Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 808

"Got it, you're just irked because you haven't had a taste of her yet," Florence said with a knowing smirk.

She narrowed her eyes, plotting, "That's easy to fix. Since she's started digging into you, your time's running out.

Why don't you play dumb, catch her off-guard and spike her drink, knock her out cold? Then you can do whatever you want to her.

If she gets unruly, just film her and keep it as leverage. She'll have no choice but to comply with whatever you want afterward. If she steps out of line, threaten to go public with the footage. After all, she's Whitney, she wouldn't want her dirty laundry aired in public, would she?" It was as if Florence had voiced Bryce's darkest thoughts.

He looked at Florence with a cold intensity, "So, you're using me to get back at her? You're more vindictive than I thought."

"Me? Deep and devious? Hardly. I just think it's unfair to you. No matter how nice you are to her, she's still going behind your back with Ludwik. Maybe a little... persuasion would make her more compliant," Florence said with a sinister grin.

Bryce caressed her chin, pulling her closer and planting a kiss on her soft neck, pondering over something perhaps more sinister.

Florence shivered, "Mr. Lutz... why are you looking at me like that? What wicked plan are you concocting now?"

After all the sneaking around, she knew Bryce well enough.

This man, with his cunning mind, bowed and scraped in front of the Patrick family but was always scheming for his own gain. His ambition was limitless!

It seemed the Patrick family was on top for now, but if things continued, Bryce would never remain submissive. He was the dark horse with the most dangerous tricks up his sleeve.

Florence despised such men, yet here she was, relying on him to turn her fortunes around within the Sheldon Group.

"Florence, I see a fierce ambition in your eyes. Being dumped by Ludwik, outed by Whitney, and kicked out of the Sheldon Group must sting, huh? What if I told you there's a chance to start over, to return in a more prestigious role? Would you seize such an opportunity?" Bryce teased.

"Mr. Lutz, what are you talking about? A more prestigious role?" Florence asked, puzzled, yet sensing Bryce had a deep strategy in mind.

Bryce glanced at her slightly swollen belly, carrying Ludwik and Whitney's child. This ace up his sleeve would definitely come in handy at some point.

For now...

Ever since that day he saw the face of a middle-aged woman on Phineas's video call, Bryce had sent people across to Eurovoria to dig deeper, only to confirm that behind the Inko Group was indeed a powerful female chairperson, 46 years old, bearing a striking resemblance to Whitney. It confirmed Bryce's suspicion.

Perhaps, this woman could be...

Bryce's gaze lingered thoughtfully on Florence. Though not as similar to Whitney, there was potential...

"With a bit of tweaking, perhaps a minor cosmetic adjustment or two, I might be able to alter your fate," Bryce suggested, cryptically.

"Mr. Lutz, what exactly are you suggesting?" Florence felt he was holding onto a grand plan, yet unwilling to divulge any of it, leaving her in the dark.

"You'll find out in time," Bryce said with a sly smile, his eyes gleaming with ruthless ambition.

Even if it came to a head-to-head with Whitney eventually, he had another plan up his sleeve.

He wasn't worried about Whitney slipping through his fingers.

Ha, the nerve of her, digging into his affairs, she was asking for trouble.

-

Before leaving, Bryce cast another glance at Florence's belly, "Take good care of that ace. It'll come in handy."

It was Wednesday, and Bryce was out of town on business.

Whitney had confirmed his departure with the Lutz Group's associates and, to prevent any chance of Bryce returning early, had Cody stir up some trouble for the Lutz Group's operations. These complications meant Bryce would need to leave Emperor City for at least three days to deal with them.

In the evening, Ryder discreetly sabotaged the power supply to Bryce's villa.

Seizing the opportunity, Whitney quickly made her way back to the villa, using special methods to unlock Bryce's study and headed straight for his computer.

The computer wasn't password protected, and the files seemed to be ordinary Lutz Group documents. Whitney searched thoroughly but couldn't find any hidden files.

Just as she was about to give up, she spotted a small USB drive hidden under paperwork in the desk drawer.

Inserting the drive into the computer, she found it was encrypted.

Having picked up a few tricks from Sammy over the years, she managed to crack the encryption after several attempts.

Inside were seemingly inconsequential Lutz Group files.

However, upon closer inspection, she discovered a hidden file within a seemingly mundane folder.

Clicking it open, her eyes widened in disbelief.

It contained a video from three years ago at the South Inn, where a drugged Bryce had pushed her into a bathtub in an intimate embrace.

She remembered that video all too well; Elaine had used it to drive a wedge between her and Ludwik, ultimately ruining their marriage.

Afterwards, Ludwik had thrown her out of the manor, pregnant and alone, forcing her back to Skye Gem Ltd.

Later, when Skye Gem Ltd.'s building was auctioned off, it was Bryce, seemingly out of kindness, who lent her the billion dollars needed to buy it back.

Hence, Whitney found herself in the crosshairs of the Lutz family, burdened by their disapproval and her own guilt. Cornered, she felt she had no choice but to agree to an engagement with Bryce. This decision only served to further sour her already strained relationship with Ludwik... Why did Bryce have that video, too?

Whitney's mind raced, a chill running down her spine as a terrifying thought struck her. Perhaps Bryce had been holding onto that video from the start, maybe he was the one who gave it to Elaine!

Otherwise, how did Elaine get her hands on that video to use against her?

This thought momentarily paralyzed Whitney, her fingers trembling as she continued her search. Suddenly, she discovered documents about the auction of the Skye Gem Ltd. building from three years ago, including evidence of Bryce paying off online trolls to spread scandalous rumors about her. Could it be that Bryce had staged his timely assistance during the Skye Gem Ltd. building auction, engineering her gratitude to trap her into an engagement?

Was all of this his doing from the very start?

Had Bryce been collaborating with Elaine behind the scenes all along?

Oh, my God!

Had Bryce been scheming against her from the beginning, constantly stirring trouble in her marriage with Ludwik?

Whitney gripped the mouse tightly, her mind thunderstruck. During that tumultuous period, her marriage to Ludwik had fractured beyond repair, their relationship deteriorating even further.

In the end, unable to handle her engagement to Bryce, Ludwik had forced her to undergo a procedure to terminate her pregnancy. Ludwik, fully convinced by Elaine's lies, ultimately had her committed to a rehabilitation center, leading to her tragic fall into the sea and the premature birth of her child.

It dawned on Whitney that her fall, all her suffering, had been subtly orchestrated by Bryce all along. Bryce had hidden his true nature too well, proving far more dangerous than she had ever imagined.