Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 463

Florence gave Ludwik a mischievous tug. "Hey, Ludwik, looks like we've got the place to ourselves. Let's sit down and eat, shall we?"

"You go ahead. I need a smoke. Your nutritionist will bring your meal over!" Ludwik replied, his tone detached as he walked away, leaving Florence's smile to freeze on her lips. She knew he was just putting on a show for Whitney.

No matter, as long as it gets under Whitney’s skin!

-

At another restaurant.

"Whitney, are you okay? Ludwik seemed pretty eager to get rid of us, and you looked upset," Sandy said, still trying to grasp the situation.

Whitney responded with a cold, humorless laugh. "Why should I care about someone who means nothing to me?"

"It seems like Ludwik is always picking on you because of Florence," Sandy remarked innocently.

Her words, however, stung Whitney like a sharp needle, causing her to pause mid-bite.

Shane, on the other hand, looked amused, thinking to himself that Ludwik’s actions weren’t about Florence at all—he was just jealous of Whitney...

Ding-a-ling—

Whitney's phone rang, and her lips tightened into a frosty line as she saw the caller ID.

What now? Wasn't kicking me out because of Florence enough?

She didn’t want to answer, but the persistent ringing felt as oppressive as Ludwik himself.

With her nerves on edge, she stood up to answer, "Mr. Lippert, what can I do for you now?"

"You messed up the documents you submitted. Get up here right now! Otherwise, I'll have you fired from S-T Group."

"I didn’t submit any documents this morning. You’re just looking for trouble, aren’t you?" Whitney spat out.

Click—His response was to hang up, cold and dark.

Whitney couldn't suppress her anger, her face pale as she grabbed her jacket.

Sandy and the others had overheard, their anger palpable yet unvoiced. "Is Ludwik giving you a hard time again? Is Florence behind this? You barely touched your lunch!"

Whitney felt a chill in her heart. Was Florence playing tricks? The thought of food made her stomach turn with discomfort.

She left the restaurant, with Sandy quickly following suit.

The assistant glanced at Shane, who whispered, "Go, take care of her."

Understanding his meaning, the assistant nodded and followed Sandy.

-

In S-T Group's sales department, Whitney stormed into Ludwik's office, only to find it empty.

Surprised, she caught a glimpse of Ludwik's silhouette in her own small office across the way.

Fuming, Whitney marched in, only to have Ludwik turn around and point at the lunch box on her desk, his eyes cold and furious. "Eat!"

"..."

His commanding presence was intimidating, his eyes ablaze with anger.

Whitney was taken aback, then laughed out of sheer frustration. "Are you out of your mind or just plain schizophrenic? You've already made it clear I'm not welcome to eat in the restaurant because of your precious Florence!"

Ludwik didn’t have time for her. Glancing at his watch and then coldly at Whitney’s angry face, he was frustrated. He simply didn’t want her dining with Shane!