Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 773

"Miss..." The maid, barely rescued from the water, glanced up to see Elodie's displeased expression and jumped in fright.

Quickly turning her head towards Whitney, she pointed an accusing finger, "I truly don't know what I did to upset Ms. Valentine. Out of nowhere, she shoved me into the pool, making sure I crashed into Mr. Lewis. Today was supposed to be your welcome party, Ms. Valentine. Are you looking to stir up trouble at Elodie's event on purpose?"

The maid exaggerated her story, hinting at something deeper.

Immediately, all eyes turned to Whitney.

Elodie, visibly irritated, confronted Whitney, "Mrs. Lutz, what exactly are you trying to pull here?"

Sienna, standing by her side, chimed in sarcastically, "Elodie, what else could Mrs. Lutz be up to?

If you ask me, she's just green with envy seeing you getting on so well with Ludwik. She's obviously trying to mess up your party!"

"So, Mrs. Lutz, you're picking on our maid now? That's low, even for you."

Elodie frowned, barely containing her anger.

The guests, overhearing Sienna's comments, began whispering among themselves.

"So, this is all because she's jealous of Elodie and Ludwik's thing?"

"But hasn't she married Bryce already?"

"That's underestimating Ms. Valentine. Many women want their cake and eat it too, always hoping their exes still orbit around them. Plus, she might not want Ludwik climbing up the social ladder with the Miller family." "Whitney always looked like such a sweetheart. Who knew she could be so spiteful?"

As these harsh whispers reached Ludwik's ears, his gaze darkened and a chill spread around him, ready to explode in anger. But then, he heard Whitney's lazy chuckle.

Ludwik's deep gaze calmed, raising an eyebrow at the petite woman.

Whitney crossed her arms and approached the maid, "Elodie, let's not jump to conclusions.

Maid, are you certain it was me who pushed you into the water?"

The maid stammered, "If not you, then who? It was just us two..."

Whitney smirked coolly, "Actually, you claimed Sandy was looking for me, which is why I followed you here. At the pool's edge, you suddenly turned and bumped into me, trying to knock me into the water towards Mr. Lewis. But, in your clever attempt, you ended up in the water yourself."

"You're lying!" The maid, caught in her own fabrication, panicked, "I don't know any Sandy, and I never looked for you. It was you who wanted to embarrass Elodie and ruin her party."

Whitney's eyes grew colder as she chuckled, "Did you rehearse your lies?

Lies made up on the spot often have holes.

For instance, you forgot about the surveillance cameras all around the pool!

Why don't we check the footage to see if it was you leading me here or me pushing you?"

The maid went pale, biting her lip in panic, her eyes darting to Elodie.

Elodie shot the maid a warning glance. The maid had failed miserably, but now Whitney had escalated things to checking surveillance footage.

Elodie quickly retorted, "Ms. Valentine, how could I have anticipated such an incident today? It was my private party, so I didn't ask the hotel to keep the cameras on."

"Isn't that convenient? Surveillance always seems to be off or missing crucial footage at just the right moment," Whitney said with a cold smile, spreading her hands in a gesture of innocence. "Well, if that's how it is, there's nothing I can do. You say jump, I ask how high, Elodie. After all, the host's word is law here, and I'm just a humble guest.

You want an apology? You got it. It's your party, your maid.

Only an apology from me will make you happy, right?"

The crowd wasn't dumb; they caught the underlying message in Whitney's words. Essentially, Elodie was using her family's influence to manipulate the maid into targeting Whitney.

Seething internally, Elodie forced a bright, naive smile, "Ms. Valentine, don't take it the wrong way.

It was just a private party among friends. I wanted everyone to feel relaxed, that's why I didn't have the cameras on.

Falling into the pool didn't endanger anyone's life, so let's just let bygones be bygones.

It was a mistake on both sides, and nobody did it on purpose.

Mr. Lewis, sorry for the interruption. Didn't mean to ruin your swim."

Mr. Lewis, wary of Elodie's status, quickly played peacekeeper, "Yeah, Ms. Valentine, let's just forget it. It was all a misunderstanding, and everyone's fine."

Sienna scoffed, "Elodie, looking out for your own maid isn't wrong. But hey, we're about to pop the champagne. If Ms. Valentine got a scare, maybe you should offer her a couple of drinks to calm her nerves." "Right, Mr. Lippert, let's get ready for the champagne toast," Elodie said, gazing at Ludwik with affection.

"Hold on."

The man who had been silently observing finally spoke up, halting the dispersing crowd.

Ludwik's gaze swept coldly over Elodie as he succinctly stated, "Let me make one thing clear, regardless of what you've all been speculating.

Elodie and I are not an item, and I don't have feelings for her.

The one I love is well known to everyone."

With that, he looked intently at Whitney, his eyes revealing a depth of emotion.

Caught off guard by his direct gaze, Whitney's cheeks flushed red, her scalp tingling.

What was he doing?

She was speechless...

Meanwhile, Elodie's face turned a shade paler from embarrassment. She had been so openly affectionate with Ludwik throughout the party, making everyone assume they were an item.

But now, he had publicly denied any connection, humiliating her in front of everyone.

Elodie's gaze shifted to Whitney, blaming her for everything. Her eyes burned with intense hatred.

Feeling Elodie's stare, Whitney shot Ludwik a frustrated look. She really wanted to push him into the pool for making her an enemy day in and day out.

The tension by the poolside lingered until the servants rolled in a tower of champagne glasses.

Elodie had been daydreaming of grabbing Ludwik's hand to pop the first bottle of champagne together.

But after he gave her the cold shoulder, she had no choice but to abandon that thought.

Yet, she wasn't one to back down easily. Once the champagne was flowing, Elodie, with a mocking smile, picked up a glass and handed it to Whitney, her face feigning innocence. "Mrs. Lutz, I'm so terribly sorry about my maid's impertinence earlier. You, with your vast experiences and wisdom, surely wouldn't take offense, right?"

She emphasized the word 'you' heavily, clearly insinuating that Whitney was of a certain age.

Compared to Elodie, who was in her blossoming twenties, Whitney did appear more seasoned.

However, Whitney's striking features softened the impact of her age.

The crowd wasn't deaf to Elodie's barbed words.

Whitney just chuckled, unfazed, and shot back, "Thanks, Elodie dear. You and your BFF Sienna are such polite young ladies. Just earlier, she was calling me an 'old lady'.

Looks like she got that from you, huh?"

Sienna, suddenly called out, froze, a flash of anger about to show in her eyes.

Ludwik, catching Whitney's response, smirked subtly and looked at Whitney with fondness. "Whitney, you're my ex-wife. If they're calling you old, what does that make me? An old man? Perhaps Elodie should start calling me 'uncle' then!" Whitney raised an eyebrow, a look of approval in her eyes. Ludwik had played his part well.