Love beyond the mask (Whitney) novel Chapter 531

"Why'd you clam up all of a sudden?" Florence seized the moment as she noticed his gaze turning hazy, her arms wrapping around his neck, pressing for an answer, "Ludwik, tell me."

He couldn't say.

Ludwik's consciousness was fading, his mood softened by her shaking.

He barely smiled, shaking his head with a serious expression, "I don't want you drinking. Your stomach hasn't healed yet, forgotten already?"

Was that the reason?

But why was he staring at 'Whitney's' belly?

A shadow of doubt hovered in Florence's mind. She turned, grabbing a glass of wine, her voice filled with hurt, "You forbid me from drinking, but you can drink as much as you like? You're being unreasonable, and I'm really getting angry now. Maybe you should just leave? Get out of here!"

Ludwik felt a pang of sadness. Was she angry again?

Lately, she seemed to be getting upset more frequently, and he always seemed to be the cause.

He didn't want to leave.

He felt like he was dreaming, for only in dreams would she treat him with such kindness, smiling and leaning into his embrace willingly.

If it was a dream, he didn't want to wake up.

In a melancholic mood, Ludwik took the glass of wine she offered and downed it in one gulp.

His demeanor was gentle; who would have thought that the usually cold and aloof Ludwik could be so cautious and almost pleading, just to make her happy?

Florence watched him, feeling a thorn in her heart that dug deeper and deeper. Becoming less and less willing to accept this!

If she bore his child, he would treat her the same way eventually. He won't have room for Whitney in his eyes anymore; he would have no choice but to marry her!

Florence waited quietly as the effects of the alcohol and the drug he had taken began to take hold. Soon, Ludwik's handsome face was flushed unnaturally, sweat pouring down like rain over his firm muscles. The medication he had taken, combined with the alcohol, must be making him restless.

"Ludwik, you seem to be in discomfort, maybe you have a fever. Why don't you lie down and rest?" Florence suggested intentionally.

Ludwik looked at the woman before him, Whitney's gentle face driving him to the brink of control.

"Whitney, is the air conditioner on?" He tried to resist, standing up, wanting to put some distance between them.

However, Florence caught a glimpse of his damp white shirt clinging to his muscular frame, her cheeks turning from pale to flushed. Suddenly, she clung to his arm, her fingers tracing the muscles as if she was unsteady, pulling him towards the bed.

"Whitney..."

Ludwik's tall figure hovered above her.

His brows furrowed tightly, the beast within him about to break free, his pain evident. He forced himself not to look at her soft lips.

"What are you doing?" He felt something odd about Whitney's initiative, but the woman before him was indeed Whitney.

"I just lost my balance, Ludwik… don’t you want to kiss me?" Florence's voice was soft as water, pulling at his neck. Her fingertips on his shoulder brought a wave of heat.

Ludwik pulled her hands away, his gaze serious and dark, "I do."

He laughed, a mix of charm and self-mockery in his sweat-drenched brows, whispering, "How could I not want you. That time in the wine cellar… when you had no choice but to ease the effects of the drug, sitting on top of me, crying, you don't know how excited I was. I can't forget how you pushed me away yet pulled me close, and afterward, I didn’t dare mention it. Tonight… you're also beautiful, you're always the most beautiful, Whitney..."

His mind was filled with images that made him burn with desire, his voice husky to the extreme. He couldn’t take his eyes off her lips.

Florence was shocked, unable to process his muttering. Snapping back to reality, she quickly grabbed his hand, leaning in to kiss him, "I’m this beautiful, can you resist me? Kiss me, Ludwik."

Boom, his mind exploded.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Ludwik pushed her away, pinning her down on the pillow.

"It's late, Ludwik has gone to bed. He's exhausted. If you need him, you should make an appointment at the Lippert Group tomorrow."

Florence's voice was weak and slightly hoarse; a woman's voice shouldn't sound like that late at night, Whitney knew from experience. Her expression froze, her mind seized up. A chill ran through her body. Her heart, she realized, couldn't remain completely calm, like still water!

Whitney's eyes reddened, stinging as she clenched her phone, maintaining her composure, "Sorry to bother you."

She hung up the phone.

Tiana approached, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears. "What's wrong? Weren't you just calling Ludwik?"

"Yeah, wasn't he supposed to be looking for Sammy?"

Is he searching for his son, or is he cozying up in Florence's bed! Does he ever speak the truth, playing her with his act of a loving father. Is this some kind of sick joke to him!

-

With a smirk, Florence deleted the call log from Ludwik's phone and stuffed it back into the pocket of his trousers which were lying on the floor outside the bathroom. He had been locked in the bathroom for over an hour now. Florence looked a mix of defeated and resentful.

-

Ludwik woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache; his mind felt like it had been wiped clean.

Blearily, he looked up at the ceiling - this wasn't his bedroom.

He sat up abruptly, turning his head to find a bare Florence beside him, wrapped in a silk sheet, her neck marked with love bites.

"Ludwik, you're awake? You had a bit too much to drink last night, and we..."

Florence opened her eyes, her cheeks flushed and on the verge of tears, she hesitated to continue.

Ludwik jumped out of bed, his expression icy, his stare menacing, "I would never touch you."