Love Beyond the Mask novel Chapter 290

Elaine tried to steady her emotions, tugging at his sleeve with feigned confusion. "Ludwik, did you by any chance help Ms. Valentine visit her uncle Keegan in jail?"

Ludwik's frame stiffened slightly. Memories of that night when Whitney 'coerced him into a deal' darkened his handsome features.

Seeing Ludwik's silence, Elaine felt a storm brewing inside her. Her voice dripped with hurt, "Ludwik, why would you do such an unfair thing for her? I thought you were utterly disillusioned with her, and here you are, going behind my back..."

"It's not like that, Elaine," Ludwik finally had to explain, irritation creeping into his voice. "That night at the hotel, she deliberately took some misleading pictures and threatened to leak them to the press. I was worried about the backlash on you, so I fell for her trap."

That woman was cunning; otherwise, how could she have forcefully reclaimed control of Skye Gem Ltd. right under his nose? He had underestimated her.

Ludwik gritted his teeth, not understanding why he'd even come to the hotel, not wanting to see that face, yet infuriated that she dared to hire Bryce as the chief consultant. Were they flaunting their love now? They weren't even divorced yet!

His anger made it impossible to focus on anything all morning.

Elaine, on the other hand, felt a rage boiling within her after hearing his explanation. How many schemes had Whitney concocted behind her back? Elaine thought the hotel incident was merely Whitney's covert revenge.

But to think she'd dare to threaten Ludwik, leveraging his influence to pressure the jail... Was Whitney using Ludwik's power to slap her in the face?

Elaine clenched her teeth, wishing she could tear that woman apart.

"Elaine." Ludwik's tone sharpened with a hint of suspicion. "How did you know I helped her visit the jail? Were you aware of Keegan's case?"

Whitney had mentioned several times that Keegan's case was related to Elaine. At the time, Ludwik had dismissed it, but now, he considered it more seriously.

Elaine, caught off guard by his questioning, scrambled for a response, trying to sound resigned. "I wasn't following the case. If my subordinate hadn't come to me, I wouldn't even know Keegan had committed murder in jail! It turns out he killed a relative of my subordinate, a whole family devastated by grief. They feared Keegan would be released on bail and begged me to use the Bartels family's influence to ensure the prison dealt with the case justly. I felt sorry for their situation, so I helped out of a sense of justice."

Elaine quickly justified why the Bartels family would exert pressure, knowing Ludwik could easily uncover that blocking jail visits to Keegan was against the law.

However, as a woman's mocking laughter approached—

"Elaine is so righteous! Using the Bartels family's influence over a mere subordinate's family tragedy in jail, preventing my uncle from speaking out by locking him up in solitary. What's your relationship with this subordinate, going through such lengths, breaking the law for him?" Whitney's voice was laced with sarcasm.

Ludwik paused, turning to face the approaching woman—

Elaine hadn't expected Whitney's sudden appearance, her question causing Elaine's face to change drastically.

Likewise, Ludwik didn't miss the significance of Whitney's words, his gaze narrowing on Elaine. Elaine, feeling the weight of his stare, quickly retreated behind Ludwik, her voice filled with hurt innocence. "Ms. Valentine, I don't know what you're talking about. I was just helping my subordinate remind the prison to be fair. I understand you want to protect your uncle, but he did commit a cruel murder. You can't just slander the Bartels family like this."

"Slander you?" Whitney chuckled, her eyes scanning the room provocatively. "Where's your ever-present subordinate Jaxon today? Wasn't the victim, Lyle, his uncle? I understand Jaxon's anger and his keen interest in the case. But why has he suddenly left the country this morning? Could it be that my visit to the jail last night spooked someone guilty, forcing them to flee abroad?"

Caught off guard, Elaine's composed facade stiffened. Ludwik, ever perceptive, noticed the incongruence in Whitney's narrative. He turned to Elaine, expectantly.

Elaine, struggling to maintain composure, bluffed, "Jaxon left the country? I had no idea! It must be because of the Bartels Hospital's overseas business. Ms. Valentine, you're reading too much into this."