Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 761

The officer furrowed his brow, looking troubled as he glanced at Ludwik. "Mr. Lippert, this lady indeed is Audrey's mother. She came all the way from Banyan City, being the first to report to the police that her daughter contacted Whitney before she passed." "If it's convenient, we'd appreciate Ms. Valentine's cooperation to shed some light on the situation."

Whitney felt a storm brewing inside her, even though Audrey's death had nothing to do with her directly. The very person who had called her in the afternoon was now gone, leaving her with an unsettling weight on her shoulders.

She came clean, "Audrey called me, mentioned she wanted to discuss something. But I never got to see her, and then her mother burst in saying she was gone. This woman lost her daughter, her emotions are running high, I'm not going to press charges." The officer nodded, "We'll take her back to the station for a talk. Ms. Valentine, regarding Audrey's death, we might call you in for further inquiries. Please be prepared."

"I'll cooperate," Whitney said, her mind elsewhere, her brows knitted together.

After the police took the woman away, she decided to call Bryce, "Bryce, I heard about Audrey's passing. Did you know?"

"I did," came Bryce's calm yet regretful voice. "I'm at the funeral home right now. Audrey was indeed an employee at the Lutz Group, and it was my mother who strongly recommended her. I feel a responsibility as her boss, and given the good relations between the Perlman and Lutz families, I'm here to manage her affairs. It's tragic, her being so young and meeting such an unexpected end."

Unexpected?

Whitney's brows furrowed slightly, "I'm coming to the funeral home. The Perlman family reported to the police, thinking her death has something to do with me?"

"What's going on?" Bryce's tone darkened.

After Audrey's accident, he had immediately taken charge of managing the situation, not expecting someone from the Perlman family to approach Whitney. This was an unwelcome complication.

"I'll explain when I get there."

Hanging up, Whitney massaged her temples and walked out of the Sheldon Group to her car.

Suddenly, Ludwik caught up to her, taking hold of her delicate wrist. "Whitney, you seem distraught, not in the right state to drive. Where do you need to go? Let me take you," he said, concern tinting his deep-set brows.

He had overheard bits and pieces, Audrey was apparently Bryce's secretary.

"I can manage on my own."

She tried to refuse, noting his clean, crisp white shirt and trousers, obviously having rushed over from the Lippert family on short notice. She wasn't sure who had informed him.

Looking into his refined features, her eyes flickered, "Ludwik, thanks for protecting me earlier."

"I wish I could protect you all the time," he said, earnestly.

Whitney frowned, "But your presence here, it's inconvenient. You should leave."

"Where to?" he asked again, his tone noticeably cooler.

Checking the route to the funeral home, which was quite a distance, Whitney realized she was indeed too shaken to drive.

Eventually, she handed over her car keys to him.

He escorted her to the passenger seat, securing her seatbelt before taking the wheel. His calm, gentlemanly actions gradually soothed Whitney.

On the way, she pondered over Audrey's cause of death and the phone call she had received.

An hour later, they arrived at the funeral home.

Whitney unbuckled her seatbelt, glancing at the handsome silhouette beside her, "Bryce is at the funeral home..."

"Alright, I won't show up," Ludwik conscientiously returned the car keys to her, but cautioned in a low tone, "If that girl's family dares to bully you, call me right away."

Whitney had no intention of calling him but didn't have the heart to explain, merely nodding in agreement.

Entering the funeral home's lobby, she encountered unfamiliar faces from the Perlman family, all seemingly recognizing her and shooting daggers her way with their eyes.

Finn Perlman staggered towards her, hand raised, "You're Whitney, right? If my daughter hadn't gone to see you, she might still be alive..."

"Mr. Perlman!" Bryce intervened, blocking the impending slap and shielding Whitney. "Uncle, why blame my wife? Didn't the police clarify everything? The car was an electric model with a brake malfunction, leading to Audrey's fatal crash. We should be questioning the manufacturer." "A brake malfunction?" Whitney puzzled.

Bryce nodded, "The police reviewed the footage. The car lost control midway and crashed into a construction site's steel rods. It was a pure accident. In other words, Mr. Perlman, even if Audrey hadn't been on her way to see my wife, driving that car today would have... Please, take solace."

Finn's face was a portrait of grief as he covered his eyes, sobbing, "But why did my daughter go to see your wife? If not for your wife's jealousy, unable to tolerate another woman secretary by your side..."

Bryce's eyes darkened, he sighed heavily, turning to Whitney, "This was my oversight. We had a fight last night, and Audrey came to say goodbye this morning, seeing me upset. Maybe she meant well, wanting to talk to Whitney. After all, Audrey and I worked well together, and were friends outside of work. Mr. Perlman, if you must blame someone, blame me. My wife is not at fault."

The Perlman family members clenched their fists, knowing Bryce was no longer the man he used to be, and that the Perlman family might need his support in the future. Finn, realizing it was unwise to make a scene, glared at Whitney but eventually backed down. Listening to Bryce's words, Whitney was momentarily stunned.

Audrey had called, and Whitney wondered if it was an attempt to patch things up between her and Bryce. They had a bit of a tiff last night, after all.

But Audrey never struck her as the peacemaking type.

Moreover, the urgency and oddity in Audrey's voice didn't quite fit the bill for a reconciliation attempt. It puzzled Whitney.

However, Audrey's death was quickly ruled as an accident caused by a vehicle system failure that led to a fire and explosion. Her cremated remains were taken away by the Perlman family that very evening.

The Perlman family didn't press charges against Whitney, which suggested Bryce might have had a hand in calming the waters.

But the incident lodged itself in Whitney's mind, an uncomfortable, unresolved issue.

Then, out of the blue, a call from an unknown number reached Whitney's phone the next day.

"Is this Ms. Valentine? I'm Audrey's older brother, Sawyer Perlman."

"Mr. Perlman?" Whitney responded, confused.

"Yes. I'd like to meet Ms. Valentine in person, but please, don't alert anyone, especially your husband," Sawyer said in a hushed tone. Whitney paused, puzzled. Keep it from Bryce?

Instinctively, she felt what Sawyer had to say might involve Bryce. Could it be related to Audrey's death?

Lost in thought, Whitney soon found herself at the agreed-upon coffee shop.

"Mr. Perlman, what did you want to talk about?"

Sawyer sat in a secluded corner, wearing sunglasses and a hat. Without a word, he pulled out his phone and showed her a screenshot. Whitney took a glance and saw an unsent text message: Bryce is...

The message was cut off, but the typing indicator showed a string of letters, "HS4..."

And shockingly, the intended recipient of the message was her, Whitney!

"What does this mean?" she asked, utterly perplexed.