Love Beyond the Mask novel Chapter 74

The Elate City project was of utmost importance, involving the participation of all senior executives. Ludwik had a reputation as a relentless taskmaster.

Without delay, the executives responded, "Mr. Lippert, Elaine has messaged about a flight delay and sends her deepest apologies."

The man's face was a mask of icy disapproval. "Tell her to get here as fast as she can!"

…

At that moment, in Banyan City at the Valentine Mansion.

Yvonne and Monica stood awkwardly before the couch, where Elaine unveiled a 28-carat diamond as large as a pigeon's egg and glanced at it with a sly smile before handing it to Monica.

"What's this about?"

Elaine stood up, her eyes harboring a chill in the night. Smirking, she remarked, "Claire from the Lutz family is celebrating her 80th birthday tomorrow. I've heard that her husband, Hunter Lutz, has gone out of his way to buy a huge diamond from the Skye Gem Ltd. boutique to please her. You're going to replace it with this one. Aren't you furious about Whitney snatching back the General Manager position from you?"

Monica pondered for a moment, then her eyes lit up with understanding. She knew exactly what the diamond Elaine handed her was.

She looked at Elaine in shock.

She hadn't expected Elaine to have such a clear grasp of Skye Gem Ltd.'s internal affairs, even the fact that Monica had been secretly buying subpar gems to pass off as quality merchandise.

Elaine had only shown up a couple of days ago, but Monica felt as though she had been preparing for a long time. Elaine appeared well-acquainted with all matters related to Whitney, possessing an intimate knowledge of every detail.

This terrifying capacity for strategy sent shivers down Monica's spine.

She was now almost certain—Elaine seemed to hold a personal grudge against Whitney?

Trembling with excitement, Monica hurried off to set her plan in motion.

Tomorrow promised to be quite the spectacle!

…

The following afternoon, Whitney headed to Skye Gem Ltd. to start an investigation into the diamond supplies.

She sent for Monica, the instigator, to come to her.

Yet Monica was nowhere to be found.

Whitney instructed the materials manager to take her to the company's storeroom to personally inspect a batch of diamonds for authenticity.

As she stepped into the storeroom, before she could even flick on the light, the door suddenly slammed shut behind her.

Whitney's brow furrowed, her bright eyes flashed with alarm, and she immediately sensed something was amiss. Despite her efforts, she couldn't open the door.

After a tense half hour, the door suddenly burst open from the outside.

As Whitney looked up, a squad of police officers rushed in. They glanced at her, then at the cabinet of diamond materials she was standing in front of, and immediately cuffed her wrists. "Are you Whitney? Take her away!"

"What's going on?" Whitney asked, confused and apprehensive.

The officer looked at her coldly. "During Claire Lutz's grand 80th birthday celebration, the globally limited 'True Love Collection' 28-carat diamond purchased from your company's boutique was found to be a counterfeit! Now, an inspection by the trade department found over half of the jewelry from the Skye Gem Ltd. boutique to be fake. As the General Manager and designer at Skye Gem Ltd., you've been implicated in dealing with counterfeit materials—a serious criminal offense under commercial law. You're coming with us to the station!"

"What?" Whitney was incredulous.

Simon, who had rushed over after hearing the news, went pale and said, "Claire's diamond was bought from our company, and it was revealed to be a fake at the luncheon. The scandal has rocked Banyan City. Claire was so upset she had a heart attack on the spot, and the Lutz family is furious. Two hours ago, the trade department’s inspectors found a mass of fakes in our boutique, and it's already hit the news. Whitney..."

"That was Monica who bought the subpar materials," Whitney's eyes narrowed, guessing this was a setup by Monica. "Officer, I left Skye Gem Ltd. two months ago. I designed ‘True Love Collection’ but had no hand in production—that was Monica's responsibility. Please investigate thoroughly!"

The officer seemed to have anticipated her defense. "Whitney, there's no need for excuses. Monica has already provided evidence of your collusion with a subpar gem supplier, involving kickbacks amounting to millions. And this manager from your company also claimed you entered the storeroom to destroy evidence. Come with us, now!"

Whitney turned to look at the materials manager, who was visibly evasive.