Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



In the Oakwood Hotel, in broad daylight, you abducted Whitney. Every guest at the party is a witness.

Ever since, no one has been able to reach Whitney. Now, her husband and her family have gone to the authorities. There's a mountain of evidence against you. You better come clean about where Whitney is right now!"

"Mr. Lippert!" Felix watched, stunned, as a swarm of officers surrounded Mr. Lippert, treating him like a high-profile criminal as they took him away. He had no idea who to reach out to.

"Get Justin to the hospital. Call up Riley and Ashton."

After Ludwik gave his orders and glanced at Justin, who was beaten to a pulp by Jarvis, it was clear that even if Justin survived, he wouldn't be the same. He probably wouldn't be able to speak or explain what had happened.

Justin might have been a fool, but he was one of the Lipperts.

Jarvis and Wade, they were crushing him, stepping right on his backbone!

Ludwik glared menacingly at Jarvis and the smugly smiling Wade in the room, "Jarvis, you and the Patricks, I won't let any of you off the hook. Just you wait."

Facing his doom, his defiance was still palpable, sending a shiver down Jarvis's spine.

Yet, Jarvis quickly reminded himself that Ludwik was cornered, his confidence misplaced.

With a cold smirk, Jarvis dismissed him, "Ludwik, the Lipperts are finished for good this time. You're out of moves."

Next, the Patricks would only have to deal with a weakened Jason. The rest were no threat at all.

Jarvis walked back into the mansion.

Wade raised an eyebrow, playing with his rosary beads, "How's Jason doing?"

"Got a message from godmother last night. Jason had a minor stroke, but the surgery was a success. He's under 24-hour watch."

Hearing this, Wade narrowed his eyes, "Get Thea to update me. We can't let Jason recover."

"Of course." Jarvis's eyes gleamed with ruthlessness, catching on to Wade's intent.

At Sheldon Mansion.

The news of Ludwik's arrest spread like wildfire in the Emperor City circles.

Florence was pacing her room, her face ashen!

As Holly brought Hugh Sheldon in, Florence quickly turned, "Is it true Ludwik's been arrested?"

Hugh nodded solemnly, "It's confirmed. He's been taken to the station.

Florence, the Lipperts are going down. Their main project bombed, their IPO failed.

Weiman Technologies-apparently, it has deep ties with the suddenly flourishing Patrick Enterprises, which has now risen to become the top firm in Harmonia, surpassing even the Nelsons and our own Sheldons in market value.

It's a seismic shift in Emperor City, even across Harmonia."

"How could this happen..." Holly collapsed onto the couch.

Florence's eyes darkened with despair.

Her carefully laid plans, her meticulous strategies, all crumbling away, was something she couldn't bear, "It can't end like this for the Lipperts, not Ludwik!

It's all that damn Jarvis's fault, relying on the Patricks, those sneaky vipers.

They've ruined my dream of becoming the top lady.

I've schemed and plotted every step to marry Ludwik, defeating Whitney and driving her out of Emperor City. I even carried her child to ensure my position!

And now this child is a liability?

I won't accept this... Mom, Uncle, I refuse to believe Ludwik is finished."

"I wish I could believe that too, but Florence, calm down. Emperor City is changing. If the Lipperts are going down, what can you do?

We, the Sheldons, need to stay neutral in this war between the Lipperts and the Patricks. Your uncle's position as vice president isn't even secure yet. I'm warning you, don't act rashly."

"But I can't just cut off contact with Ludwik. If he makes a comeback, what would he think of me?"

Florence was frantic, "Mom, please contact Everwood Villa Estate. Find out the real situation with the Lipperts. Does Ludwik have a chance to rise again?noveldrama

If he's truly ruined, then what about the child I'm carrying? It's just a burden now.

This is driving me nuts!"

Now the child had become a ticking time bomb, and Florence could hardly contain her frustration and anger.

She had chosen Ludwik from a sea of options, believing in his prestige, power, and background, convinced he'd never fall from grace.

Marrying him meant a life of fame and fortune, where her every wish would be fulfilled.

But now, to be defeated by Jarvis...

"Who exactly is Jarvis? Why do the Patricks value him so much? Isn't he just an adopted son of Jason?"

Florence muttered resentfully, filled with bitterness.

Holly seemed deep in thought, "Your

net

Uncle Ben did some digging. If Ludwik doesn't cooperate with the. police this time, Bryce will pin everything on him. There's no way he's walking out of there. As of this morning, the Lippert Group's value has plummeted below six hundred billion. Can you even grasp the magnitude of that?

Not to mention, the Lippert family has to compensate those tech partners for the chip debacle. The settlements are astronomical.

It's looking pretty grim for Ludwik this time around.

And then there's Jarvis. His ties with Mrs. Lippert seem unusually strong. This situation reveals just how deeply ingrained Jarvis and his backers, the Patrick family, are in the shadows.

Florence, what if Jarvis manages to usurp Ludwik's position as the top bachelor in Harmonia Country?

You can't possibly marry Ludwik now, so you..."

"Jarvis? Marry me? As if!" Florence scoffed, her delicate face betraying a voracious pride.

She glanced down at her stomach, frustration leading her to a fit of coughs. "Right now, all we can do is watch how things unfold.

Without Ludwik as a reliable backer, those old fossils at the Sheldon Group will likely shift their opinion about me, the heiress.

Uncle, you need to hurry and secure my dad's company seal and his shares!"

Hugh nodded, his brow furrowed,

"With Whitney's whereabouts unknown, it's time we made a move on Hudson at the hospital. You're right, we can't depend on the Lippert family anymore. We need to secure our position at the Sheldon Group!"

A fleeting look of complexity crossed Florence's eyes at the mention of Hudson, quickly replaced by ruthlessness.

It's a dog-eat-dog world. If only she wasn't the outsider. If her dad knew Whitney was his only biological daughter, he would've left everything to Whitney!

At the hospital, Felix's men quickly got Justin admitted.

Joanne and Riley arrived, crying their eyes out.

After several hours of emergency care, the doctor came out, regret in his voice, "Although the patient is no longer in life-threatening condition the severe blow to his head and the delay in getting medical attention have caused significant blood loss... He may... he may have sustained permanent cognitive damage."

"Cogni... cognitive what?" Riley seemed not to comprehend, nearly fainting from the shock.