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Chapter_283
At the villa, Danny sat buried in his room, his smartwatch buzzing. He glanced down and saw a message from Sammy. Without hesitation, he dashed downstairs. The sound of his hurried footsteps caught Ludwik’s attention, who looked up with a raised eyebrow. “What took you so long to come down?”
Elaine, ever the gracious host, sighed and stood, shooting a helpless look at Ludwik. “The moment I got back, Danny was throwing a tantrum, refusing to come down for dinner.”
“Come on, Danny, sit down. Momma’s gonna serve you some food,” she cooed.
“Get lost!” Danny snapped, his voice thick with irritation.
Ludwik furrowed his brows, taken aback by the sudden shift in Danny’s behavior. Just the other day, the boy had been polite and understanding. What happened to that cool, collected kid?
“How dare you speak to your mother like that?” Ludwik’s voice hardened.
“She’s not my mom!” Danny retorted, his face scrunching up in frustration.
Elaine’s face fell, but she was too stunned to respond immediately. She turned to assess the defiant young boy, but Danny wasn’t backing down.
Taking a deep breath, Ludwik said firmly, “Danny, if you’ve got something to say, say it. Don’t just sulk.”
That was Danny’s worst habit—keeping everything bottled up.
Elaine laughed lightly, trying to ease the tension. “Ludwik, don’t you know Danny by now? If he’s not happy, he won’t let us be either. Don’t get worked up over it.”
Her words, meant to calm things down, only fueled the fire. Danny shot Elaine a disgusted look, but he was at a loss for how to counter her claims.
If only Sammy were here.
Still unable to find the words to explain to his dad about the danger his mom was in, Danny turned on his heel in frustration. He stomped back upstairs, desperate to send his dad’s number to Sammy. Sammy would understand, right?
Sammy, on the receiving end of the message, immediately realized what it was. The dreaded dad’s number. Rolling his eyes, he snuck out the phone his mom kept in her back pocket and dialed the number.
The moment the call connected, he handed the phone to Whitney.
Whitney, feeling the vibration of the phone beneath her clothes, glanced down, her face darkening. Why had the call gone through to Ludwik? Puzzled, she was about to hang up when a taunting voice came from the other end.
“What do you want, you shameless woman? Heard you got nabbed by the shareholders of Skye Gem Ltd. Serves you right.”
Whitney’s mouth twitched at Ludwik’s smug tone. The misunderstanding was immediately clear. The shareholders and their goons were right there, and she couldn’t speak up.
Just as she was about to hang up, Ludwik’s voice rang out again, full of arrogance. “Looking to beg me now? Fine. If you don’t want to end up dead, hand over Mr. Rufus’s negatives, give up on Skye Gem Ltd., and apologize to Elaine!”
In your dreams.
Whitney rolled her eyes secretly, noting the gleeful expressions of Mr. Liam and Mr. Percy nearby. Nyx must be wrapping things up by now.
She spoke with disdain, “Elaine orchestrated this attack, and I should apologize to her? Am I a fool?”
Back at the villa, Ludwik stood on the balcony, his expression darkening with each word. “Whitney, you’re beyond help. Elaine was just pleading on your behalf not a moment ago. It seems you don’t learn until you see the coffin.”
Whitney inhaled sharply, disbelief coloring her voice. “Pleading? Elaine was pulling my hair outside a hotel this morning, her face twisted in anger. She was pleading for me? You must be out of your mind.”
Ludwik paused, turning to glance back into the living room, his gaze sharpening.
“Did you deliberately tell her about us at the hotel last night?” Ludwik ground out, his anger rising. The urge to strangle Whitney was palpable.
“I’ve got better things to do! Maybe you should ask her how much her private detective charges.”
Whitney’s voice was light and mocking, but there was an edge of finality in it. “As for me and Skye Gem Ltd., Mr. Lippert need not worry. We’ll be just fine!”
With those words, she hung up, her mocking tone still ringing in Ludwik’s ears.
Ludwik chuckled darkly, his mood souring. So, she thought she could handle this on her own? Let’s see how long that lasts.
He had the power to make those shareholders unyielding. They wouldn’t let her go easily. Sooner or later, she’d be calling, begging for mercy. And when that time came, he’d make sure to watch her cry.
Walking back into the living room, Ludwik found Elaine eyeing him curiously, her gaze lingering on the long, emotionally charged call. Tentatively, she asked, “Ludwik, who was that on the phone?”
Ludwik turned to her, his thoughts filled with Whitney’s accusations. He hesitated before asking, “Elaine, did you follow me to the hotel this morning?” Elaine’s heart skipped a beat, confirming her worst fears about that call.
Bursting into tears, she played the victim. “Ludwik, I couldn’t help it. With Whitney’s return, you’ve been distant, and I was so afraid of losing you. I had Jaxon check on you, and he saw you with Whitney at the hotel… I couldn’t resist and went there myself this morning. Am I foolish?”
Ludwik, watching her cry, felt a twinge of guilt. “I was just drunk. Nothing happened between us, I’m sorry. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I was afraid of upsetting you. Your closeness with Whitney made me panic,” Elaine sobbed, her voice dripping with feigned innocence.
Ludwik, his heart softening, wiped away her tears, though his suspicion still lingered. “Whitney said you hit her. Did you get hurt?”
Elaine quickly laughed it off. “Me, hit her? Whitney sure has a way with words. Have you forgotten how she left me battered in the restroom?”
Ludwik paused, considering. Whitney was strong, and Elaine was far from it. How could she have attacked Whitney?
Still, he pressed on. “She also claimed you instigated Skye Gem Ltd.’s shareholders against her. Elaine, is that true?”
Just a moment ago, if Elaine hadn’t mentioned the whole ordeal about the shareholders kidnapping Whitney, he would have been completely in the dark.
Tears fell from Elaine’s eyes as she tried to mask her panic. “Ludwik, are you going to believe her words? Whitney has been notorious for lying, dating back three years ago. I can’t fathom why she would want to frame me, when all I wanted was to silently stand by you and Danny. She has been relentlessly aggressive, and I had no choice but to endure it. I can’t afford to lose you. What doubt could you possibly have about my feelings?”
Seeing Elaine cry so vulnerably, Ludwik thought of her years of affection and dedication. Suddenly, everything became clear.
Over these three years, he had tried to fall in love with Elaine, thinking he had succeeded. Until Whitney came back, disturbing his peace of mind.
All this chaos had been stirred up by Whitney.
Ludwik pursed his lips, annoyed at himself for doubting Elaine based on just a few words from her.
“I’m sorry. I won’t ever question you over such foolish doubts again.” Ludwik closed his eyes, fiercely banishing Whitney’s annoying presence from his mind.
Elaine, in his embrace, barely managed to stabilize her breathing, her eyes filled with a cold glint.
At four in the afternoon, Felix rushed into the mansion. Approaching Ludwik, he reported, “Mr. Lippert, the shares of Skye Gem Ltd. held by various shareholders have suddenly been bought out by some mysterious buyer.”
Ludwik’s eyes sharpened. “What?”
