Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 848

Whitney knew Ludwik had been waiting for this day for a long time.

He was prepared, calculating each move with Parker to corner Bryce into a dead end.

He was the silent force behind the scenes, the mastermind at the top of the pyramid, biding his time to swoop in for the victory. She couldn't help but admire him a little.

Her lips moved but she didn't speak, just letting a small smile escape.

The efforts she and Tiana had put in over the past two weeks were finally about to pay off.

"Tiana, let's get going." Whitney grabbed her briefcase, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked out.

-

The Sheldon Group building.

The afternoon sun was a bit gloomy.

Bryce hurried to the entrance, his long strides taking him directly towards the Sheldon Group's finance department...

Suddenly, a group of shareholders blocked his way.

"Mr. Evans, what's the meaning of this gathering?"

Bryce looked around, seeing no sign of them stepping aside, his expression growing darker by the second.

He was desperate to recover the three hundred billion, aware that these stubborn old men had probably caught wind of the Lutz Group's product launch failure and the ensuing compensations and breaches. These greedy old foxes were experts at deserting a sinking ship -yesterday's praises could easily turn into today's mockery.

"Mr. Lutz, what's going on with your company's product?" Mr. Evans asked, rubbing his hands together nonchalantly.

"Is that recording of Chairman Phineas siding with Ludwik true?"

Bryce's face went from bad to worse.

Mr. Evans glanced around, then whispered to a few other board members, "It's more or less confirmed. Looks like Chairman Phineas has really been in Ludwik's camp from the start, never giving the Patrick Group or the Lutz Group a chance... So, this means..." "What does this mean?" Bryce snapped, the mention of 'Ludwik' igniting his already frayed nerves.

He scoffed, "The Lutz Group just had a minor product issue, exploited by Ludwik, that sneaky little rat. It's not the end of the world, I'm already handling it!

And as for you shareholders, what's your angle? Hoping for the Lutz Group to fail?

Don't forget, when Whitney played her games to keep me out of the Sheldon Group, you were all for it.

Now, the Sheldon Group and I are in the same boat.

What affects one will affect the other. If the Lutz Group goes down, the Sheldon Group won't fare any better.

If I were you, I'd smarten up and not bother me. Better yet, help me navigate through this storm. It'll only benefit our Sky-Surprise Inn project!" The shareholders were taken aback.

But clearly, someone had already warned them against Bryce's tactics. Mr. Evans and Mr. Liam weren't buying it this time.

Mr. Liam scoffed, "Don't try to scare us, Bryce. Your Lutz Group has little to do with us at the Sheldon Group.

And helping you deal with the Lutz Group's product breach? Who do you think you are?

We're just worried that with you in charge of the Sky-Surprise Inn and this scandal hanging over your head, it might spell trouble for the project!" "That's none of your business. Hudson authorized me as the lead, and I've invested five hundred billion. Sky-Surprise Inn is mine."

Above all, Bryce needed to keep a firm grip on the Sky-Surprise Inn project to turn things around.

The most important thing was to get the money back and plug the gaping hole in the bank loan.

He ordered his secretary to get rid of the old men blocking his way!

"How dare you push us?" Mr. Liam and Mr. Evans, both portly figures, stood blocking the company entrance, refusing to let Bryce pass.

After a bit of back-and-forth, Bryce, sharp as ever, sensed something was off.

Were they purposely holding him back?

Buying time?

He looked up at the company's upper floors, his expression suddenly changing.

Was it Whitney?

Bryce brushed past Mr. Liam, striding into the company.

Heading towards the finance department, he had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, before he even reached the door, Bryce saw Whitney inside, signing some documents.

"Whitney!" he roared, his voice filled with menace, "Who let you in? Who the hell let them in?"

He turned, glaring at the company staff.

The staff members kept their heads down.

Whitney, seemingly unaffected, just waved her hand, and the finance manager left.

Tiana, viewing Bryce as an adversary, coldly stared at him and closed the office door.

"What are you doing here?" Bryce's gaze was fierce, piercing through Whitney as he interrogated her.

"Looks like you didn't get much rest, looking all haggard and tense," Whitney said, pushing herself up from the desk.

Bryce's anger flared. Just thinking about how this woman must have been hiding behind Ludwik, watching him become the laughingstock the night before, set his rage ablaze.

He couldn't stand seeing Whitney's composed demeanor-it was a blatant provocation in his eyes.

"Get out. I recall your authority in the Sheldon Group was stripped away a long time ago," he said, approaching her roughly and grabbing her arm.

Whitney didn't resist. Instead, she meaningfully held up the document in her hands with a smile, "True, my authority was systematically undermined by you and Florence over the last two weeks!

But to quell the shareholders' suspicions, you left me with a bit of signing power, didn't you?

I was invited by the finance department today to finalize the investment of the remaining funds into the Sky-Surprise Inn project. I just signed off on it.

The manager mentioned you've been delaying for a while, and to avoid impacting the project's progress, the remaining three hundred billion needed to be expedited. This way, the construction site can maintain its material supplies and workforce smoothly." "I thought you were aiming to make a fortune with the Sky-Surprise Inn, let me lend you a hand," Whitney said with a calm yet icy tone.

Bryce was completely stunned.

He stared wide-eyed in disbelief, as if trying to process what she had just said and what exactly the document in her hand was.

As Tiana's smile grew wider, Bryce snatched the document from Whitney, his eyes bloodshot with fury. He saw the heading of the document: A confirmation of a $30 billion fund transfer to the project.

His fingers trembled slightly.

Then, he glared at Whitney like a venomous snake.

Whitney met his gaze, her lips curved in a cold, steady smile.

Bryce actually took a step back before raising his hand and swinging it fiercely towards Whitney, "You witch... you're plotting against me, aren't you?!"

"You think you're going to hit her?" Tiana picked up a chair and smashed it onto Bryce with all her might.

He shrugged it off!

"Tiana!" Whitney, fearing for her safety, gestured for her to go outside and call for help!

"No way, I see him now as nothing but a beaten dog. What can he possibly do to us?" Tiana ran over, standing by Whitney's side, her eyes coldly fixed on Bryce, scoffing, "Mr. Lutz losing his cool, huh? Is this $30 billion your lifeline right now?" "Whitney, I'll kill you," Bryce roared.

Tiana looked at him, still not fully comprehending, and scoffed again, "Why just hate Whitney? The plan was Ludwik's idea, that sly fox. You're nothing compared to Ludwik, not by a long shot!

Half a month ago, you thought you had the Sheldon Group under your thumb, sidelining Whitney.

Why do you think Whitney caused such a scene at the company?

Wasn't it just to trap you further, making you even more convinced that Sky-Surprise Inn was a gold mine, speeding up your investment?

You borrowed money from the bank, thinking the partnership with Inko Group was a sure win.

And now?

You've lost everything.

Ludwik said you'd definitely be robbing Peter to pay Paul. He told us to hurry to the Sheldon Group and lock your remaining $30 billion into the project, making it impossible for you to withdraw, with no one to answer your calls for help. That's Ludwik's real strategy.

Do you see it now, Bryce?

You're not even worth a finger of Ludwik's!"