“You’re off the hook now. Carter might think twice before crossing you,” he said with a snort of feigned indifference.
“I won’t admit to something I didn’t do,” Whitney replied, her voice cool. “I know you’re a business tycoon who looks down on female entrepreneurs, but I do have my principles. Believe it or not, that’s for you to decide.” She smiled lightly, her lips warm from the heater, looking effortlessly attractive.
Ludwik’s gaze darkened, his eyes lingering on her mouth with an intensity that made his Adam’s apple bob in the silence. He spoke again, his tone icy and dripping with sarcasm. “Congratulations. Getting caught was supposed to land you behind bars for life. Who was foolish enough to bail you out? Your husband?”
Whitney flinched. Life imprisonment? She muttered under her breath, “My friend said it would only be a little over a decade… at most.”
“Ignorant,” he scoffed, the word sharp. “Billions in counterfeit diamonds, and the Lutz family pressing charges—did you really think they’d settle for anything less than life? They wouldn’t bother otherwise.”
Whitney felt a chill settle in her veins.
He leaned forward, his voice a low taunt. “Scared now? Do you honestly think your ex could save you? Hunter’s temper is explosive, and Wyatt? He’s as slippery as they come. Do you really think he’d go to bat for someone like you? If you’re blind, maybe it’s time you washed your eyes out.”
Her breath caught. The mention of Wyatt made her heart sink. He was indeed cunning, and she couldn’t imagine him getting involved with the Lutz family over a few words from Simon, no matter what Tiana had said about Simon’s irrelevance.
“Mr. Lippert, perhaps you know what happened that night? Tell me—who saved me?” she asked, her tone edged with curiosity and challenge.
Ludwik’s jaw tightened in irritation, his handsome face hardening. “Apart from a husband saving his wife, who else saves someone else’s wife? Because you’re pretty?”
Whitney stiffened, the words stinging. She had considered it—L had never mentioned saving her, just bursting in to fight and berate her. Her lips trembled as she looked away, hurt, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Ludwik could see that he had been harsh, perhaps too harsh. But this stubborn woman wouldn’t back down either. Their cold war had dragged on since that night.
“Let me ask you this,” he continued, his voice now quieter, more composed. “If your husband is angry with you, did you ever stop to think why? Maybe he dropped everything to save you, went through all that trouble… and what does he find? An ungrateful woman who not only fails to recognize her savior but also gets tangled up with her ex. How do you think he feels? Isn’t it natural for him to lash out at you?”
Whitney froze. Her thoughts raced back to that argument, to the hurtful words she had thrown at L. When he charged in, she had been thanking Simon. And in her fury, she had sarcastically accused L of being too busy to answer his phone.
If L had been the one to save her, then he must have misunderstood everything. No wonder he was angry with her.
Her fingers twisted in self-reproach, her face pale with realization.
Ludwik watched her closely, a flicker of satisfaction in his gaze. Had she finally understood?
But before he could savor the moment, Whitney lifted her chin, defiant. “Even if he misunderstood, he had no right to berate me without knowing the truth. Does he have any idea how much I’ve suffered?”
Ludwik frowned, his voice flat. “Suffered? How?”
She looked at him, her gaze unwavering despite the pain. “It wasn’t just a scare, you know.” Tears shimmered in her eyes as she pulled back her sleeve to reveal the bruises on her delicate wrists. “I was beaten in the holding cell, and even my child was at risk. But you men, you’re all the same—only concerned about your pride and jealousy. He didn’t even notice my injuries—just mocked me for being ‘fine.’”
Ludwik’s pupils dilated as he saw the bruising. She had been beaten in jail? Why hadn’t anyone told him? Why hadn’t he noticed that night? And the caregivers over the past days—had they been blind or deaf? His gaze hardened with fury, realizing how fragile she had been. She shouldn’t have been hurt.
“Does it… hurt?” he asked, his voice suddenly soft.
“What hurts more is my heart,” Whitney said, her voice shaking as she pulled her sleeve back down, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Thinking about how I was throwing up from morning sickness, and Simon was the only one who handed me a tissue. Meanwhile, L blindly accused me of kissing my ex. I’m about to lose my mind from all this rage.”
Ludwik’s gaze froze on her, her words cutting through him. How many more bruises did she have? Her face was pale, thinner than before, and her eyes seemed distant, as if she was still in pain. Regret twisted in his gut.
He reached for her, his long fingers hovering in the air, wanting to comfort her, but Whitney flinched, pulling away instinctively.
“Mr. Lippert, what are you doing?” she asked, her voice trembling with suspicion.
His expression darkened, frustration flooding his chest. She still remembered she was married, still remembered the day with Simon. That was… probably the source of everything.
“Thank you for listening,” she said quietly, standing up and picking up her bag. “And thank you for letting me vent. Skye Gem will be mine again, slowly. Watch out for me as a fair competitor.” She gave him a faint, confident smile before turning to walk away.
Ludwik sat back, his legs stretched out, his thoughts tangled. “Damn,” he muttered under his breath, clenching his fist in frustration.
Felix, following behind, noted the change in atmosphere. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Ludwik’s voice was cold as he gave his next order. “Find out exactly what happened to her in the holding cell. And why weren’t her injuries noted in her medical records?”
Felix nodded, though he noticed his boss seemed unusually concerned.
Meanwhile, Elaine was on the phone, responding to the question about Whitney’s medical records. “It wasn’t reflected because pregnant women can’t take medication,” she said, her voice steady.
But when she hung up, unease crept into her thoughts. Had she miscalculated something? Why was Ludwik suddenly questioning things he hadn’t cared about before? She was determined to find out.
As she entered his office, Felix was already briefing Ludwik, who was no longer his usual aloof self. “Fire that doctor,” Ludwik ordered coldly.
Elaine’s fingers curled into fists. Was this about Whitney? Was Ludwik softening toward her?
Ludwik’s expression remained hard as he continued, “Call Nolan. Set up a gathering. It’s been too long since we all got together.”
Felix blinked in surprise. “Mr. Lippert, aren’t you the workaholic? You usually turn Nolan down.”
Ludwik’s eyes were distant, his voice low but laced with something deeper. “Tell him to bring that woman along.”