Love Beyond the Mask novel Chapter 82

Parker decided to drop by unannounced in the suburban club to check on his property. His long strides carried him leisurely down the path, his mind barely registering the task Ludwik had mentioned earlier.

However, as he passed a certain private lounge, a woman's cry echoed from within, a sound oddly familiar.

The refined glint behind his rimless glasses sharpened with curiosity.

What a coincidence, he mused.

Parker signaled to his men with a smirk that did not quite reach his eyes.

With a forceful kick, the door was flung open.

The dimly lit interior was spacious. Parker sauntered in, pulling back the curtains to reveal a chaotic scene on the bed, his eyes flashing coldly. He glanced at the scantily clad woman screaming for help, then leisurely removed his suit jacket and tossed it down at her.

"Pa-Parker." Tiana looked up, her small face a mask of terror and confusion.

Parker’s men quickly overpowered the three thugs.

His cigarette dangled from his lips as he strolled over and planted his foot on the waistband of one scoundrel's jeans. The cultured outline of his face, accentuated by his glasses, contrasted with the sinister aura emanating from beneath those lenses.

Tiana watched as his cigarette slowly lowered, lighting the crotch of the three men on fire, his foot pinning them down as they began to wail in agony.

Meanwhile, he did not even flinch the slightest.

Parker finally lifted his foot only when the smell of singed cloth filled the air.

Tiana was paralyzed with shock, the threat she had faced moments before from almost getting raped paling in comparison to the dread now gripping her.

Staring at the man's sophisticated profile, she trembled. Was this man a demon?

The thugs, their jeans in tatters, crawled away in terror.

Parker stood up, his hand nonchalantly pocketed, and glanced at the bed. Frowning, he scolded his men, "Turn around."

After a moment, he realized that the girl on the bed seemed petrified.

Why was she scared? He had not even shown a fraction of Ludwik's brutality.

With a mockingly amused look, Parker said, "Kid, how long are you going to stare? I gave you my jacket to cover yourself."

Tiana snapped back to reality with a shiver. Kid? What did he mean by cover...

Then, she suddenly realized her exposed collarbone and quickly covered herself with a scream of indignation. "Parker, you saved me, but how can you be so rude? Who are you calling a kid?"

Her anger made her chest swell in defiance.

Parker's eyes darkened. Did she even realize she was revealing her lace? He suppressed a snicker. "Quite a plain view."

Tiana's face burned with shame. She would have given him a piece of her mind if she were not bruised and feverish.

Unable to stand, Parker scooped her up with a look of disgust and carried her out to his car. She seemed off, and he realized she must have been forced to drink some kind of aphrodisiac.

Once in the car, she clung to him like a kitten, inching closer until she shamelessly crawled onto his lap.

The driver chuckled.

Parker's patience wore thin. Despite his scholarly appearance, his muscular build made a comforting cradle for Tiana, and she seemed too comfortable to even care about the blood trickling down her face.

She fidgeted, then furrowed her brow. "Could you remove the keys from your pocket... "

Parker, who had always been calm even in the face of storms, suddenly stiffened, his expression awkward.

With a frosty glare, he pushed the intrusive woman away, convinced her shamelessness had led to this 'accident.'

"Drive faster!"

Sometime later, he left Tiana at the hospital and did not look back.

The gentleness in her voice thawed Tiana's frosty heart.

Damn it, Whitney was hurt too. Why had she allowed Stella's words to provoke her?

Tiana's tears flowed freely as the two hugged.

After hugging for some time, Whitney tentatively asked, "Not mad anymore?"

Wiping her tears, Tiana glared. "Mad, yes. But I won't let Stella's betrayal shake our bond."

Whitney broke into a relieved smile. Learning of Tiana's humiliation at the Lutz family's hands, her fists clenched with resolve. "You must be heartbroken. I won't let them get away with what they've done today."

Tiana let out a wry chuckle tinged with self-derision. "I've totally given up on that jerk. I swear I'll get even. What's with our luck, Whitney? It's like we've both been cursed..."

Simon was silent, awkwardness hanging in the air like a thick fog.

Tiana's face suddenly flushed with anger as she shot up. "I'm talking about you, you deadbeat! Why don't you just get the hell out?"

She pulled back Whitney's sleeve, revealing a patchwork of alarming bruises. Her eyes reddened with tears as she looked towards the door, puzzled. "Where's L? You’re hurt this bad and pregnant, too. Why isn't he looking after you?"

Whitney stiffened at the mention of his name, and her eyes glossed over with tears almost immediately.

Simon spoke with a hint of scorn, "Don't even mention that guy. I was the one who rushed Whitney to the ER. She was throwing up in the restroom because of the pregnancy, and he barged in with some chick. He started beating on me without even asking what was going on, nearly hurt Whitney even worse, and said some really nasty stuff to her. It's a mess."

Tiana's jaw dropped; this did not match L's usually reserved and dignified temperament at all.

She squinted suspiciously at Simon. "Stop making things up. Get out. I want to talk to Whitney alone.”

Simon, his face ashen, stormed out.

Tiana, her heart aching for her friend, gently urged Whitney to sit down. She asked carefully, "Whitney, is there a chance L misunderstood something between you and Simon?"