Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



"I'm here for a drink." Jarvis turned, swiftly dealing with a couple of bouncers.

"Ha!" Wesley sneered, "Look who it is, the Lippert family's rejected lapdog, Jarvis!

Weren't you punished by Ludwik, banished to some backwater province?

The whole of Emperor City knows about it.

You two really are a match made in heaven, a pair of rejects from the Lippert family!"

Jarvis's face darkened, his fists clenched, ready to charge.

Justin, fearing the worst and knowing Jarvis was in a foul mood, quickly grabbed him, "Jarvis, man, they've got numbers on us. Let's just bail!" "Damn!" Jarvis reluctantly let himself be dragged away.

They awkwardly left the club, Jarvis handed Justin off to the waiting chauffeur, squinting as he said, "Left my wallet in there. Gotta go back." Justin looked at him, usually, there was no love lost between Riley and Jarvis, their interactions minimal.

But in this moment, Justin was genuinely grateful.

"Jarvis, I'll wait for you!"

"Don't bother waiting if you're gonna go back looking like that," Jarvis scoffed, heading back into the club.

In the luxurious hallway of the VIP lounge, Wesley waited, grinning wickedly at Jarvis's return, "Ashton, how did I do?"

"Knocked him dead," Jarvis tossed him a black card.

Wesley laughed hard, "Next time you wanna humiliate Justin, count me in!"

Jarvis smirked meaningfully, "Fools like him fall for it every time."

He turned to leave.

Wesley, holding the card, chuckled as he turned and bumped into Shane Nelson.

Shane's piercing gaze fixed on him.

"Wesley... what are you doing here?"

"Helping Jarvis?" Shane inquired.

Wesley stuttered, "You know, my mom cut off my allowance recently. I needed the cash."

"No next time. Don't let Jarvis use you!" Shane snatched the black card, "Go home."

Wesley, breaking into a cold sweat, couldn't understand how he had become a pawn.

Not daring to upset Shane, he quickly scrammed.

Shane's eyes narrowed as he watched Jarvis's retreating figure, his gaze growing colder.

He sensed trouble brewing for Ludwik!

But as the CEO of the Nelson Group, he wouldn't be foolish enough to get involved in the Lippert family's internal disputes.

When Jarvis tried to recruit him, he chose to meet with Ludwik, giving him face.

Now, with Jarvis pulling this stunt and dragging Justin away, what was his angle?

A grand scheme, no doubt!

Shane loosened his tie, a playful smirk on his lips. Ludwik, it's your fate on the line now.

In such matters, he would remain neutral, uninvolved.

He turned and left.

At Jarvis's mansion.

Justin, bruised all over, was dumped in the living room floor by the chauffeur.

Shortly after, Jarvis's car pulled up.

Walking in, he tossed down a bag of medicine.

Justin's face swollen like a balloon, barely able to see, fumbled for the medicine. The antiseptic stinging his wounds made him burst into tears, shards

of glass in his eyes. Accustomed to a pampered life, he was terrified, "Jarvis, can you get a doctor? Wesley messed up my eyes!"

"Coward." Jarvis, intrigued, leaned in, smoking in the dark, "Does it hurt?"

"So much!"

"Good. Remember this pain.

Who do you think caused our downfall, being kicked out of the club like trash?

Was it Wesley?"

Justin paused heavily, understanding Jarvis's implication.

His voice strained with anger, "Ludwik... it's because of him I'm seen as a failure! Wesley and the others, they mock me, comparing me to him, saying I'm riding on his coattails?

As if!

I earned my place through my dad!"

Jarvis watched him rant, a satisfied smirk forming, "Who says you're dumb?

Justin, you're smart. You know it's all Ludwik's fault!

Without him, would you be looked down upon like a street rat?

I'm pissed for you. What makes your dad inferior to some outsider? Why should he step aside for a bastard?

Justin, remember, your days of glory are numbered.

Those people are right; once Ludwik returns, you're done. Ludwik is ruthless, he has no use for dead weight.noveldrama

Do you see yourself as dead weight?"

Jarvis's words stirred fear in Justin.

He had been living off the Lippert family, boasting of the success of the chip development, but as Wesley pointed out, it wasn't his achievement. That glory would be returned to Ludwik upon his return!

Seeing Justin's confused and scared eyes, Jarvis knew he was ready, grabbing his collar, "Justin, look at me!

Want to take over the Lippert family, get rid of Ludwik?

Don't be a coward!"

"Me?" Justin's voice trembled, "Jarvis, can I really take him down?"

"Of course, I have an easy way out.

Your dad's in charge of the Lippert family now, right? You and your dad are the core. You have access to the WisdoChip Co.'s labs, no sweat, right?" Justin, realizing Jarvis's implication, was shocked, "You mean...?"

"Exactly, get the data from WisdoChip Co."

"That's stealing!" Even Justin, who wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, knew how big a deal WisdoChip Co. was. Fear gripped him, and he shook his head

l

instinctively. "Jarvis, man, the lat

got Rarker on lockdown. He's Ludwik's right-hand man, and that dude's savage. He's got a whole crew behind him, and he wouldn't blink an eye at murder!"

"What are you scared of? I've got a plan," Jarvis said, his patience waning.

He leaned in, "I've laid it all out for

you, the pros and the cons. Once Ludwik's back, you and your old man are finished: He's been holding you down for so long. Don't you want to take over the entire Lippert family? Just Snatch those data files, and the Lippert family's chip empire is toast. Even if Ludwik were to drop dead apologizing, it wouldn't be enough to cover the losses!" Content belongs

"But if the chip business tanks, the Lippert family goes down too. Where's my payday in that? I don't want to inherit a sinking ship!"

"A skinny camel is still bigger than a

horse. Once you're in the CEO seat of the Lippert family, you think you'll be short on cash? By that time,

Ludwik will be nothing but an a

under your boot. You could humiliate him, command him with just a flick of your wrist. You've gotta have ambition, man. Just picture that scene, isn't it exhilarating?"

Justin's eyes glazed over with greed. He'd fantasized about being the CEO, taking Ludwik down a peg or two, releasing all that pent-up frustration.

He'd even tried to convince his father, but Riley Lippert was stubborn as a mule, blindly loyal to Ludwik, and even scorned his own son for suggesting

otherwise.

Justin clenched his fists, his mind racing, then suddenly looked up at Jarvis, emerging from the dim light.

He wasn't a fool.

Jarvis had been a part of the Lippert family, his ambitions clear as day. Why would he settle for helping Justin claim the CEO title?

Justin cooled down, throwing the question back, "Jarvis, dude, why are you really helping me?"