Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



"What on earth?" Whitney gasped as the grip on her arm tightened painfully, her knuckles turning white.

"My mother's been kidnapped! Was it you?" Ludwik's voice thundered, devoid of all reason, his deep-set eyes flashing with unrestrained fury.

"You think I did it? How could I possibly..." Whitney couldn't help but laugh in disbelief, though her anger was palpable. Her mind raced, heart sinking in despair as she retorted, "Why wouldn't you suspect Elaine, huh?”

Just then, Felix arrived with Daniel in tow, noticing Ludwik's almost bone-crushing hold on Whitney. "Mr. Lippert! The young master found something; let's confront the security team first, shall we? Upstairs, the situation in the ward is more urgent."

Ludwik's icy glare didn't waver as he released Whitney, only to drag her upstairs with him the next instant.

The second floor was eerily quiet, filled with doctors and nurses all too afraid to even breathe too loudly in Ludwik's presence, as if fearing the wrath of this tempestuous man. Ludwik immediately confronted the security team, towering over them, "Explain exactly what happened!"

"Sir... at around three, the maid, Fleur, had just brought us our dinner. After we ate, we returned to the ward, and a nurse was there, administering medication to Mrs. Lippert. Then young Master Danny showed up, sending us off to fetch various items he said he and his grandmother wished for. We dared not refuse... we split up to fetch these items, only to find the stores were quite far!" A few nurses also stepped forward, "Young Master Danny sent us to fetch the main doctor..."

Ludwik's temper flared towards Daniel. For the first time, he was furious with his son, grabbing him by the shirt, "Why on earth would you send away those guarding your grandmother's life? Was someone instructing you? Who?" Ludwik's piercing gaze then shifted to Whitney.

Danny struggled, unaware of what Sammy had instructed the security team to do, or said. At that time, he and Sammy had switched places; he was actually hiding out in a coffee shop outside the hospital, waiting for Sammy to finish whatever he was up to before switching back. Danny stuttered, unable to explain, too afraid to speak. He simply shook his head vehemently, “It's not Mom's fault."

Yet his eyes, darting towards Whitney, seemed to plead for a coordinated story. Ludwik noticed this, and Danny's obvious protection of Whitney only solidified his suspicion that this mother and son were up to something! A chilling disappointment sank in his heart, mingled with the dread of his mother's predicament.

"Mr. Lippert! The ward's a mess, there's a trace of blood on the bed, signs of a scuffle, and an overturned cart... Wait, there's a phone on the bed, Mr. Lippert!" Felix called out from inside.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

Ludwik stormed into the room, dropping Danny. Whitney, too, followed, eager to discover what had happened to Sammy and Natalie. Ludwik picked up the phone, which had no lock and was open to a Facebook call log, displaying several unanswered video calls. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the Facebook account calling out it was Whitney's! And then... he saw the calls Whitney had made to this phone around four o'clock. What did this imply?

Breath held, Ludwik nearly stumbled backward, his usually steady frame shaking. He turned, eyes burning with a ferocious coldness, "Felix, bring up the security footage from three till now on my phone!" Within moments, the hospital director had transferred all accessible surveillance footage to Ludwik's device.

Viewing the footage, Ludwik saw the empty hallway at three-thirty, a clear indication of the security lapse. His mother, frail and unable to walk, was seen hurriedly exiting her room, almost crawling in her desperation. She staggered along the corridor, disappearing where the cameras could no longer follow... Had his mother left on her own accord? Her expression was one of panic, clearly terrified. And to think just before this, she had been in contact with Whitney.

Ludwik was beyond reasoning. He confronted Whitney, hands wrapping around her neck in blind rage, hurling the phone at her face, "What's your excuse now, Whitney? Before the incident, you had Danny bring this phone to my mother's ward, contacting her. What threats did you use on my mother, forcing her to leave her room alone? Tell me, why kidnap her, what's your motive, how can you be so heartless!"

“I didn't, I swear... I didn't!" Whitney gasped for air as Ludwik's grip tightened, her face turning a shade of crimson. She struggled against his iron-like grasp.

"Whitney! Ludwik, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill her?" Tiana and Parker burst into the room. "Ludwik, calm down."

"How can I be calm when it's her? She was in contact with my mother before the incident! And then, making countless calls to this phone afterward, isn't that the guilt of a thief, what else? Whitney, I can't understand, she's just an ailing old woman, why are you so malicious, trying time and again to harm her, do you even have a heart... No wonder you insisted on seeing her before, something felt off. You've been plotting to abduct her, haven't you? Because of that night three years ago, afraid of what my mother might reveal!"

Ludwik's eyes were bloodshot, revealing a heart torn apart by anguish. But Whitney felt an even deeper pain, misunderstood and falsely accused. His allegations and loss of reason were like countless knives to her heart. But the scene in the ward wasn't as he imagined! Elaine had to be involved; she had to be! Beyond any doubt, Sammy and Natalie had been kidnapped together.

Whitney shook her head so fiercely it looked like it might snap off. "I swear on my grandma's grave, it wasn't me! I didn't do anything to Natalie, and what you're thinking happened today is way off base. You're here wasting your time suspecting me when Elaine is just as likely the culprit. Why don't you give her a call, huh? Check up on her!"

"Ludwik, take a breath and think for a second. If Whitney was out to get Natalie, why would she spend three years secretly giving her meds to wake her up? If Whitney was guilty, having Natalie wake up would be the last thing she'd want. I'm telling you, it wasn't Whitney who took Natalie. It's got to be Elaine. Just ask her!"

Parker sprinted over and grabbed Ludwik's arm with a grip that meant business. Ludwik froze, a glimmer of reason returning to his eyes. He cooled his glare and immediately dialed Elaine's number. Whitney was held tight by Tiana, holding her breath as they watched Ludwik's phone screen. To their shock, after several rings, the call connected smoothly. Elaine's calm and gentle voice flowed through, "Ludwik, what's up? Why are you calling me?"