Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 762

"The last text on my sister's phone..."

Sawyer's voice was heavy with grief.

Whitney froze, completely taken aback. How could Audrey, with whom she barely had any connection, choose to send her a message in her final moments? It was utterly baffling.

What did she want to say about Bryce?

What about him?

Wait, why would Audrey mention Bryce right before she died?

Seeing Whitney's puzzled look, Sawyer's expression grew complicated. "My sister wanted to tell you something about Mr. Lutz. She had started to type 'Bryce' but... she never got to finish."

"I guess, at that moment, she must have realized or discovered something critical, prompting her to send you that message. It was a warning...

Otherwise, on the brink of death, she wouldn't have thought to message a stranger like you, Ms. Valentine. She would've called me or our parents to say goodbye...

But she didn't.

That means this message was something she believed was crucial for you to know."

Whitney felt her heart skip a beat.

Indeed, thinking back, Audrey's call wasn't for some trivial chit-chat. She had something important she wanted to share.

"Why is there only a screenshot?" Whitney asked, her curiosity piqued.

"The phone was handed over to the police. When we rushed to the scene from Banyan City, I was the first to check her phone. My family and Bryce saw it too. After finding the message, I took a screenshot and then deleted it." Whitney was taken aback that Bryce had also seen Audrey's phone.

Sawyer squinted, "Ms. Valentine, I deleted the message because I didn't want Bryce to see his name in my sister's last words. I don't know why she mentioned him in her dying moments.

She came to you yesterday, what did she want to say?"

Whitney shook her head, her expression cooling. "She didn't make it clear over the phone..."

As she recalled their conversation, Whitney suddenly froze. Audrey had scoffed, saying, 'What else about you and me...' The only link between Audrey and her was Bryce.

Her gaze fixed on the screenshot.

"Bryce is... HS4"

The message was incomplete, presumably initials. H... Harm, S... Death.

"Bryce is the cause of death..."

Could it be that was what Audrey intended to type?

Cause of death for whom?

Whitney's mind was in turmoil.

She remembered Audrey mentioning yesterday: "Your best friend Tiana has disappeared."

In a flash, Whitney's face paled.

She looked up at Sawyer, "Did your sister ever mention Tiana to you?"

Sawyer's eyes flickered, and after a moment, he said, "Ms. Valentine, the reason I came to you today is that half a month ago, my sister suddenly asked me to find a detective. She wanted to investigate you and Tiana." Whitney was astonished, "Investigate me and my best friend?"

"Yes, I was puzzled. I didn't understand her motives. You're her boss's wife; why investigate you and your best friend? But she was headstrong, never sharing her reasons."

"Moreover, the property Audrey bought in Emperor City, including the car involved in the accident, wasn't purchased by our parents. Since she mentioned Bryce in her final moments, I wonder if this has something to do with Mr. Lutz?" Sawyer hinted darkly, "But Bryce is at the height of his power now, and our family, the Perlmans, relies on him in many ways. I dare not suspect him lightly.

But since my sister contacted you in her final moments, Ms. Valentine, I actually wanted to ask for your help.

Could you help investigate my sister's real cause of death?

I refuse to believe it was merely a car accident.

Those two letters she didn't manage to send out, what do they mean?"

Whitney was engulfed in a cloud of suspicion.

Audrey had been investigating Tiana? Why?

It seemed her knowledge of Tiana's disappearance wasn't a coincidence.

Suddenly, Whitney remembered something Tiana had told her just days before she vanished: "Whitney, wait a few more days, I have something to tell you." Then Tiana was gone.

Just like Audrey... who had something to say and then suddenly died.

It felt like a sinister force was silencing them!

One disappeared, another died... both without getting a chance to speak.

And now, the last message Audrey tried to send: Bryce...

For a moment, Whitney felt a chill in her palms. Could Tiana's disappearance be related to Bryce?

Or did Audrey uncover some dark secrets about the Lutz Group, leading to her untimely death?

Bryce's name now seemed shrouded in mystery.

Seeing her silence, Sawyer put on his hat and mask, "Ms. Valentine, my sister's last attempt to communicate was with you.

And you probably feel something's off too, my sister was keeping tabs on you in secret.

Don't you want to know why she cared so much about you?

It might indeed be because of you that she died... What was that last message she wanted to tell you?

You know, many car brake failures can also be controlled."

Sawyer's low voice gripped Whitney's breath. She understood his implication.

Clutching her fists, "Since she died on her way to see me, I can't live with the guilt. If you suspect foul play, I'll look into it."

"Thank you, Ms. Valentine. And please, be careful. Don't tell anyone I've been here."

After Sawyer's caution, he left.

Whitney's gaze turned icy.

She didn't know how she managed to return to Bryce's luxurious villa, their newlywed home.

On a tranquil afternoon, nestled in the couch, she reopened Audrey's screenshot, her fingers hesitating over her phone's keyboard. Typing in the initials, she couldn't believe her eyes when the words "to kill" popped up. Bryce is responsible for... If that was true, who could possibly be next?

A shiver ran down Whitney's spine.

The thought of Bryce, with his gentle demeanor, being involved in something as sinister as murder was inconceivable.

She urged herself to stay calm.

Yet, the fact that Audrey was aware of Tiana's disappearance linked them in some mysterious way. She was determined to unravel the truth behind Audrey's death.

Ding-dong-

The doorbell chimed, signaling Bryce's return.

Whitney's head snapped towards the door, only to see Bryce's tall, gentle figure cast in shadows, blocking the sunlight from outside. Despite being in their newlywed villa, a sudden chill enveloped her. Memories of Ludwik's numerous warnings flooded her mind.

Do you truly know who Bryce is?