Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 331

The next morning, Ludwik bumped into Orion in the hospital lobby.

The devilishly charming man was at the reception desk asking the nurse, "Where's Whitney's room? She's my girlfriend, could you please help me out?" The query made the nurse blush slightly as she eagerly pointed him in the right direction.

Felix shivered at the sight, glancing beside him to see Mr. Lippert's face turning a shade of blue. Ludwik stared coldly at the flashy bouquet in Orion's arms.

He turned and frowned at Felix, "Find out why Whitney is staying in this hospital. She doesn't seem injured."

He thought she was just here to visit Danny and to pick a fight with Elaine.

Felix nodded and made a call. Ten minutes later, as they walked towards the room, he reported back to Ludwik, "Apparently, it was Tiana who got injured during the kidnapping incident at the cave, and she's the one registered. Ms. Valentine is here keeping her company." "Are you sure it's Tiana who's hospitalized?" Ludwik had a feeling Whitney was hiding something.

"Cough, cough! Daddy, I want a bag of chips, go buy it for me."

Danny, fearing Sammy would be exposed and not quite believing it was Tiana who was hospitalized, immediately shouted.

"Felix, go buy a bag of chips." Ludwik, sitting upright on the couch, casually picked up some paperwork.

"I won't eat the ones he buys." Danny pouted.

Ludwik raised his eyes sternly, about to speak, but the little guy crossed his arms, "If you don't go, I'll ask mommy to buy them for me, and then I'll go home with her."

Ludwik choked on his frustration, dropped the paperwork, and stood up with a cold face.

Seeing daddy leave, Danny secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At the vending machine, Felix hesitated before saying, "Mr. Lippert, Danny wants chips, but you're buying a rawhide stick, which is tough to chew."

"And? He has a complaint?"

Felix quietly shut his mouth, opting out of the father-son war.

"Nurse, could you tell me which room Whitney is in? I'm her boyfriend."

A smooth baritone voice came from the reception desk.

Hearing that woman's name again, and again about her boyfriend, Ludwik's face turned thunderous as he looked up.

He saw Bryce, a man of impeccable dress and genteel demeanor.

After the nurse once again eagerly provided directions, they huddled together whispering, "Ms. Valentine is really lucky, two handsome men visiting her in one morning."

"Oh, how I envy her, juggling two men, one dark and mysterious, the other warm and gentle, having both in bed must be exhilarating..."

Bang!

The sudden thud on the desk startled the nurses as they looked up to see a towering and strikingly handsome man with an ominously dark expression.

Ludwik could barely contain his anger, "Is this how your hospital manages visitors? Letting any Tom, Dick, or Harry in to see the patients, how is my son supposed to rest properly?" The nurses were bewildered by his fury, puzzled by his outburst.

"Sorry, sorry..."

"Notify the director to kick those two intruders out."

"..." ??

"What are you looking at? Tell your director I'm Mr. Lippert." Ludwik stormed off, leaving a trail of icy anger behind him.

The nurses were left stunned, taking a few seconds to recover from the shock.

Felix watched Mr. Lippert leave, his mouth twitching at the sight of his boss steaming with jealousy.

Upstairs.

Orion burst into the room, "Whitney, I came to see how you're doing. Heard about your son's kidnapping, everything alright?"

He was surprisingly serious, and Whitney was momentarily touched and surprised.

Then he said, "If you need help, let me know. I'll choose the easy tasks though, since our relationship is pretty superficial." "Get out."

"Just kidding! You're always so uptight, lighten up."

Orion laughed, turning to see Sammy's scrutinizing big eyes, and paused, pointing at the child, "He doesn't look anything like you. He's the spitting image of my brother, and I have no idea what his kid looks like." Whitney paused, then suddenly turned to Orion, "You knew Ludwik had a child with me all along?"

"I've been back in the country for so long, Orion, and you never mentioned it!"

Orion shrugged, "I just heard that Ludwik brought home a bruised baby three years ago. Never saw it, and he kept it so secret, who knew if the kid survived? Besides, how was I to know you didn't keep track of your own kids?" "I think you just enjoy seeing us fight," Whitney hissed.

It turned out Ludwik raising Danny wasn't a secret, after all. Some people knew. Like Tiana... on the night of the kidnapping, she was the first to suspect there were two children.

Tiana, catching Whitney's suspicious gaze, knew she had to explain,

"Don't be mad, Whitney. Orion's right, Ludwik kept his son a secret. I heard from Valerie that he might have found a baby years ago. We weren't sure and didn't want to upset you with uncertain news, especially about custody battles.

It was only when I saw Sammy that I realized you had two kids! I should have guessed the kids were switched; I just didn't put it together."

Whitney sighed, understanding the situation better now.

She remembered Bryce mentioning Ludwik had a child when she first returned home, initially rumored to be with Elaine.

It appeared to be mere speculation.

Thankfully, she and Danny had already secretly recognized each other.

As the three were talking, Bryce walked in with a smile, "Quite the gathering here, huh?"

"Bryce."

Bryce glanced at Sammy, the injured child, but thankfully, nothing life-threatening.

Hearing that Ludwik's child was also safe, it was clear Elaine's plan had failed.

A dark shadow flickered briefly in the man's eyes, too quick to catch.

He walked in with a look of worry creasing his forehead. "Is Sammy okay? I heard he got hurt and came back as soon as I could."

"He's out of danger now," Whitney let out a sigh of relief, then turned to say, "But you've been caught up in your own whirlwind, haven't you? Barely had a moment to rest."

"Stop it, I feel terrible as it is for not being there to help chase down those kidnappers."

"It's fine. Ludwik managed to rescue them, after all. It was his duty," Whitney said, her tone light.

"Them?" Bryce's gaze deepened.

Whitney nodded, beckoning him outside before confessing, "Bryce, turns out I had twins back in the day. I didn't know Ludwik took the other one in. His name's Danny. Luckily, this time I found out about both of them!"

Bryce's slender fingers pressed against his pursed lips. That Elaine, always causing more trouble than solving it. And now Whitney's found out about the twins sooner than expected.

He could only offer a smile and congratulate her, "That's quite the belated piece of good news, Whitney. If you're thinking of fighting Ludwik for custody of the other child, I'll back you up."

He was testing the waters, gauging her stance.

Whitney, oblivious to his probing, expressed her worries, "I can't make a move for Danny right now, not wanting to expose Sammy. We'll just have to bide our time, settle our scores first, and then discuss." Bryce's eyes darkened a shade.

Whitney suddenly looked up, "By the way, have you had any luck replaceing Jaxon? Any trace of him?"

Bryce's expression clouded over with frustration, "Sorry, I've had people on it around the clock for the past two days and nights, but the guy's like a ghost. Slippery as an eel!"

Even Bryce can't replace him?

Whitney's gaze dropped, her face paling slightly. The ordeal with her son's kidnapping had consumed two days already.

With the court date looming over her head and the most crucial witness missing, Whitney couldn't help but feel utterly overwhelmed...