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Chapter_161
Elaine’s words cut through the air like a venomous blade, each accusation more poisonous than the last. Whitney stood frozen, paralyzed by the weight of her guilt, unable to defend herself as the web of lies continued to spin around her. The malicious gleam in Elaine’s eyes told her everything she needed to know—this wasn’t just about protecting Ludwik. It was about taking everything from her, destroying the fragile trust she had fought so hard to build.
Elaine’s voice dripped with contempt as she turned to Ludwik, her words aimed to pierce him to the core. “Remember how everyone whispered that Whitney’s pregnancy was a calculated move? Even you had your doubts. Well, maybe those whispers weren’t just idle gossip. Maybe she planned to trap you from the start—pushing me out, landing a job at your company, all part of her grand scheme!”
Ludwik’s face twisted in disbelief, the seed of doubt taking root with every word Elaine uttered. His cold laughter filled the room, a cruel mockery of everything they had once shared. “So, the child was just step one in your master plan? All an act from the beginning?” His voice dripped with scorn, as though every shred of affection he had ever held for her had turned to ash.
“No, Ludwik, my uncle only came back later…” Whitney stammered, her voice cracking with desperation, but it was futile. Her explanation fell on deaf ears. The doubt was already planted, and the walls between them seemed insurmountable now, towering higher with each passing second.
Ludwik’s bitter laughter echoed, and he toyed with the gun in his hand, his eyes never leaving her. “I brought you into my company to protect you, to cherish you. But you—” His voice turned ice-cold, a deadly calm. “—you pushed Elaine out, wormed your way in with the intent to stab me in the heart.” Each word struck deeper than the last, the sting of betrayal fresh with every syllable.
His pride—once unshakable—was now shattered. The realization that he had been deceived by the woman he loved hit him like a physical blow, leaving him breathless. And now, standing before him, Whitney had become the symbol of his downfall.
He raised the gun to her head, his hand steady, his eyes cold and unfeeling. Whitney’s blood ran cold as the barrel of the gun pressed against her skin. In that moment, everything they had once shared—their love, their dreams—vanished, leaving only the bitter taste of betrayal.
“Ludwik, no…” Whitney whispered, her voice barely audible, tremors of fear raking through her as she tried to make him see reason. But before she could plead any further, Keegan’s voice erupted in a sharp, furious cry.
“Let Whitney go!” Keegan shouted, his wheelchair creaking as he wheeled himself forward, eyes locked on Ludwik with a fury that was tangible. “You ruined the Tennyson family. We’re just reclaiming what’s ours. You’re on the brink of ruin, Ludwik. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll sell Imperial Gem Corporation to us tomorrow or face bankruptcy.”
Orion’s voice joined the fray, mocking and triumphant. “Yeah, ‘Big bro,’ four hundred billion dollars in my belly. How do you like that? I finally beat you for once.” He flicked his cigarette dismissively, his gaze sharp with smug satisfaction.
Ludwik’s eyes flickered from Keegan to Orion, a disdainful smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Hope you can stomach it,” he said with venom, before the gun suddenly shifted, now pointing at Keegan’s chest.
The room fell into stunned silence. The gun was aimed squarely at Keegan, his face draining of color, the weight of the threat hanging in the air like a storm cloud. For a moment, it seemed as though Ludwik might actually pull the trigger.
Whitney’s heart raced, and she rushed forward, her hand gripping Ludwik’s arm with desperate strength, trying to stop him. “Don’t do this, Ludwik! My mother always said you were not a man who would commit such atrocities!”
Ludwik scoffed bitterly, his eyes narrowing as he sneered at her. “Oh really? She never mentioned I used to be a devil.” His words were venomous, but there was a flicker of something in his gaze—a momentary softening, as if he were torn.
The air crackled with tension as Ludwik’s expression softened, almost imperceptibly. His voice dropped, low and raw. “I’ve been out of hell for a long time. Why turn me back into a devil?” His words cut through her like a blade, a whisper full of the hurt and rage he could no longer contain.
Whitney recoiled, the weight of his words crushing her. The gun was back at her head, his cold, emotionless smile a mockery of the man she once knew. Her mind raced with fear, guilt, and a deep, insatiable sorrow. This was it—the end of everything. She had lost him. Lost herself in the process.
But then, in the most unexpected of moves, Ludwik turned away from her, his hands gripping her hair roughly as he shoved her toward a bodyguard. “Take this woman,” he commanded coldly, his voice a deadly whisper, his words final.
“Ludwik! Don’t hurt Whitney!” Keegan shouted, his voice filled with anger and disbelief, but it was too late. The damage was done. Whitney was thrown into a car, her body trembling with terror as the tumultuous ride left her sick, disoriented, and dizzy.
The car screeched to a halt, and she was unceremoniously shoved out onto the hard ground. The sea breeze hit her like a slap, chilling her to the bone. She stumbled, her legs weak beneath her, and looked up to see a darkened villa looming ahead—a prison that awaited her.
Ludwik emerged from a car behind her, his presence like a shadow. His attention was elsewhere, indifferent to her suffering, as he approached her with the cold, detached air of a man who had already lost everything.
He ordered the bodyguard, “Throw her in, no food or water.” His voice was devoid of any empathy, his words laced with a cruelty she had never imagined.
“Mr. Lippert, Madam is with child…” Felix ventured hesitantly, his concern evident in his voice, but Ludwik’s response was as cold as ever.
Without a word, Ludwik raised his phone, his hand trembling slightly as he made the call to order the bankruptcy of Skye Gem Ltd. The weight of his actions bore down on him with every passing second.
Whitney staggered back, her heart pounding, unable to process what was happening. “No…” she whispered, her voice breaking as she collapsed to the ground. The night seemed to close in around her, suffocating her, as the crushing weight of her guilt consumed her.
Ludwik towered over her, his figure like a specter in the dark. His smirk was a cruel, cold blade to her heart. “Keegan has a daughter, doesn’t he?” he said with a venomous lilt.
Whitney shook her head desperately, unable to speak, too ashamed to beg for mercy. She had wronged him in ways she could never undo, and now, she was paying the price for her mistakes.
As she was thrown into the villa by the sea, the door slammed shut behind her with a finality that left her breathless. Alone in the suffocating darkness, she was a broken woman who had lost everything.
Outside, Ludwik stood motionless, his hands trembling as he tried—and failed—to light a cigarette. His movements were erratic, his inner turmoil evident in the way he crushed the cigarette underfoot. He was a man at war with himself, caught between the love he once had for Whitney and the pain she had caused him.
Felix, Nolan, and Parker stood in silence, watching as Ludwik wrestled with his own demons, demons that had been dormant for years but now stirred back to life by the woman he had once loved.
Elaine, ever the opportunist, slipped into the car, her lips curling into a subtle, victorious smile. But Ludwik remained untouchable, his emotions locked away behind the cold exterior he had forged.
As they drove away, Elaine’s eyes gleamed with malice. Whitney still weighed heavily on Ludwik’s heart, and that weakness—that lingering affection—was the one thing that could still be exploited. Elaine knew this. And she would stop at nothing to ensure that Ludwik never found peace.
The night ended with Ludwik’s empire teetering on the edge of collapse, and the business world of Banyan City in chaos. Skye Gem Ltd. was crippled, and the tide of fate had shifted in a way no one had predicted.
But in the darkness, Ludwik’s eyes burned with a quiet, furious resolve. He had been underestimated. And he would make them all pay.
