Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 817

Who knew that as soon as I stepped into Sheldon Group, Cody would bring the storm clouds with him? "Whitney, Bryce is here, and he's brought Florence along. They got here an hour before you. Right now, they're in the boardroom, calling an emergency meeting with all of Sheldon Group's shareholders!"

"On what grounds?" Whitney's fists clenched, her face going pale as her expression darkened dramatically.

Cody was sweating bullets, bewildered, "I think I saw him holding a power of attorney from Hudson Sheldon..."

"What?"

It was as if a bomb went off in Whitney's head, confirming her worst suspicions from the day before!

She pushed through the crowd, rushing towards the upstairs conference room.

But the Sheldon Group employees all around her were casting strange glances her way, especially at the towering figure of Ludwik standing behind her.

Though the employees didn't dare gossip openly, there was plenty of whispering.

"Who would've thought the rumors were true?"

"The young executive is really entangled with her ex, now they're even showing up at Sheldon Group together."

"Isn't her husband Bryce in the boardroom? He looked so heartbroken and furious when he arrived."

"What a mess this is turning out to be."

Cody couldn't suppress the rising tide of murmurs.

A ripple of panic went through Whitney, News? What news?

She had a bad feeling and quickly turned to look at Ludwik.

Ludwik's expression darkened, and he immediately pulled out his phone, only to find what he had expected: Bryce had released footage of him holding Whitney as they returned to his villa the previous night. In the video, the angle was intimate, with Whitney uncontrollably kissing his cheek several times!

Whitney saw it too, her face turning ghostly pale, "We were caught on camera?"

"Yeah, and Bryce planned it all along! He only released it now because it ties into his stunt at Sheldon Group today, the sneaky bastard." Ludwik looked down at her, his face cold, "Regardless, you need to go handle the situation upstairs. I'll figure out how to get the trending news pulled with some cash."

Whitney's calm demeanor had vanished, every step Bryce took was a trap.

She wished she could tear the man apart right then and there.

In the boardroom, most of the shareholders had received the company's urgent summons and had made their way to the office.

They were puzzled to see Bryce standing at the podium.

"Bryce, what are you doing up there?" an elderly shareholder asked.

Under the spotlight, Bryce lifted his sorrowful yet mockingly self-deprecating face, "Mr. Liam, I may not be able to call myself 'son-in-law' much longer. Have you seen today's news?

You're all Mr. Sheldon's old guard and Whitney's elders. She probably doesn't want me anymore, blatantly going home with another man... Hah, my father-in-law must pity me, hence he promised me the Sheldon Estate project. So, as of today, I have no choice but to join Sheldon Group, to oversee the Sheldon Estate matters."

After his announcement, he barely curved his lips, showcasing the contract!

The contract's cover page read: The Sheldon Estate's deep cooperation with Lutz Group, transferring the Sky-Surprise Inn property to Lutz Group with compensation. Furthermore, the president of Lutz Group would join Sheldon Group to oversee the real estate division and assist in completing the Sky-Surprise Inn project.

The shareholders were shocked, but there it was on the last page, Hudson's signature, clear as day!

"How could this be..."

"But it's indeed Mr. Sheldon's own signature!"

"What exactly did Bryce say?!" Mr. Liam bellowed in fury.

"Mr. Liam, haven't you seen the news? It's all over social media. Two nights ago, Whitney and Ludwik were all over each other going back to Ludwik's villa, couldn't even stop kissing on the way, and that video got leaked last night. It's causing quite the stir now. Whitney, of all people, why jeopardize her marriage for a fling with her ex?

Last I checked, Sheldon Group's stocks are plummeting!

It seems Mr. Sheldon must've sensed his daughter's indiscretions long ago, hence to compensate Bryce, he allowed him into Sheldon Group... But this decision, so sudden and kept from us, now puts Bryce in charge of the Sheldon Estate, doesn't it?"

A shareholder stepped forward, furiously berating Whitney.

Mr. Liam's face turned thunderous, "Whitney's extramarital affair, how could Sheldon family's internal issues affect our company's stocks and cause such a major shakeup? Where's Whitney? Bring her here!"

Bryce, with a look of subdued sorrow, "Mr. Liam, honestly, I didn't want to join Sheldon Group. But my feelings for Whitney remain unchanged, no matter her betrayal. I still want to fulfill my father-in-law's wishes.

Now that Sheldon Group and Lutz Group have established a real estate project cooperation, and my father-in-law has asked me to be the project manager, I have to step up in this difficult time. Otherwise, with Whitney's scandal causing such an uproar, if I don't accept my father-in-law's goodwill, Sheldon Group's situation could get even more out of hand."

He continued, seemingly torn, clenching his fists in a display of helplessness and conflict.

Just when Whitney stormed in, seeing Bryce putting on airs made her so livid she felt nauseous. She marched over, snatching the agreement from his hands, her fingers trembling as she flipped to the last page-there it was, her father's signature... Whitney's eyes blazed with fury.

Florence stood by Bryce's side, smirking triumphantly at Whitney when no one was looking. "That's right, it was me who visited your dad. I tricked him into signing this while he was out of it. He can't remember a thing, but this contract is now in effect." "Florence," Whitney glared at her, delivering a fierce slap across her face, "You're inhuman! Dad raised you for twenty years, and you deceived him into selling the Sheldon Group. Have you no conscience?"

"It's sold to me, after all." Florence caressed her swollen belly, her laugh sinister.

Whitney didn't have time for her, this pathetic excuse for a villain. Her gaze, filled with loathing, turned directly to Bryce, chilling to the bone, "Bryce, how dare you do this to my dad. I swear, today, I'm going to make sure you end up behind bars."

"Oh, Whitney." Bryce's eyes twinkled with a mocking light, chilling to the core, but then he adopted a bitter expression, covering his face with his hands, casting a glance towards the conference room door where Ludwik stood, "Whitney, why are you so stubborn, trampling my dignity underfoot? Bringing Ludwik to the shareholders' meeting today, where do you think this leaves me?

It's precisely because of your stubbornness that your father-in-law is disappointed in you. I've explained before, I didn't want anything from the Sheldon Group. It was your father who forced me to take over the real estate project. Maybe he knew that your heart was elsewhere, no longer in your work."

His accusations twisted the truth, painting himself as the victim.

The shareholders had also noticed Ludwik at the door, as if Whitney was blatantly bringing her lover into the company.

With the scandalous video that leaked to the press, they all looked at Whitney with disdain and anger, "Whitney, look at the mess you've made! Now your dad's disappointed in you, letting an outsider handle the real estate project!"

"Your scandal has caused the Sheldon Group's stock to plummet. You owe us shareholders an explanation!"

"I don't think you're fit to be the vice president anymore. With a project as big as real estate, maybe it's best if you stay out of it!"