"Ludwik, don't be too hard on Ms. Valentine," Elaine said with a pout, her voice tinged with a hint of injury. "I just wanted to grab her to explain a bit more. Maybe I annoyed her, and she pushed me by accident. It didn't really hurt."
As she rubbed her knee, her skirt lifted slightly, revealing a large red swelling.
Ludwik's eyes narrowed at the sight.
Whitney watched the scene with amused curiosity.
Normally unflappable, Ludwik turned to see Whitney's indifferent face, which didn't even spare him a glance!
For some reason, a flare of irritation sparked within him. Frowning, he said, "Elaine was talking to you. If you didn't want to engage, you could've politely excused yourself. Why push her?"
"Me, push her?" Whitney was taken aback by his usual domineering attitude.
Rolling her eyes internally, she retorted, "Perhaps, Mr. Lippert, you should check the surveillance footage. There are plenty of aids for those who are visually impaired!"
Was it so hard for her to speak nicely? Flirting with every other man, but with him, she was loaded for bear?
Ludwik's irritation grew. With a cold huff, he said, "Surveillance can be about angles. Aren’t my own eyes trustworthy enough?"
Whitney was speechless.
She could only marvel at his audacity, sarcastically offering, "Mr. Lippert makes big bucks, yet can't afford to get his eyes checked? Here’s a little charity for you."
"You're out of line. Stick to the point. Apologize to Elaine."
"Stick to the point? Do you even know she was just helping Endora gang up on Tiana?" Whitney shot back coldly.
Why did she even bother expecting anything different?
Throughout the three years Tiana was harassed and framed by Endora and Elaine, did he ever intervene?
Seems like his animosity towards her had extended to Tiana too!
Ludwik's brows furrowed slightly. He had been discussing business on the other side and was unaware of the confrontation until Elaine's cry.
"Was there a disagreement just now?" Ludwik asked, his tone slightly confused.
Whitney couldn't be bothered with him anymore.
Elaine quickly wrapped her arms around Ludwik's waist, feigning fragility. "It's nothing serious, Ludwik, just a small misunderstanding. Ms. Valentine and I have cleared it up. I know you're worried about me, but let's not make it difficult for them."
She subtly flaunted their closeness.
The onlookers, influenced by Ludwik's concerned behavior towards Elaine, whispered among themselves.
"Ex-wife or not, see how Mr. Lippert questions Whitney with such a cold face."
"It seems Elaine still holds his favor. Regardless of who was in the wrong, it pays to be on Elaine's good side."
Whitney, her face etched with sarcasm, glanced at Elaine, who seemed to be reveling in her perceived victory, flaunting it.
Indifferently, Whitney took Tiana's hand and coldly walked away from the crowd.
"Whitney..." Ludwik instinctively called out to her, his heart tight with frustration, wanting to clarify the situation.
"Ludwik! My knee really hurts, I think we should head back early for some first aid," Elaine said weakly, tugging at his wrist.
Seeing her struggle to walk, Ludwik's concern deepened, and he lifted her in his arms, heading towards their destination—the Weldon Hotel.
-
In the presidential suite of the Weldon Hotel, Ludwik set Elaine down gently.
He called the hotel's health services to bring some iodine for Elaine's wound.
Elaine, sitting at the edge of the bed, covertly signaled to Lyra.
Ludwik, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window and lighting a cigarette, asked, "Which room is Danny in?"
"Danny's in the children's suite downstairs. He didn't want to stay in the presidential suite with us for some reason," Elaine replied softly.
Today, that little troublemaker had thankfully kept out of her way. Tonight would be less bothersome.
"The phone number for the children's suite?" Ludwik inquired while browsing through his phone.
Elaine gave him the number.
At that moment, Lyra brought over a glass of milk. "Mr. Lippert, you must be exhausted from carrying Elaine all the way here. Please, have some milk."
Ludwik barely glanced at it before downing the drink.
The phone connected. "Hey, Daddy!"
"Your mommy told me you were feeling unwell. What's going on? I'll come see you after I take care of Mommy's injury."
Sammy certainly didn't want his dad fussing over him. He quickly said, "Uh... I'm fine by myself, just a small cold. You go ahead and do your thing. I'm about to eat dinner!"
With a click, the call ended.
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