Love beyond the mask (Whitney)

 Original content from NôvelDrama.Org.

It was 4 A.M. when Ashton stumbled home from another late-nightworking event, slightly tipsy and all over Valerie, only to be interrupted halfway through their intimacy...

His phone erupted with the sound of an incoming call from Elaine.

Without hesitation, Ashton picked it up. Immediately, Elaine's voice, weak and tearful, filled the room. "Ashton, please, you have to protect me. Ludwik's got it all wrong. You're the only one I can turn to now..."

Ashton paused, his gaze still filled with desire as he looked down at Valerie beneath him. But the call was a clear interruption, and he rolled off, urgency taking over.

Valerie watched the ceiling with a hollow laugh, her smile laced with sarcasm, cold and bitter.

As Ashton hurriedly put on his shirt, trying to calm Elaine on the phone, Valerie's pale, delicate arm snatched the phone from his grasp and hurled it across the room!

"What the hell, Valerie?" Ashton turned, his imposing figure outlined with anger, a hint of rage in his sharp features.

Valerie chuckled dryly, reflecting on the years of their marriage, tired of being caught in Ashton's whirlwind. She could never openly support her friend Whitney in the face of Elaine's manipulations, always overshadowed by Ashton's blind loyalty to Elaine, whom he defended unconditionally. "Why won't you just divorce me if you're so obsessed with her?" Valerie's voice was cold, filled with years of pent-up frustration.

Ludwik had rushed Natalie to the hospital by helicopter after a sudden emergency. After hours of waiting, the doctors finally gave him a nod, indicating there was hope.

Meanwhile, Felix brought news that Elaine had vanished, but Ashton was suspected of hiding her.

"Let's head to the Fuller Mansion," Ludwik decided, his voice devoid of emotion, as they drove to confront Ashton.

Upon arrival, Ashton was met with Ludwik and his entourage, their presence demanding and imposing.

"What's the meaning of this, Ludwik?" Ashton's voice trembled under Ludwik's cold stare.

"I'm not in the mood for games," Ludwik cut him off. "Hand over Elaine."

Ashton tried to defend Elaine, claiming her innocence, but Ludwik was unmoved, revealing the shocking accusation that Elaine had intentionally harmed his mother.

Elaine, playing the victim, clung to Ashton, denying everything. But Ludwik was determined, his past naivety replaced with a resolve to see the truth. The confrontation at the Fuller Mansion was a tipping point, revealing the deep fractures and deceptions within their entwined lives.

"Ashton, you gotta believe me," Elaine pleaded, her eyes glistening with tears, "Ludwik's got it all wrong. Whatever his mother said, it might not even be true. Is Ludwik really gonna take me away now? Ashton, please, you have to protect me..."

She turned to Ashton as her last hope, while Ludwik watched coldly, seeing her cling to Ashton like a lifeline.

Maybe, Ashton had always been wrapped around her finger. Elaine seemed so innocent, but he hadn't noticed how skillfully she'd been playing her cards with the men!

Sure enough, Ashton stood firmer by Elaine's side, facing off with Ludwik like it was the final showdown.

He refused to budge, "Ludwik! Everything's still up in the air. I'm not letting you hurt her without proof..."

"My mother's word is the proof. I'm settling this today! Are you gonna let her go or not?"

"I won't!"

Without another word, Ludwik coolly drew a gun from his belt, stepped over the garden fence, and pressed it against Ashton's chest.

Elaine went pale, never expecting Ludwik to go through with it. The coldness in Ludwik's eyes was sharp, his gaze icy, sending a chill down Elaine's spine.

Ludwik had always been lenient and doting towards her, cherishing the past. His sudden change of heart left her feeling deeply unsettled.

"Ashton, maybe you should let me go. I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt because of me..."

"No way! You're in danger, and I'll protect you. Come on, Ludwik, if you're so tough, pull the trigger!" Valerie arrived just in time to hear Elaine's manipulative pleas and felt like throwing up.

Seeing Ashton playing the hero, she felt a pang in her stomach and a prick in her heart.

As Ludwik was about to pull the trigger, Valerie quickly fetched the keys and swung open the grand iron gates of the Fuller Mansion...