Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



Bryce's face, usually as calm as a serene pond, suddenly twisted with a bloodthirsty rage. He shoved Audrey aside with a fury that shook the room, dragging her towards the bed aggressively. "Audrey, you think you can play mind games with me? Are you mocking me?"

"No, I... I didn't mean to, Bryce. It's just that, being your secretary, I overhear things. But it's true, isn't it?" Audrey stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Shut up. What happens between Whitney and me is none of your business. Know your place," Bryce snarled, tearing her clothes with no mercy, his face contorting into something monstrous as he grabbed her hair without a shred of pity. "Your place is just as my secret lover, nothing more."

"I understand," Audrey replied, her face pale with fear, feeling as though her scalp might be ripped off at any moment.

Behind his gentlemanly facade, Bryce harbored a devilish demeanor that she had quickly come to recognize during her month as his secretary. The Lutz Group, with its connections to the mighty Patrick Group led by the enigmatic Wade, revealed layers of complexity and darkness in Bryce that Audrey had never anticipated.

"Just do your job and keep me pleased, Audrey. Don't try any tricks. If you're good, maybe I'll give you a chance to carry my child. But don't ever think you can take Mrs. Lutz's place," Bryce growled, pushing her head into the pillow with brute force.

"Thank... Thank you, Bryce," Audrey managed to say, clenching her fists as she endured his violent onslaught.noveldrama

She suspected Bryce was lashing out at her because of something Whitney did. Perhaps Whitney was with another man, causing Bryce's fury. His public persona was always impeccable, but in private, he vented his frustrations on Audrey. Men like him were the true definition of terror.

Throughout the month, Audrey had come to understand the dark and frightening aspects of Bryce's character. Yet, the allure of his rising status and power was a temptation she couldn't resist.

Once the storm passed, Audrey lay on the bed, feeling lifeless. Looking at the satiated yet cruel man beside her, she quickly moved closer, offering to help him bathe.

Bryce, however, grabbed her hand and coldly instructed, "Move out tomorrow. And have the maids clean this place up. Whitney will be moving in soon."

"Her?" A flicker of jealousy crossed Audrey's eyes, but she quickly nodded in agreement, pretending to be unaffected.

She remembered Whitney's stunning beauty with a sneer. She had already made her mark in this mansion. Throughout the month, she and Bryce had been intimate, a fact Whitney was probably oblivious to. In Audrey's eyes, Whitney was no better than her; she was just another woman sleeping in the same bed and with the same man.

But Bryce was a prize Audrey was not ready to relinquish, especially since he had mentioned giving her a child. She was determined to use pregnancy as leverage to displace Whitney eventually.

At nine in the evening, in Jason's private hospital room, he was awakened by a rustling sound. Struggling to open his eyes, he was shocked to find Thea, his wife, who had been absent since his illness.

Seeing her stirred a mix of emotions in Jason, but the presence of Wade, standing confidently at the foot of the bed, filled him with disbelief and anger.

"Wade? What is this?" Jason demanded, his voice hoarse with shock.

The sight of Thea and Wade, intimately close, was beyond comprehension for Jason. "What are you doing? You're siblings!"

His world crumbled as he realized

the unthinkable truth about Thea

et

and Wade's relationship, a secret kept from him for decades. As he confronted them, Jason's health took a turn for the worse, his body unable to bear the weight of his heartbreak and betrayal.

Thea's cold admission of her and Wade's longstanding affair shattered any remaining illusions of honor and love Jason had held onto. As he lay helpless, the reality of life's deception dawned on him, leaving him to grapple with the bitter truth of his wife's infidelity and the facade of their marriage.

I could see the disdain in your eyes, as though you believed no one was worthy of your illustrious lineage. You carried an aura of

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righteousness, your demeanor as cold as ice. You had no desire for a family, no craving for intimacy, but here I am, flesh and blood, a living, breathing woman.

Lucky for me, I never fell for you. I have my Wade.

Of course, he isn't my biological brother. I'm just the adopted daughter of the Patrick family. It's a pity that your family, the Lipperts, were duped by the Patricks.

Your father went to his grave without knowing he had married an adopted daughter into your esteemed family.

I had thought you were indifferent to everyone, uninterested in any woman, and that gave me some solace. But then, Ludwik, that bastard, was born!