Whitney put in some effort to position the man and herself just right, propped up her phone, and quickly snapped a few suggestive photos.
The hot water on the bathroom floor turned cold, her legs beginning to ache with the chill. Whitney frowned, cold and unapologetic as she stripped him of his suit jacket to wrap herself tightly.
Exiting, she still turned back for a glance at the man with his shirt off.
Whitney pursed her lips, dragging him out and laying him on the bed.
Opening her phone, a message from Kelvin caught her eye again: "Ms. Valentine, the court dismissed my appeal. It seems someone's pulling strings behind the scenes! We need to see your uncle ASAP, find a breakthrough in the case, and ensure he doesn't 'lose his voice' and suffer an unjust fate in prison."
Elaine and the Bartels family were closing in, the prison suppressing visits with unreasonable excuses.
In all this, Whitney was convinced Elaine was leveraging Ludwik's influence!
To unring the bell, you have to go back to the bell ringer.
Ludwik was not innocent, hence Whitney's plot for the evening.
Thinking of her uncle suffering as an alleged murderer in prison made Whitney clench her teeth in anger...
Ding-a-ling—
Her phone rang abruptly, snapping Whitney back to reality. It was a call from Nyx.
She smiled slightly, things must be going smoothly for Nyx tonight.
"How did it go?" Whitney moved to the balcony to answer.
Nyx sounded jubilant, "Ms. Valentine, the auction house's Mr. Rufus wants a word with you."
"Then put the director on the phone," Whitney instructed.
The night air brushed against her flawless skin, casting a soft, cool glow.
After a pause, Mr. Rufus's voice, angry yet powerless, came through, "Ms. Valentine, you're young, but your methods are dark! You set me up tonight, took photos and videos. I see what you're up to!"
Whitney returned from the balcony, calling the hotel's service desk for a set of women's clothes to be sent up.
Then she replied lightly, "Mr. Rufus, one mustn't overstep. As an auction house, acting unfairly, you took my upfront payment of fifty billion, yet you favored Mr. Lippert, giving Skye Gem Ltd. to his fiancée over me. How could I just accept that? Ah, it's hard to explain over the phone. Wait for me at the hotel, I have a few things to clarify. Don't leave, or I'll have to make those videos public."
"You!" Mr. Rufus hung up in frustration.
Simultaneously, Ludwik's phone buzzed in his pocket.
Whitney glanced at it, Mr. Rufus's number.
She smirked, waiting for it to go to voicemail before trying to silence it.
Then Elaine's call followed.
Past eleven at night, anxious, aren't we?
Whitney's eyes gleamed as she declined the call and then glanced at the man on the bed, throwing his phone to the corner.
Changing into the clothes that arrived, she stepped out into the night.
-
With a stack of incriminating photos of Mr. Rufus, Whitney didn't waste much effort in negotiations.
She laid it out plainly, "Mr. Rufus, by tomorrow morning, I want an announcement that Skye Gem Ltd. has nothing to do with Elaine or Mr. Lippert. They didn't buy the company. Also, please release news that Skye Gem Ltd.'s assets will remain frozen. Accomplish these two tasks, and the video will be returned to you."
Mr. Rufus, faced with this young, beautiful woman, couldn't believe Mr. Lippert's ex-wife could be so ruthless.
He shuddered involuntarily, face turning ashen, with no choice but to agree.
Whitney, clutching her purse, left the hotel.
Bryce's call came through, "All set?"
"Done and dusted, Bryce. Thanks for having Nyx's back."
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