Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 322

Bryce blurted out, "Jaxon has escaped."

"What?" Whitney stood up abruptly, causing every executive in the room to turn their gaze towards her.

Whitney's face went through a quick succession of changes, making it clear the meeting couldn't proceed. She gestured dismissively, effectively adjourning the meeting, and headed straight back to her office. "How could we let him escape? The bodyguards..." "He took off when the guards were switching shifts. It's my oversight; I only assigned two of them to watch him. I thought, given his severe lung injury, and considering he was under investigation for manslaughter, he wouldn't run!" "...," Whitney was taken aback.

She squinted her eyes in thought, piecing it together-Jaxon saw her as a lifeline, a way to get out of the Bartels family's clutches only to ditch her when he saw fit!

She had overlooked something crucial: If Jaxon testified against the Bartels family and admitted his guilt, securing her uncle's release from prison, he'd still face a harsh sentence or even life imprisonment. People can be so cunning and treacherous. Jaxon wanted to escape scot-free, to save his own skin.

Damn it!

Fury and frustration swirled in her mind as she thought about her uncle still languishing in jail. Without Jaxon coming forward, her uncle's chance for a retrial was slim to none.

He would face the death penalty, while the Bartels family continued to roam free...

Whitney's eyes reddened with emotion, "Bryce, we have to replace him, no matter what!"

"I'll have people search the city discreetly right away."

Whitney nodded, her brow furrowed in worry, "Now that he's out, he's a wanted man. With his ID, there's no way he could leave the country, unless he plans to blackmail the Bartels family..."

"If that fool tries to approach the Bartels, it's as good as signing his own death warrant. They'll make sure he doesn't see the courtroom!"

"My fear is that he's not thinking straight, trying to extort both of us for a quick payout. Playing both sides to escape justice."

Whitney spoke coldly, enveloped in anxiety. She felt powerless as she dashed out, "I'm on my way now. Let's try to pick up his trail. I hope he tries to blackmail me first within these three days..."

-

It was 8 PM by the time Whitney dragged her exhausted body back to her apartment.

As she opened the door and was about to kick off her shoes, the nanny rushed over, "Sammy, you're finally..."

But upon seeing Whitney, the nanny's expression shifted, becoming evasive, "Ms. Valentine, it's you!"

"Where's Sammy?" Whitney glanced towards the living room.

But her son's usual playful figure was nowhere to be seen.

She paused, turning to the nanny.

"Sammy, he... he..." the nanny blocked her path, visibly panicked.

Whitney sensed something was wrong from her tone. She searched the master bedroom and the study but found no sign of her son.

"What's going on, isn't Sammy at home?"

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Valentine... Sammy sneaked out at noon!"

The nanny had no choice but to reveal the truth, "He gave me a glass of water, and after drinking it, I felt incredibly sleepy. When I was napping, the little guy told me he was going out to a bridal boutique in the suburbs? I tried to stop him, but I couldn't get up. That's when I realized the water must've had sleeping pills in it.

It's not the first time he's done something like this, he always came back early on the previous occasions.

I thought he'd be back before you got home today.

But there's been no word from Sammy, and he's not answering his smartwatch. I was afraid of your reaction..." Whitney's face turned pale.

It was nearly 9 PM, and her three-and-a-half-year-old son hadn't come home.

Panic set in as she ran into the bedroom to check her drawer, noticing one of her sleeping pills was indeed missing.

This clever little guy, she was shocked. Had he been sneaking out while she was busy these past few days?

What secretive plans could a child have?

But there was no time to ponder these questions. Whitney quickly turned to the nanny, "Split up and look for him. He might have run into trouble!"

Could it be that Ludwik saw him sneak out and took the opportunity to snatch her son?

Whitney speculated, unaware of the nanny's hesitant expression.

The nanny was sent by Bryce to help Whitney care for her son.

Recently, Mr. Lutz had instructed the nanny not to strictly prevent Sammy from going out alone if he wished.

The nanny didn't understand Mr. Lutz's reasoning but chose to follow his instructions anyway.

-

Whitney searched the entire neighborhood for her son and made countless calls to his smartwatch, all to no avail.

As she passed by the local police station, she overheard officers discussing, "This afternoon, a child abduction case occurred at a bridal boutique in the suburbs. We've redirected all available police resources there..." Whitney froze, remembering the nanny's words about Sammy mentioning a visit to a suburban bridal boutique.

Oh my God, could it be Sammy?

Without pondering why her son would visit a bridal boutique, she hailed a cab and rushed to the suburban police station.

Tiana, having heard the news, met her in the lobby of the police station. Tiana speculated, "Could Mr. Lippert have staged the abduction to make you give up on Sammy, to drive you to desperation?"

Whitney had considered this possibility on her way. If that were the case, and Sammy wasn't in the hands of criminals, then perhaps...

Lost in thought, they entered the surveillance room, only to replace Ludwik's imposing figure standing coldly in front of the monitor screens, surrounded by the police station's top brass.

His handsome profile was set in a fierce frown, the tension and anger in him ready to explode at any moment.

"Mr. Lippert, this intersection caught a black van speeding out of a parking garage. It seems Elaine noticed something was off, ran out screaming, and was abducted by the kidnappers as well!" an officer explained nervously, glancing at the silent man. Ludwik's gaze remained fixed on the screens. Indeed, Elaine had come out later and was taken in one swift move.

"Ludwik, why on earth is our Sammy hanging out with Elaine? Did you orchestrate this whole scenario to snatch him away from me for good?" Whitney's voice crackled with an intensity that filled the room the moment Elaine's name was mentioned. How could Sammy end up so far from home without a reason? It screamed of foul play.

Ludwik, caught off guard by Whitney's sudden appearance, flashed a look of surprise before his brows knitted together in suspicion. "What are you doing here, Whitney? And how did you come to know about your son's kidnapping?"

"He's my son, of course I should know! Now tell me, was it you?" Whitney, barely controlling her emotions, charged forward.

"What are you going on about? For all I know, you might've hidden him away on purpose!"

Ludwik's tone was anything but friendly. His boy had been staying at his place, spending time with Elaine - all very normal occurrences. What was she insinuating? Ha! Back in South City, when Danny had a fever, she hadn't shown the slightest concern. And now she decides to show up?

The thought alone tightened his chest. Danny was his world. Did she even understand what that felt like?

With a cool, dismissive glance at Whitney, Ludwik turned away, no longer willing to entertain her accusations.

He then directed his frustration towards the head of the police department, "Have you found out which gang is behind this?"

"We're on it, Mr. Lippert. Just give us a little more time."

"Time? My son doesn't have time!" Ludwik bellowed, silencing the room. Everyone held their breath.

Whitney, momentarily taken aback, wondered... Sammy hadn't really spent time with his father, hadn't even formally acknowledged him. And yet, Ludwik seemed profoundly concerned for him?

She was taken aback, puzzled, and somewhat intrigued by this unexpected display of paternal love.