Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



"The blast happened in just a blink of an eye, who could've expected it! I heard from the mansion's staff that a man and a woman had walked into the greenhouse. There was a balcony there for guests to enjoy a smoke or just get some fresh air, even had an elevator. Imagine if that couple got trapped in the elevator with the explosion happening... The sound of it shook me to the core."

Shane recounted with vivid detail, "Mr. Wilson turned as pale as a ghost. A housewarming party turned into a disaster. Firefighters and paramedics are still on their way, but I doubt anyone inside made it out alive.

I called because I was scared you might've wandered into the greenhouse. Thank goodness you left early."

Whitney listened in shock, her thoughts inadvertently drifting to Ludwik.

She had left, but had Ludwik left the Wilson's mansion?

He mentioned he came to the party just to see her.

Could he have... walked into that greenhouse? Given his habit of stepping out for a smoke...

This thought barely had time to settle before Whitney's face lost all color.

"I'll let you go, it's chaos over here. Since you're safe, that's all that matters," Shane said before hanging up.

Whitney gripped her phone tightly in silence.noveldrama

Bryce glanced over, concern etching his features, "Whitney, what's wrong? You look terrible."

"Mr. Nelson just called. There was a sudden explosion in the greenhouse at the Wilson's mansion. He thought I was caught in it."

Bryce's eyes darkened with something unspoken, worry evident in his voice, "Was anyone in the greenhouse?"

"A man and a woman, probably guests from tonight's party."

Whitney replied distractedly, "No idea who's trapped inside, but with the firefighters yet to arrive, no one dares to approach the blast site. Heard there's an elevator involved, probably got them stuck real bad."

A man and a woman?

Bryce caught onto this detail, his expression changing instantly.

He narrowed his eyes subtly, though his face otherwise maintained a composed lament, "How could such an accident happen..."

Whitney looked down, her brows furrowed in worry, then suddenly said, "Bryce, can you pull over?"

"What's wrong?" Bryce frowned, turning to her.

Whitney scrambled for an excuse, "I just realized I left my clutch at the Wilson Manor.

Plus, Mr. Nelson called to check on me. As a friend, I feel I should go back and be there for him."

"Alright," Bryce said, his gaze deep and lips curling with a hint of sarcasm.

She was making excuses to go back, wanting to see if Ludwik was involved.

No matter, Ludwik was probably dead by now.

How amusing.

That man would no longer be a thorn in his side.

Bryce made a turn.

Five minutes later, they arrived at the gates of the Wilson Manor, just as Whitney received a text from Shane.

Curiously, she wondered why he hadn't called instead.

The message made her eyes widen in shock: 【Whitney, I have bad news.】

Whitney's heart trembled violently, almost too afraid to confirm her fears, hesitant to read on.

She held her breath and looked down: [【I checked the surveillance. Ludwik was seen entering the greenhouse elevator from the second floor. After the explosion, the elevator plummeted to the ground floor, and the glass shattered.]

Ludwik had entered the greenhouse right before the explosion?

He was dead...

No, that couldn't be possible.

Just two hours ago, he was passionately kissing her behind the library's folding screen.

She could still taste his intoxicating kiss, hear his seductive voice in her ears, see the deep affection in his gaze.

And now, he was supposedly dead?

Whitney felt as if her heart was being squeezed, her vision clouding over.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably holding the phone.

She despised Ludwik, so much.

But why, upon hearing of his supposed death, did she feel so lost, panicked, even her breaths felt painful.

The messages kept coming, Shane: [...Whitney, are you okay?】

She typed shakily: [Are you sure it was him?

【The surveillance doesn't lie. He went in, followed by Ronan's daughter, and then the greenhouse just exploded! Not a single part of the second floor was left intact; there's no way he could've survived.]

Whitney stared at those words in disbelief, her pupils dilating in shock.

At that moment, Bryce parked the car, having received the news as well. Ronan's daughter was dead too?

His eyes widened in frustration. How could Jarvis mess up like this?

But he wasn't directly involved, merely suggested the idea. Even if Phineas and his people investigated, they wouldn't trace it back to him.

It was unfortunate about Ronan's daughter.

But as long as Ludwik was out of the way, it didn't matter to him.

Bryce glanced at Whitney, pale and distraught next to him, a cold smile playing on his lips.

She must've heard about Ludwik's fate from Shane.

She claimed over and over that she was over Ludwik, yet her heartbroken expression betrayed her true feelings.

Without a word to him, she rushed out of the car towards the mansion.

Bryce watched her leave, a mix of jealousy and indifference in his gaze.

Whitney ran towards the main building of the Wilson mansion, as firefighters and ambulances arrived hastily.

The greenhouse, still ablaze in the night, the aftermath of the explosion scattering debris everywhere, painted a horrifying scene.

All the guests had gathered in front of the main building, its lights casting a stark brightness over the scene.

Shane spotted Whitney returning, "Why'd you come back?"

"Have they... found the body?" Whitney asked, her voice choked, her demeanor numb.

"The firefighters just got here. They'll need to put out the fire completely before searching for bodies." Shane's voice trembled as he placed a comforting hand on her cold shoulder, a mix of emotions in his sigh, "Whitney, you need to prepare yourself."

"Prepare for what?" Whitney suddenly laughed, a forced laugh that betrayed her distress, "He's an ex-husband. What does his death have to do with me?"

"Or maybe, I should be glad he's gone, right? After all the hurt he put me through, all for Elaine and Florence, tearing my heart to shreds. I should've wished for him to kick the bucket sooner, getting what he deserved..."

As she spoke, her voice grew weaker,

Soon enough, a scarlet rage filled her once calm eyes, her expressionless face now captured by a hint of agony. She started to choke up, fighting hard to suppress these overwhelming emotions.

She couldn't understand her own feelings.

Why did it feel like there was a huge void in her heart? Like she couldn't breathe, like she was losing her footing.

She wished everything happening right now was just a nightmare.

"Whitney, quit the sarcasm, will you? Look at yourself, your eyes are all red!" Shane couldn't stand it any longer.

"Shane, I'm really not sad... I just..."