Love Beyond the Mask novel Chapter 32

The man's brows were a cold shade of ash as he scanned her. "You know how much she's been longing for a grandchild, yet do you even care about this baby? Whitney!"

Whitney froze, at a loss for words.

The baby had come so unexpectedly, and she was forced into this situation. Thus, she truly did not feel very strongly about it.

"What are you getting all riled up for, kiddo? Look at Whitney. Her eyes are all red from you yelling at her," Natalie's voice came from the bed as she opened her eyes.

Whitney rushed over, holding Natalie's hand, her nose tingling with guilt. "Mom, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking it through. I've worried you."

"Ah, my blood pressure spikes, and I tend to faint, but it's not as serious as that brat made it sound. Don't listen to him!" Natalie caressed her face.

She had always cherished Whitney, holding her close, and Whitney felt incredibly guilty. Since her mother's death, she had not felt such warmth from anyone. She had not realized her lie would send Natalie rushing to the hospital. She did not know how frail Natalie really was until now, and she seemed more fragile than she had thought.

The man watched her anxious little face, his eyes cold.

"Son, come here, help me up."

After the old lady got up, she pushed Whitney's hand into the man's arm. She seemed fine. Apart from high blood pressure, her spirit was still strong. She shuffled out with Taryn, "I'm heading to the restroom. You go charm your wife. She's carrying my golden grandchild, so no fighting!"

With that final roar, Natalie even had Xandra shut the door behind her.

The hospital room's light was a soft white, and silence fell.

The man let go of Whitney's hand and walked to the window, his tall figure standing coldly.

The chill lingered.

Whitney understood why he was so angry now; she had indeed caused his mother great distress.

Him comforting her? That was impossible.

"L, I'm really sorry..." she said, biting her lip.

Her presence diminished instantly.

It took a moment for him to look back at her, his gaze hard as he stared at her pitiful expression. "What exactly are you sorry for?"

Whitney sincerely said, "I was so caught up in my vendetta that I neglected how Mom would feel."

"What else?" He eyed her coldly.

Whitney's eyes welled up, but she shook her head after a moment of thought.

When you're wrong, admit it; when you're not, there's nothing to say.

Her righteous indignation made the man laugh in spite.

L's tall frame closed in on her, cornering her against the wall, his voice dark with accusation. "Why didn’t you answer my calls or reply to my messages?"

Whitney's face stiffened, her gaze turning away. "My phone was broken."

He scoffed.

Suddenly, he wrapped his hand around her waist and, before she could react, snatched the phone from her pocket.

"L! Give that back!"

He immediately turned on the screen; the phone was intact, and Tiana's Facebook page was still open, his eyes clouding over. "So you deliberately ignored my calls and messages? What's that about?"

Whitney stood on her toes to reach, but he was too tall and strong. Amid her struggle, his chest began to heave, and he steadied her restless little body, his eyes narrowed and voice husky. "Are you craving some kind of attention, perhaps a special punishment, hmm?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

Whitney suddenly realized what was happening. His body was burning up. She quickly backed away, flushing, and said coolly, "I haven't done anything wrong, so why should I be punished? Please don't joke with me like that; we have a business relationship, and overstepping boundaries would only complicate things. I don't care which women have been sitting on your lap, and I certainly won't be one of them!"