Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
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.

"Ludwik, she says 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 sneer and a sob as she quickly turned to Ludwik for comfort.

Ludwik's fists clenched in controlled anger. "Whitney, there's a reason she hasn't sought treatment. And you? You'll never understand why! Just keep your troubles away from her, or else..."

"Or else what, Mr. Lippert?" Whitney challenged, her palms clenched, her expression impassive.

"Ludwik, let it go. Don't ruin your relationship with your sister over me. Everyone thinks I plagiarized and it hurts, it really does. I know I'm not the most 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 I demean myself further?"

With those words, Florence bowed deeply, tears streaming down her face before she weakly slumped to the floor.

"Florence!" Ludwik exclaimed, his expression grave. Without a moment's hesitation, he scooped her up and stormed out of the office, his broad shoulders brushing past Whitney in the process.

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

"Florence lacks talent, but she's still Mr. Lippert's girlfriend. The vice president is really harsh," whispered one colleague to another, their voices carrying in the tense air.

"Yeah, and yesterday at the meeting, they mocked Florence for only knowing how to make coffee. Today Sandy said she plagiarized, but that planning document was proven to be Florence's work," added another.

Florence's assistant, smug with the recorded gossip, shot Sandy a triumphant look before walking away, leaving Sandy pale and Whitney to contemplate their next move in silence.

In the aftermath, Sandy realized the trap Florence had set, playing them all for fools with a performance designed to elicit sympathy and paint them as the villains.

Whitney, though, remained cold and calculating, wondering not just about Florence's motives but how Ludwik would respond to this new drama unfolding within their corporate empire. As the office phone rang, cutting through the tension, Whitney steeled herself for the confrontation that awaited in Ludwik's office, a place where power plays were as common as the coffee they drank and the stakes were always personal.

Whitney stared at the first-aid kit, lost in thought for a moment, then lifted her gaze to his face, those eyes. She couldn't read him anymore, a mix of loathing and heartache.

Her eyebrows arched like the blade of a sword. "What now? Playing the same old game, rushing to your new flame while coming back to patch things up with the old one? Ludwik, have you disgusted me enough?"

His pride stung, he reached out swiftly, grabbing her chin, his grip tightening in annoyance as he lowered his voice, "Do you have to provoke me? I wouldn't mind shutting that mouth of yours for good!"

"You..." All she could find to say was 'disgusting', 'scum', she had no other words.

She decided to remain silent, knowing she couldn't outmatch him in brute strength.

She tried to control her emotions, but seeing the antiseptic in his hand, remembering how he had barged in, pushing past her without hesitation to protect Florence, the pain lanced through her back, a wound yet untreated, spasming in agony. Even if it were treated, what about the shattered pieces inside, could they ever heal?

Whitney's eyes suddenly blazed with fury as she stood up, "You did it for your darling, you pushed me aside. Why keep up the pretense? Got anything else to lecture me about? Mr. Lippert, I'm leaving." Ludwik caught her in a grip-