Love Beyond the Mask novel Chapter 33

The door knocked, and Xandra came in with a tray of warm comfort food, saying, "Sir asked me to prepare something light for you. The old lady has already eaten. No need to wait up for her."

When did he instruct Xandra? They had been arguing all the way here.

Whitney took the tray sullenly.

The man had spent quite a while in the bathroom, doing who knows what. After he came out, Whitney finally went in to wash her hands.

That was when she spotted a jade ring on the vanity, but it was only half of one as if it had been snapped in two.

Because of her background in jewelry design, Whitney instinctively picked it up. A memory surfaced unbidden—the man she saved that year gave her a half-ring as a token of gratitude. At the time, Whitney had not paid much attention. After her business bid failed, she had returned to the Valentine family, and within a few days, the ring was lost.

Their meeting was a fleeting connection, and Whitney had long stopped dwelling on his promise of repayment.

But whose half-ring was this? Whitney lifted her head and walked out, bumping straight into L, who was returning to the room.

The man saw the object in her hand and immediately took it, saying. "Thank you."

Whitney watched him carefully pocket it, treating it with such importance. "Is it something very important?"

"Yeah."

So important, who gave it to him?

Whitney’s eyes deepened. She could not help but ask, "Mr. L, is this from a girlfriend?"

The man glanced over, his tone teasing. "What are you trying to find out?"

Whitney immediately pursed her lips, pretending to be indifferent, "Before you and I entered our marriage agreement, did you perhaps have a girlfriend?"

He propped his hand against his chiseled jaw, chuckling, "Who was it just now who wanted to set clear boundaries, and now you're prying into my private affairs? Isn’t that a bit of a contradiction?"

Whitney turned red-faced, caught off guard. "No one wants to know. If you won’t tell, then don’t."

The man walked back to the door, his lips curling slightly, "I have a wife, but she’s not very obedient."

He stepped out, and his assistant asked him in a low voice, "Sir, are you still giving the departure gift to Madam?"

The man spoke indifferently, "A little ingrate, what's the point? Toss it in the trash."

The assistant was speechless.

Very astutely, he walked in and threw something into the trash can next to Whitney's feet.

Sipping her soup, Whitney looked down and saw "Gemstone Gazette"! She was surprised and quickly picked it up. This was an original, hard to come by. It contained jewelry knowledge compiled by the world-renowned master L.C., a mysterious prodigy who gained fame at a young age and was Whitney's idol. Unfortunately, he was so low-profile and rarely released his work!

Whitney clutched the book to her chest in adoration. Then her face went blank.

Was this the gift L brought her from his trip? How did he know she was preparing for a design competition? Oh, she had let it slip while having spaghetti that day.

Her heart fluttered like ripples on the water.

Whitney looked at the table full of appetizers, biting her lip.

This man, was he good or bad? Or was he just too sophisticated, his aloofness hiding the kind of attention to detail and allure that women found irresistible, and he had perfected the art? And that teasing answer just now, was he denying he had a girlfriend?

Whitney could not read him; mysterious men were too dangerous, drawing one deeper and deeper into their orbit.

She needed to build walls.

...

Outside the hospital room in the corridor, Nolan saw Ludwik approaching, smoking a cigarette, his stern features as expressionless as ever.

Nolan asked, perplexed, "Ludwik, what’s your deal with this Whitney? Were you planning on continuing your advances in her room just now?"

The man barely glanced at him, uninterested in responding.

An assistant approached, handing over a file, "Sir, there's been no progress on the night you were set up, and whether Ms. Valentine is a suspect is still..."