Love beyond the mask101-200

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Chapter_152

Whitney’s footsteps echoed through the hall as she walked away from the conference room, each step heavier than the last. The tension of the meeting clung to her like a second skin, but it was the sting of Ludwik’s words that dug into her the deepest. “Fix it. Or you won’t have a place here any longer.”

She had barely stepped into the corridor when Elaine’s cold voice called after her. “Don’t think you’re off the hook just yet, Whitney. You may have bought yourself some time, but we both know the clock is ticking.”

Whitney stopped but didn’t turn around. She could feel Elaine’s presence looming over her like a shadow. “It’s not over,” she thought to herself, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. “Not by a long shot.”

“I’ll handle it,” Whitney replied without hesitation, her voice steady. She didn’t give Elaine the satisfaction of a response, but her words were a silent promise. She wasn’t backing down.

Elaine chuckled, low and dismissive. “We’ll see about that. But don’t think you can run away from your mistakes, Whitney. This company needs more than your excuses.” There was a deliberate pause before Elaine added, “And so does Ludwik.”

Whitney bristled at the implied threat. She knew Elaine too well. The woman had always had her eyes set on power—on Ludwik’s seat. She was only waiting for a misstep, a moment of weakness, to pounce.

But Whitney wasn’t about to give her that moment. Not now.

With a final, controlled breath, Whitney turned and walked away, leaving the threat hanging in the air behind her. She had bigger concerns now. Fixing the land deal was just one of the many problems swirling around her like a storm. And as for Ludwik? She knew better than to let his icy gaze unsettle her. She wasn’t the same woman who had walked into that room earlier. She had learned to navigate these treacherous waters, and she wasn’t going to let anyone—or anything—push her off course.

She stepped outside into the sharp air of the city, her mind already turning with plans. The shareholders, Elaine, Ludwik—everyone had their role to play, but she knew one thing for sure: she wasn’t going down without a fight.

And Ludwik might not realize it yet, but she was about to show him just how far she was willing to go to win.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Whitney pulled it out quickly, expecting it to be Felix.

Instead, it was a message from an unrecognized number.

“I know who’s behind it all. Call me if you want to stop the game before it’s too late.”

Her pulse quickened. Who was this? How much did they know?

There was only one way to find out.

She dialed the number without hesitation, her fingers steady despite the storm swirling inside her. The line rang once, twice, then a voice, deep and gravelly, answered.

“It’s about time you called.”

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