Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 280

“Look, if I go public with these explicit photos of you and your ex, how do you think your darling Elaine would react? Would it break her heart, spark a bit of jealousy? With your marriage certificate in one hand and these suggestive photos in the other, do you really think your wedding next month will go off without a hitch?”

Ludwik's face darkened as he stared at the revealing photos. He couldn't let Elaine see these.

The woman before him was all ice and edge, and any faint, dreamy haze from last night was now utterly gone. Clearly, she had played him again! She had used her leverage over him.

Fists clenched, his face turned icy, “You wretch, spit it out. What do you want?”

“I want you to pull some strings at the Banyan City Jail, let me visit my uncle without the Bartels family's influence getting in the way!”

“Don't drag Elaine into this. She has no interest in meddling with your uncle. Unlike you, she's not despicable to the core!”

Ha. Your Elaine is a saint, you're blind.

A sting of mockery crossed Whitney's heart, her voice laced with sarcasm, “We'll see if I'm smearing your precious Elaine when the truth about my uncle's case comes out. Cut the crap, are we making this deal or not? If not, I'm reaching out to every major media outlet in Banyan City.”

Saying this, Whitney reached for her phone.

Watching her relentless demeanor, Ludwik felt a surge of loathing. He was a fool to think he had seen a different side of her. This kind of woman, heartless.

At that moment, he felt stupid for letting his guard down with a drunkard last night. Why did he give in to his impulses, giving her an opportunity to exploit? She was only out to blackmail him, the chaos was all on him. This despicable woman, probably even found humor in his vulnerability.

With a cold heart and a shadow over his brow, Ludwik stood up, wrapping himself in a bathrobe, his long legs moving towards Whitney. His grip was strong, suddenly seizing her delicate neck!

“What are you doing, Ludwik…” Whitney hadn't expected such violence, struggling against his hold.

“Did you think there wouldn’t be consequences for scheming against me?” Ludwik’s fingers tightened dangerously until she could hardly breathe. He suddenly let go, his eyes cold with disdain, “Fine. As part of the deal, get your divorce finalized! Don’t even think about using that marriage certificate to cause trouble or make Elaine upset. Sort out your uncle's mess and better leave Banyan City with your divorce papers. Forget about Skye Gem Ltd.; it belongs to Elaine now. If you don’t leave, don’t blame me for not showing mercy.”

The venom in his gaze made Whitney shiver, a cold laugh escaping her. So, for Elaine, he was willing to play dirty, to drive her out of Banyan City.

“Alright, a divorce certificate for a jail visit, it’s a deal,” Whitney said nonchalantly, a smirk on her lips. But then, she laughed again, walking past him, “Too bad, your Elaine is going to keep being unhappy.”

Ludwik frowned, about to question her meaning. His phone suddenly vibrated. He walked back to the bedside, picking it up to see Elaine’s call, who had tried to reach him countless times last night.

Ludwik’s brow furrowed, recalling how close he had come to messing up with Whitney, feeling both frustrated and guilty. Squeezing his forehead, he grabbed his jacket, not giving Whitney another glance, and stormed out. It wasn’t until he was in the hotel elevator that he called back, taking a breath, “Elaine, what’s up?”