Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 805

His gaze burned with intensity as he watched her, but his eyes narrowed slightly, feigning casualness as he asked, "What exactly happened with that car accident today? The thought of the kids almost getting hurt has me worried too."

Whitney's mind fluttered. He was... too good at pretending.

She took a deep breath, anger lacing her voice, "Don't even start. That distracted driver was on his phone, completely missed the traffic lights and just crashed into us. But, you know, the police investigation had some discrepancies. Ludwik suspects that driver wasn't just any regular driver; someone sent him off to suddenly fund his son's study abroad program, looks like a payoff."

Bryce's grip on the steering wheel tightened, not expecting Ludwik to have acted so swiftly, even getting the police involved.

He squinted, feigning a sigh, "Whitney, Ludwik used to be the top guy in Harmonia Country, he has too many enemies. It must be them kicking him when he's down. Maybe you should bring Danny and Sammy over to stay with us, I can help look after them." Whitney's eyes were cold as ice, a bitter smile on her lips, "I wish. But Ludwik would never agree, he's so stubborn. Plus, even though the Lippert family is down on their luck, fighting a legal battle won't be easy."

"If you agree, I'll help you find a lawyer." Bryce's voice was warm as he gently took her hand.

"Okay, I'll think about it," Whitney reluctantly agreed.

The curve of his lips deepened, lifting her hand to his lips for a kiss, his mood visibly brightened, "We still have some time, Whitney. How about we go back and have a candlelit dinner?"

The warmth in his voice rose, his eyes darkening as he looked at her.

Whitney froze. Her evasion must have given Bryce the wrong impression. She wasn't oblivious to what he wanted next.

Her heart pounded as Whitney took a deep breath, looking out the window.

Her phone in her pocket vibrated non-stop, all messages from Ludwik.

Not wanting Bryce to notice, she immediately silenced it.

But the screen kept lighting up.

Soon, they arrived at the villa. Seeing a grocery store, she quickly found an excuse, "Bryce, why don't you head back first? I'll go grab some vegetables. Anything else you need?" "Mmm, get some broccoli for garnish," Bryce said, his lips curving upward as he ruffled her hair, "Hurry back."

"Okay."

After getting out of the car, Whitney found a secluded spot under a tree and took out her phone.

Sure enough, Ludwik had sent her dozens of voice messages through Felix's Facebook.

Opening the first one, she was met with Danny's resentful crying, "Mommy, how could you leave us and go back to that big bad Bryce?

I'm mad! Hmph... Daddy says it's dangerous for you to be around Bryce. You have to come to us!"

Listening to Danny's aggrieved sobs, Whitney felt a deep sense of guilt.

Ludwik: It's not just Danny. Sammy is also really upset with you. I can't calm either of them down.

They both need you, and I miss you too, Whitney.

Why aren't you responding?

Whitney: "..."

She didn't want to scroll any further.

Ludwik, with a tone of cold resentment, "I've said so much to you today, are you just ignoring it?

Why won't you divorce Bryce?

I can't believe you're treating his home as your own. You don't care about the kids anymore. Or is it... you're trying to stay by his side to find evidence that he hurt them?" Whitney took a deep breath.

Ludwik continued to send messages of concern, "Hurry back! Whitney, do you know what will happen if he finds out? Be smart!

With a heavy heart, Whitney hung up the phone.

It was clear Ludwik had a sharp intuition.

But he missed one thing, she wasn't just looking for evidence against Bryce for hurting the kids. More importantly, she needed to find out what happened to Tiana. Tiana had been missing for nearly a month, and she couldn't wait any longer.

If Tiana was harmed by Bryce, Whitney would make sure he paid, even if it meant going down with him. If anything happened to Tiana, she'd see Bryce behind bars.

Whitney clenched her fist tightly, her heartbeat quickening as she called Ryder, "Ryder, can you talk?"

"Sure, Ms. Valentine. I just left Mr. Nelson's office. Go ahead."

"I need to check Bryce's villa as soon as possible, see if I can find anything. But the place is rigged with surveillance. How can we disable it without him noticing?"

"There's a way. If we cut off the internet in the area, the cameras will go down too," Ryder suggested.

"Can you manage to disrupt the network for an entire area?"

"Just find the local electrical grid's control system and cut it off for a bit."

Right, no electricity meant no internet.

"Let's do that. Start looking for the control system for the electricity grid here. I'll try to find out Bryce's schedule for the next few days. As soon as he's out, we'll move. I don't want to delay any longer."

After arranging everything with Ryder, Whitney returned to the villa, pretending nothing was amiss, with the broccoli in hand.

Bryce had prepared a lavish Western-style dinner, lighting candles to set the mood, and gently pulled her to the dining table.

Just as Whitney was about to sit down, Bryce's strong hand caught her waist, pulling her onto his lap.

The sudden contact with his warmth and the touch of his skin made Whitney shiver.

Looking into Bryce's handsome, cultured face, all Whitney could think of were his depraved escapades with his secretary in the office.

Whitney felt a wave of nausea but forced a smile, "Bryce, weren't we going to grab some dinner? What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Bryce flashed a charming smile, his gaze deep and passionate. "Whitney, I've missed you so much..."

"I'm right here, aren't I?" Whitney feigned ignorance and pushed him away.

"I'm talking about missing you in that special way," Bryce said, more directly this time, his gaze burning with desire as he tightened his grip around her slender waist. "Honey, how much longer are you going to make me wait? Since you forgave me last time and we decided to make a go of it, you'll eventually have to give yourself to me."

Her stomach churned at his words.

All this time, Ryder had been keeping an eye on Bryce's office activities. Bryce seemed to have boundless energy, engaging in what he called 'leather fun' with his secretary almost daily. Wasn't that enough for him?

And now he wanted Whitney?

Just thinking about it made her skin crawl, her stomach turning in disgust. As she subtly turned her head, Bryce tried to lean in for a kiss.

But Whitney instinctively dodged his advance.

He noticed her automatic resistance, the same as before!

Bryce's face darkened instantly. "You still don't want me to touch you?"

The shadow that fell over his usually gentle face reminded Whitney of the last time he had hit her, sending a shiver of fear through her.

She hurriedly tried to get off his lap.

But Bryce's grip was unyieldingly tight.