Love beyond the mask (Whitney)

Chapter 83

Whitney blinked away the tears the

Mad gathered in the corners of her eyes, a wry smile etched across her tiny face Misunderstood? I was

vorniting my guts out in the bathroom, and Simon was just there to hold my hair back. Even if he

misunderstood, he should’ve checked on me at the very least, or how I was feeling, right?

Not only did he not help me, but he didn’t even ask if I was hurt. Heck, he even called me cheap and said I was just fine. Tiana, my heart’s turned to ice. He doesn’t care about me at all. Maybe after I

agreed to date him, he just lost interest…”

She could not help the bitter thoughts swirling in her head.

Tiana immediately interjected, “Don’t think like that. L seems so polished and poised; it’s not like him to

lose control. Maybe something else ticked him off? You said he didn’t help you?”

“Simon said he was the one who saved me. I was knocked out cold, and it was indeed Simon who

helped me to the hospital from the police station.”

Tiana mused, puzzled. “This case has ticked off Hunter. I know a bit about his temper. Could Simon

really persuade them? Don’t be too quick to give up on L,”

Whitney blinked, her heart heavy with sorrow. “Maybe I just don’t understand him at all. When things

are easy, he teases me, but when it gets tough, he just leaves me high and dry. Maybe that’s just the

nature of a mature man in the business world. And his sister, Elaine, always at his side, that’s a little

too cozy.”

“Elaine? You’ve noticed something?”

Whitney’s eyes narrowed, her voice chilling by an octave. “She’s a cunning chameleon, hard for even

women to spot, let alone men. If they aren’t blood–related, then this sister of his becomes a lot more

interesting.” Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Tiana could hear the cold edge in Whitney’s voice, and her face set into a frown, “I almost believed she

was kind–hearted and naive that day. You need to watch out for that woman.”

Whitney felt despondent. What was there to watch out now? “After all that’s happened, there might not

even be a future,” She said.

Tiana sighed, trying to rationalize, “You just started dating, and you don’t really know each other. You

both have strong personalities. At the end of the day, it’s just a lack of trust. You resent him, and he’s

mad, that’s all. Just cool off, and things will get better. Who knows, maybe he’ll come around in a

couple of days, anxious to apologize to you and the baby.”

At that moment, Tjana’s assistant brought over her laptop.

She quickly changed the subject. “Let’s talk about tonight’s mess. You really got into hot water. The

Lutz family dropping their lawsuit is the least of it. If it hadn’t been for that, you’d be looking at a serious

business felony, enough to lock you up for a decade. Monica’s truly malicious, ready to sacrifice Skye

Gem..”

Whitney signaled her assistant to close the door, her voice a frigid whisper. “I’ve given it some thought,

and this doesn’t feel like Monica’s handiwork. It’s too grand. Since when does Monica have the clout to

take on the Lutz family?”

Tiana jumped, startled. “Are you saying that the powerful man behind Yvonne and her daughter was

the one who made the move?”

“At least it was his idea. Did you find anything?”

“Just about to tell you,” Tiana opened her laptop. “After Yvonne had that blow–up with Preston, she

spent the night with Kyler. Sure, he’s a big shot in Emperor City, but that’s just in terms of wealth. You

think he has the pull to sway international judges, buy design drafts for a high price, and play Hunter? I

don’t buy it.”

Whitney frowned. “You didn’t find any connection to someone bigger?”

“Nope. Emperor City’s out of my reach. Too many big fish, too scary.”

Whitney’s brow furrowed. The person behind Yvonne was no small fry; Kyler was just a front. With the

trail) going cold, she said, “Now we can only wait for Valerie’s report, see if she can dig up anything on

the people behind the international judges.

The next day, the police visited the hospital for Whitney’s statement. With the Lutz family’s withdrawal,

the business case could go either way. Skye Gem had suffered a blow to its reputation, but there was

still a chance for damage control.

Whitney provided evidence implicating Monica, who had already planned her escape, pinning the

purchase of fake gemstones on the procurement manager while only getting charged with lack of

supervision. With the procurement manager’s confession, the case was closed.

Whitney’s expression was icy. Monica had slipped out of her grasp with the help of an expert.

Remembering how she was almost beaten to a miscarriage in the holding cell, Whitney was

determined not to let Monica off the hook.

Three days later, Tiana’s prediction proved wrong.

L never showed up, not even a glimpse of his assistant.

Whitney’s heart grew desolate with cold. Thankfully, the nurses took good care of her, and Tiana

procured the best food and medicine.

Unable to take medication orally, Whitney hid in the bathroom to apply it to her skin. The bruising was

severe but less painful.

With the company’s reputation hanging by a thread, Whitney knew she had to make amends first with

Claire. Offending one of the four families was out of the question.

After two more days of recovery, Whitney gathered a few high–ranking executives from Skye Gem and

personally visited the Lutz family’s private hospital.

They waited from morning until evening until the hospital finally opened its doors.

Whitney hurried into the luxurious ward, and her smile strained as she turned to the venerable

matriarch, “Claire, I’m so terribly sorry. I’m Whitney, the general manager of Skye Gem and the

designer of the True Love Collection. Our internal mismanagement led to a mistake with the diamond

material, causing such trouble at your birthday celebration.”

“Who let you in here?” Claire’s teacup smashed to the floor with a crash. “You think you’ve caused me

mere trouble? My husband gifted me a diamond the size of a pigeon’s egg, and it turned out to be a

fake! Do you have any idea how many dignitaries laughed at me? A mere diamond. I appreciated your

design enough to buy from your company, and this is how you repay me, you insolent girl!”

Whitney looked apologetic and nervous as the executives behind her opened the plush velvet boxes

they were holding. She said, “This is entirely Skye Gem’s fault. Madam, these pieces are my designs,

limited editions, treasures of our company. If any of them catch your fancy, we are prepared to fully

compensate you.”

Claire glanced at the jewels, visibly impressed but even more infuriated. “Do you think my family’s

honor can be bought with a few shiny stones? That’s an insult! Security, show this woman out!”

Whitney was at a loss, unable to gauge Claire’s temper.

Just then, the doors opened and a suave, pleasant voice called out, “Now, who’s gone and upset my

mother?”

Claire turned her head, her face softening into a smile, “Bryce, what brings you here?”

Whitney glanced up to see a tall figure approaching, a man in the prime of life with strikingly handsome

features. He was dressed in a sapphire blue suit, exuding an air of refined sophistication.

His eyes gently swept over Whitney before settling on the diamond display behind her. With a warm

smile, he teased, “Seems like you’ve got an eye for the finer things, yet you downplay their worth. This

must be the work

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of a Skye Gem designer, right? Don’t play it down so much, you might scare the poor girl.”

Whitney looked at him, slightly taken aback, but then caught the twinkle in his eye.

She quickly caught on to his cue, scooped up a bracelet, and confidently approached the sofa to adorn

Claire’s wrist. “Madam, this is the ‘Octuple Fortune‘ bracelet, featuring eight 8–carat rubies set amid

natural diamonds, It symbolizes abundant blessings and will look absolutely stunning on your fair and

elegant wrist.”

“Hey, who said you could…” Claire began to protest, but she was instantly captivated by the beauty of

the diamonds.

It was undeniable; the design was exquisite and emitted a sense of luxury.

“My mother’s hands are truly beautiful,” the man remarked.

Claire’s cheeks flushed with a touch of color. “Oh, hush, you’re just trying to charm me.”

Whitney’s heart skipped a beat.

This charismatic man was the old lady’s son, yet he did not look much older than Gunner, her

grandson.