Whitney put in some effort to position the man and herself just right, propped up her phone, and quickly snapped a few suggestive photos.

The hot water on the bathroom floor turned cold, her legs beginning to ache with the chill. Whitney frowned, cold and unapologetic as she stripped him of his suit jacket to wrap herself tightly.

Exiting, she still turned back for a glance at the man with his shirt off.

Whitney pursed her lips, dragging him out and laying him on the bed.

Opening her phone, a message from Kelvin caught her eye again: "Ms. Valentine, the court dismissed my appeal. It seems someone's pulling strings behind the scenes! We need to see your uncle ASAP, find a breakthrough in the case, and ensure he doesn't 'lose his voice' and suffer an unjust fate in prison."

Elaine and the Bartels family were closing in, the prison suppressing visits with unreasonable excuses.

In all this, Whitney was convinced Elaine was leveraging Ludwik's influence!

To unring the bell, you have to go back to the bell ringer.

Ludwik was not innocent, hence Whitney's plot for the evening.

Thinking of her uncle suffering as an alleged murderer in prison made Whitney clench her teeth in anger... Ding-a-ling—

Her phone rang abruptly, snapping Whitney back to reality. It was a call from Nyx.

She smiled slightly, things must be going smoothly for Nyx tonight.

"How did it go?" Whitney moved to the balcony to answer.

Nyx sounded jubilant, "Ms. Valentine, the auction house's Mr. Rufus wants a word with you."

"Then put the director on the phone," Whitney instructed.

The night air brushed against her flawless skin, casting a soft, cool glow.

After a pause, Mr. Rufus's voice, angry yet powerless, came through, "Ms. Valentine, you're young, but your methods are dark! You set me up tonight, took photos and videos. I see what you're up to!"

Whitney returned from the balcony, calling the hotel's service desk for a set of women's clothes to be sent up.

Then she replied lightly, "Mr. Rufus, one mustn't overstep. As an auction house, acting unfairly, you took my upfront payment of fifty billion, yet you favored Mr. Lippert, giving Skye Gem Ltd. to his fiancée over me. How could I just accept that? Ah, it's hard to explain over the phone. Wait for me at the hotel, I have a few things to clarify. Don't leave, or I'll have to make those videos public."

"You!" Mr. Rufus hung up in frustration.

Simultaneously, Ludwik's phone buzzed in his pocket.

Whitney glanced at it, Mr. Rufus's number.

She smirked, waiting for it to go to voicemail before trying to silence it.

Then Elaine's call followed.

Past eleven at night, anxious, aren't we?

Whitney's eyes gleamed as she declined the call and then glanced at the man on the bed, throwing his phone to the corner.

Changing into the clothes that arrived, she stepped out into the night.

-

With a stack of incriminating photos of Mr. Rufus, Whitney didn't waste much effort in negotiations.

She laid it out plainly, "Mr. Rufus, by tomorrow morning, I want an announcement that Skye Gem Ltd. has nothing to do with Elaine or Mr. Lippert. They didn't buy the company. Also, please release news that Skye Gem Ltd.'s assets will remain frozen. Accomplish these two tasks, and the video will be returned to you." Mr. Rufus, faced with this young, beautiful woman, couldn't believe Mr. Lippert's ex-wife could be so ruthless.

He shuddered involuntarily, face turning ashen, with no choice but to agree.

Whitney, clutching her purse, left the hotel.

Bryce's call came through, "All set?"

"Done and dusted, Bryce. Thanks for having Nyx's back."

"I didn't do much, just leaked Mr. Rufus's address." Bryce paused, subtly asking, "Whitney, you're not coming back to the apartment tonight?"

Whitney hesitated, "You went to my place?"

Bryce denied, "No, I just drove past after work, saw your lights off. Thought I'd check on Sammy." Recalling the evening's charade with Ludwik, Whitney felt a pang of guilt, although it was all for show. She paused, then laughed it off, "I'm staying over at Tiana's with Sammy."

Bryce, looking at the photos on his desk of Whitney and Ludwik's encounter, his expression darkened.

Yet he managed a gentle tone, "Whitney, I know you're dealing with Orion on some matters, but if you ever get drunk or in trouble, I want you to call me first." Whitney was taken aback.

It seemed he was hinting at something.

Her voice tightened, "Bryce..."

"It's okay, I didn't mean anything by it. I just want you to rely on me more," Bryce interrupted with a laugh, likely foreseeing her resistance.

"Just take care of your things, I'll always be here," he concluded softly before hanging up.

Whitney stared at her phone, sighing lightly.

Since her return, her involvements, inevitably tying her to Ludwik, made her feel unworthy of Bryce.

Besides, her heart wasn't in it to pursue romance again.

Sitting in her car, Whitney gripped the steering wheel, lost in thought for a moment, then drove back to the hotel.

-

Dawn was breaking, sunlight sneaking through the heavy curtains onto the European-style bed.

Ludwik frowned as he opened his eyes, feeling groggy and his head slightly pounding.

He paused for a moment, lifted his head to see himself shirtless, covered with a blanket. Lifting the blanket, he found nothing underneath...

A slender figure sat at the bedside, also covered with a blanket, seemingly immersed in a book.

But her gaze wasn't on the book; it was fixed on him.

Perhaps it was the backlight or the chill in the air, but he felt her gaze was especially cool and serene, devoid of the fake smiles and excessive flattery from the past few days. Ludwik froze for a moment, as if he suddenly saw Whitney for who she truly was. The facade was gone, replaced by an inexplicable blend of pain and pity.

He was taken aback.

When Whitney noticed he was awake, her eyes flickered, quickly hiding her emotions.

Picking up her smartphone, she forced a glamorous smirk and nonchalantly laid back down, snapping a couple of selfies. "Got both morning and evening shots now, Mr. Lippert." "What did you do to me?"

Her actions jogged his memory, and Ludwik slowly pieced together the events of the previous night. In a drunken haze, she had the audacity to knock him out!

He flipped over, pinning her beneath him, his large hands snatching her phone away, furious, "You wretched woman, how dare you play me!"

Whitney smirked, refusing to admit fault. "Play you? Weren't you the one trying to get handsy with me after getting drunk? And then turning on me after having your fun, Mr. Lippert? Are you even a man? We're in the process of getting a divorce. I have every right to take photos as evidence of your harassment."

"Utter nonsense. You're just asking for it."

She struggled underneath him, which only made him lose control even more, especially with the soft, trembling sound of her voice. Ludwik's temples throbbed with visible veins.

Whitney glanced under the blanket, her face turning beet red, "Don't move!"

Enraged, Ludwik leaned close to her ear, "You think you can drug me and set me up? Whitney, you're playing with fire!"

Realizing he remembered everything and saw through her scheme, Whitney didn't bother keeping up the act. She wriggled free from under him and jumped off the bed.

Slipping on her jacket and keeping her distance, her cheeks flushed, Whitney quickly pulled out her phone, her voice cool, "Sorry, Mr. Lippert, but you've been played. Let's call it a business transaction, shall we?"

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