotten," Orion remarked, showing her a news article about Ludwik gifting Elaine a four-million-dollar wedding

as Whitney read about

gets his picture-perfect bride while keeping her as a backup? A

phone chimed. A message from Jarvis: "Ms. Valentine, are you up for a

and Elaine were done for the

grew cold as she proposed a plan to Orion, "There's a

shocked at her sudden change of

Jarvis. He's

spoke plainly, her gaze sharp, "You mentioned your dad doesn't think highly of Ludwik, suspecting his background, right? Jarvis, from the Lippert family in Emperor City, that powerful Lippert family, isn't that your uncle?" "Yeah, but my

tied to

wasn't

rigid, a bitter laugh escaping her lips despite the shiver, "The beef between Ludwik and me