Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 475

Florence sobbed softly, her face pale as a ghost. "Why do you have to be so aggressive, Whitney? I've seen Sandy and her assistant, they're always popping in and out of your office like it's a revolving door. I just thought... maybe I could too..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced weakly at Ludwik.

Whitney snorted with a mix of sarcasm and disbelief. "Playing the victim, Florence? Do I need to enlighten your clueless boyfriend here? Sandy and her assistant are part of my team. You, on the other hand, are competing against me. That means you need to keep your distance! Mr. Lippert, it seems your girlfriend here doesn't grasp the basic rules of conduct. Maybe you should teach her a thing or two before letting her out to cause more trouble and waste everyone's time!"

Ludwik felt his anger rising, not just at the situation but now directed towards him. At work, disrespecting authority was a no-go, and Whitney's sharp tongue was pushing his limits. "Whitney, that's enough. Why do you have to belittle her like this? It's her first day on the job. It's normal not to know every single policy by heart. She thought she was close enough to you to step into your office for a moment. And now you're making a scene out of it? And what about when you pushed her down? She's got a sprained ankle now. How does that fit into your narrative?"

He could see the worry in her eyes, a worry she didn't even know was shared by her mother, who was slowly fading away, her life ebbing as the days passed.

A wave of exhaustion washed over Ludwik, his gaze turning icy. "I'll say it again, I didn't push her. Check the surveillance cameras if you must!"

Whitney, her eyes cold and unyielding, glanced at Florence's ankle with a mocking realization. "A little burn scar, not even a third as bad as Sandy's, and she's playing it up, refusing to get it treated. Just waiting to play the sympathy card, huh? Probably staged that fall this morning too. But hey, you don't even need to go that far. To Mr. Lippert, even your farts smell like roses!"

Her crude words made Ludwik's handsome face turn steely with anger.

I'm not getting it treated on purpose, but I'm not, I swear... I'm being framed..." Florence's voice was a mix of a

clenched in controlled anger. "Whitney, there's a reason she hasn't sought treatment. And

challenged, her

capable, but I didn't expect to be ridiculed like this... You think I barged into her office. I apologize for that, Whitney. I won't do it again. No more running to you with my naive ideas, especially since you clearly dislike me. Why should

those words, Florence bowed deeply, tears streaming down her

and

watched them leave, her face void of expression, as the office buzzed with whispers of sympathy for Florence and criticism towards Whitney for

Lippert's girlfriend. The vice president is really harsh," whispered one colleague

coffee. Today Sandy said she plagiarized, but that planning

with the recorded gossip, shot Sandy a triumphant look before walking away, leaving Sandy pale and Whitney to

them all for

rang, cutting through the

for a moment, then lifted her gaze to his face, those eyes. She couldn't read him anymore, a

your new flame while coming back to