Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 685

It was 10 PM.

Ludwik, with his tall and lanky frame, clumsily placed a bill on the bar counter and stumbled out, drunk, into the alley.

In his haze, it seemed he bumped into someone.

Emerging from the moonlit path, the figure shoved Ludwik back with force and let out a loud laugh, "Ludwik, long time no see! Finally got out of the slammer, huh?" "Fancy running into you here!"

Caught off guard and already plastered, Ludwik fell back into a ditch. Rubbing his forehead, he lifted his gloomy gaze and finally saw the face before him. Lane.

Behind him, a bunch of fair-weather friends.

"Look at this, guys, the once mighty Ludwik Lippert, the big shot of the Lippert family. Mr. Lippert was so arrogant back in the day, but look where the Lippert family is now, all fallen from grace, and he still held his head high.

I offered a generous 60 billion last time to take over the Lippert estate, to give them a break.

But what did Ludwik say? Told me to get lost!

Looks like karma finally caught up with him, got arrested for murder!

Oh, Ludwik, Ludwik, look at you now.

Tonight, you're not getting away."

After his tirade, Lane stepped onto Ludwik in the ditch, arrogantly throwing down a contract, "You didn't appreciate the 60 billion offer, Ludwik. Now, I don't want to spend a dime.

Sign over the Lippert estate, or I'll make you wish you were dead tonight!

Oh, too drunk to speak?

Maybe start barking like a dog, entertain us a bit, and maybe we'll go easy on you when we beat you up.

Ha-ha!"

Lane, belly protruding, laughed maniacally with his yellow teeth showing.

His entourage laughed along.

"Lane, the Lipperts are down and out, moved out of the Lippert Resort, Ludwik's net worth can't even compare to yours now."

"Exactly, you offering to buy his company was already giving him too much face.

He didn't appreciate it, and now, Lane, you get to take it for free!"

"It's thrilling, to think Ludwik used to be out of our league."

"Now you see him, broke and beaten, not only can you see him, but you can also beat him until he signs!"

Lane roared again.

The crowd around him grew eager, ready to pounce.

Ludwik opened his eyes, his vision blurry and unfocused.

But he didn't care about these nobodies, coldly spitting out, "Get lost!"

With a swift move, he knocked Lane, who was stepping on him, to the side.

"Damn you, still acting tough at your end." Lane, twisted in pain, coldly signaled, "Beat him down, until he's too weak, then force him to sign!"

The crowd, armed with knives and clubs, swarmed towards Ludwik.

He stood up from the muck, panting heavily, his eyes red, kicking and punching, initially managing to knock a few to the ground.

Lane, seeing the tide turning despite the knives, doubted Bryce's assurance that Ludwik was physically broken. After all, this was Ludwik, a business titan with unmatched skills. Egged on by Bryce and pressured by Wade, Lane was desperate to take over the Lippert estate and prove himself to Wade. Plus, he relished the thought of beating Ludwik down. Recalling Bryce's words, Lane sneered and charged with a knife, "Hit him from behind, he's drunk!

Aim for his weak spots!

Ludwik, heard you're a broken man now, still putting up a fight? What for? Think you're still a man?

If I were you, I'd be too ashamed to live.

Your company's downfall, your best friend gone because of you, your beloved woman hates you to the bone. Oh, right now, she must be in another man's arms, ecstatic in bliss. What can you do?

You're just a spectator.

What's the point of you fighting back?

You living is pointless."

Ludwik froze, his powerful arms halted.

At that moment, Lane kicked his knee from behind.

The tall man fell, his face ghastly pale, crashing to the ground.

His ears buzzed, as if suddenly deaf to all sounds except those taunting words echoing in his head, 'Your company's downfall, your best friend gone, your beloved woman...' What could he do?

Indeed, all he could do was watch, watch Whitney become someone else's wife.

Watch Parker disappear without a trace.

It was all his fault.

His negligence led to today, his self-inflicted sufferings, the countless times he had hurt Whitney.

As fists headed his way, he could have dodged.

But somehow, he didn't want to move. Maybe only through physical pain, he could ignore the constant ache in his heart.

Yet, his sharp eyes, bloodshot, focused on Lane's movements, he coldly questioned, "How did you know I was here?

We're not close, yet you know so much about me.

Did Bryce tell you?"

Lane hesitated, then his fist smashed into Ludwik's handsome face.

The man, completely subdued, lay in the mud.

Ludwik, in self-mockery, thought, 'Maybe this is it.' He had made too many mistakes, lost her, and didn't even want to survive, let alone as a broken man...

Seeing him motionless, Lane kicked him, spat, and turned to pick up the contract to transfer the company...

-

Across the alley.

A BMW was parked outside a diner.

Today marked the day of the high-level gathering for the Sheldon Group, and Whitney, having been appointed as a junior executive just a week ago, was naturally expected to attend this significant departmental event. She had tasked Cody with making reservations at a fancy restaurant, and by now, the executives had their fill of food and drinks and were departing.

Whitney and Sandy stood at the doorway, bidding them farewell.

After everyone had left, Whitney was about to head back into the private dining room to grab her jacket when she suddenly heard sounds of a scuffle coming from the alley across the street. She paused, frowning as she glanced over.

The intersection, slick with rain, featured a sizable puddle that had formed in a pothole, and now, it seemed a man was lying in that mire.

A group of about a dozen people was kicking and punching him, and flashes of silver suggested the presence of... knives!

Whitney immediately pulled out her phone with the intention to call 911, but then, she noticed something... the figure on the ground, despite the distance, seemed both tall and oddly familiar. She couldn't be sure who it was from where she stood, but her feet instinctively moved her closer to the scene.