Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



"Can't you see?" Whitney grumbled, awkwardly pinned beneath him. Every word she spoke brushed his lips in an all too intimate way, flushing her cheeks an even deeper shade of red. "I can barely breathe with you on me, let me up!"

"Right... Sorry." Ludwik eased off her gently.

He winced as he got to his feet, softly patting her back. "Feeling better?"

"..." Seriously, she should be asking him that, considering he was the one who needed rescuing.

Whitney was a bit dazed. His sincere and graceful care for her was just like it had been three years ago.

Her heart skipped a beat, swatting away his hand, "Now that you're awake, you're obviously fine.

Be more careful next time. Inhaling smoke from a fire is no joke. And don't try to play the hero; you could have died."

"Thank you, Whitney... Did you really stop because you couldn't bear the thought of looking in the rearview mirror and not seeing me there, finding me passed out on the side of the road?"

"..." She really regretted saving this shameless man again.

"Ha! As if I was the one who found you. Shane did! He was about to give you CPR, but it was too embarrassing, so I stepped in," Whitney glared at him.

At that moment, Shane, lurking nearby with his tall frame, made his presence known.

Hearing her, Ludwik glanced at Shane's disparaging look, his playful smile morphing into embarrassment. "Why are you always everywhere?"

"..." Shane was on the verge of exploding.

Grinding his teeth, he managed a smile, "I should've just given you that CPR, disgusted you a bit. If it weren't for me convincing Whitney, she wouldn't have stopped to help you."

"Yeah. All thanks to Shane's generous heart," Whitney quickly disassociated.

Ludwik pursed his lips, a shadow of disappointment in his gaze as he looked at her.

Whitney motioned to head back to the car, "Shane, let's go."

"Whitney... cough, my throat still hurts," Ludwik feigned a cough.

"..." Whitney rolled her eyes at him. Despite the fall and his crumpled shirt, his posture remained proud, and even in disarray, there was an undeniable allure.

Damn it, this man could turn on his charm at the drop of a hat.

She wondered if he was faking the pain but considering he might still have smoke inhalation issues, she sighed and turned to Shane, "Just let him in the car. We'll drop him at the hospital and leave him there."

Before Shane could respond, Ludwik hobbled into the car, "Thanks, Whitney."

Shane: "... Ludwik, do you have no shame? Do you even know whose car this is?"

"What does it matter whose car it is? Are you really going to refuse a ride to someone who's injured?" Ludwik shot back, a cold look in his eyes.

Shane was speechless, his strategy had worked on Whitney but not him.

But, he thought, it's a tactic worth learning for future use, maybe on Sandy.

Shane took his place behind the wheel, the car heading down Brew Hill towards the hospital.

Along the way, Whitney pretended to admire the scenery or checked her phone, giving Ludwik no chance to start a conversation. Catching Ludwik's sullen look, Shane couldn't help but smirk.

To break the awkward silence, Shane, ever the peacemaker, started, "Ludwik, why were you out there alone? Where's your driver?"

"Lost my phone in the explosion, can't contact anyone right now," Ludwik replied, his dark eyes frequently darting to the passenger seat. Whitney pretended not to hear, but her ears perked up regardless.

"Here, use my phone to get in touch with your assistant, or maybe Jason. I'll drop you off at the hospital, and they can pick you up," Shane offered his phone.

Ludwik declined, staring out the window, "No need. Just drop me at the hospital. I'm not exactly on good terms with my old man, and my grandma's sick. No one's around to care. And the one person I do care about doesn't seem to want to bother, especially now that she's married."

The car filled with a tangible sense of loneliness.

Shane nearly hit the brakes.noveldrama

Whitney: "..

"1

She couldn't even pretend to look outside, her face turning beet red.

Shane glanced at her, nearly failing to suppress a laugh.

Whitney glared at him, but held back from retorting, not wanting to give Ludwik the satisfaction.

They soon arrived at the nearby hospital.

Whitney breathed a sigh of relief; finally, this man would leave.

Ludwik stepped out, his noble figure slightly bent as if in pain. Approaching them, his handsome face under the hospital lights seemed to plead for sympathy, "Whitney, could you lend me some money? Lost my wallet and phone in the blast, can't pay for treatment."

Whitney stared at him incredulously, "Ludwik, do you think I'm an idiot? You're a Lippert, for heaven's sake. Even if you've hit rock bottom, any hospital would recognize you. You don't need money for treatment."

Shane clicked his tongue, thinking Whitney was being a bit heartless. It was clear Ludwik was trying to get her attention, to make her stay by his side a bit longer.

"I'm not lying. This isn't a Lippert-owned hospital," Ludwik pointed out, indicating the hospital sign.

Whitney saw it was indeed City Hospital, not under the Lippert umbrella.

His face might not be a free pass everywhere after all.

Feeling awkward, she coughed, "Shane, I didn't bring any cash. Lend him some!"

"I'm not made of money. Why would I carry thousands in cash?" Shane feigned aristocratic disdain. "Just transfer it to him through your phone."

Ludwik interjected, "My phone's gone, Whitney... I'll pay you back. Can you come down and make the transfer, then you can leave?"

"

Whitney stared at him, his face etched with a 'please-don't-bother' kind of pitiful look, and she almost lost her cool.

She had only ever seen that mix of sly charm and puppy-dog eyes on Danny and Sammy.

When on earth did Ludwik pick up their tricks and start giving her the guilt trip?

And he did it so well, she couldn't even argue.

Shane glanced at Ludwik, barely suppressing a laugh at his friend's melodramatic plea for help, and coughed, "Ah, Whitney, just go help him out with the bill, will you? I gotta head home to my little girl. Not like you lovebirds, all tangled up in each other. Plus, your boys have someone looking after them."

"

Whitney's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

What did he mean, she and Ludwik were all tangled up?

In the end, with no other choice, she stepped out of the car, shooting a resentful look at the man who couldn't pay his medical bill, "Come on, let's get you checked in!"

"Thank you." Ludwik smiled, obediently following her.