Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 378

"What the heck is going on?" Ludwik demanded, his voice deep, his gaze filled with confusion and a hint of menace.

Taryn shivered under his intense presence, knowing well how protective he was of the family matriarch. Stepping in front of Danny, Taryn struggled to articulate, "Sir, it's like this. After the lady of the house fell into a coma three years ago, before Miss Emsworth left Banyan City, she handed me a pill, instructing me to secretly administer it to the lady... I've been doing it for three years..."

Ludwik was in disbelief.

Just then, Natalie coughed up blood from beneath her oxygen mask.

"Grandma!" the family doctor exclaimed.

Ludwik's expression hardened, "What's happening now?"

"It might be because she just woke up! We can't rule out any risks with her condition. Mr. Lippert, our home medical setup isn't equipped like a hospital. We're good for convalescence, not for treatment. We need to get her to a major hospital now!" Ludwik snapped to attention, "What are we waiting for? Let's move her, now!"

"Careful, careful!" the doctor urged as nurses were called, and the household prepared for the emergency transfer. Ludwik instantly called the director of Skyfaith Hospital, ensuring everything was in order for their arrival.

After everyone had left, Danny, with worry knitting his brow, followed closely behind. Something about his father's reaction to the news that mom had been giving grandma the mysterious pills seemed off. He needed to share this potentially good news with his mom immediately.

---

Whitney received the call at Skye Gem Ltd. and was momentarily stunned. Unable to contain her joy, she had just been talking to Tiana about how Natalie might wake up soon. Was this divine intervention? For Whitney, the kind-hearted 'mom' waking up was the best news possible.

Grabbing her coat, she rushed out in her heels, asking her son, "Danny, is grandma at Everwood Villa Estate right now?"

"Grandma coughed up blood, dad was frantic, and they've just taken her to the hospital. Mom, you should head there directly, grandma's condition seems serious!"

That was also Whitney's thought; she had been the one to administer the medicine to Natalie, a concoction of over a hundred complex components. She was the closest one could get to understanding Natalie's condition and immediately headed to the hospital.

Outside Skyfaith Hospital's emergency surgery room, Ludwik stood tall, his expression grave. His mother had just awakened and then vomited blood, necessitating a barrage of tests. His heart was in knots.

"Mr. Lippert, I wouldn't worry too much. It's common for someone who's been in a deep coma for three years to have some internal bleeding..." the family doctor speculated, just as Nolan Parker and Ashton arrived. Natalie was the most important person in Ludwik's life, his brothers knew that well.

"How's Aunt Natalie?" they asked.

"It's still uncertain," Ludwik replied, his lips pressed tightly together.

As they spoke, Whitney and Tiana appeared in the hallway. Ludwik paused, his sharp gaze landing on Whitney. He remembered Taryn's unfinished story back at the villa. His look was inscrutable, his thoughts unknown. "You've been secretly giving my mother medication?" he asked Whitney.

Taryn glanced at Whitney, stepping forward as a co-conspirator, scrambling for the right words, "Sir, please don't get the wrong idea about Ms. Valentine! If anything, you owe her a thousandfold gratitude. If it weren't for the medication she provided three years ago, the lady of the house wouldn't have survived these three years..."

Ludwik turned to Whitney, cutting Taryn off and calling the family doctor over.

"My mother's kidneys failed three years ago, and even after the transplant, she became comatose. You've told me her condition was stable every day. Whitney, why did you medicate my mother?"

His gaze was sharp and cold, full of suspicion.

Whitney, unfazed and calm, began to explain, "I had my reasons for secretly medicating your mother. I suspected Elaine, and you didn't believe me. I stayed to uncover the truth. I took your mom's blood samples and had them tested at several labs, which revealed neurotoxins in her bloodstream before her kidney surgery, leading to rapid organ failure. After the surgery, to avoid detection, someone cleared the toxins but kept administering small doses daily, undetectable by your family doctor! Out of necessity, I developed a pill for Taryn to give her, to remove the accumulating neurotoxins and repair a third of the brain damage, slowly rebuilding her bodily functions. And as you can see, instead of the predicted three years, she's made it to three and a half. I returned home recently and switched her medication to a more potent formula, which I've developed over these three years. Look, in just over a month, she woke up. This proves my intentions were good; I just wanted to save her, just like I intended that night three years ago." Ludwik's eyes widened in shock.

"My mother had neurotoxins in her body?" he turned to the family doctor.

But the doctor firmly shook his head, "Ms. Valentine, I've been diligent in my duties. I didn't detect any toxins in the lady's body three years ago."

Whitney smirked coldly, looking at Ludwik, "Even now, can't you guess who poisoned her? It's obvious the poisoner managed to evade detection by the family doctor. And think, who could easily access your mom's room without raising suspicions?"

"You're beating around the bush, implying it was Elaine living at Everwood Villa Estate then? Whitney, remember, it was Elaine who donated a kidney to Natalie!" Ashton retorted angrily.

Tiana rolled her eyes at him like he was a complete fool.

Whitney wasn't offended; instead, she mocked him, "I didn't even mention her, but you immediately thought of Elaine. Doesn't that make her the key figure?"

Ashton was taken aback, his attempt to defend turning into a challenge he couldn't immediately respond to.

Ludwik's eyes darkened with intensity.

"Do you have proof when you say my mother had toxins in her body?" If Elaine had donated a kidney, why would she poison her own mother? His thoughts were tangled in confusion.

Of course, Whitney knew about his suspicions, especially since, in his mind, Elaine was still the donor. She raised an eyebrow, "I kept the toxicology report from back then with someone. I can get it for you by this afternoon."

"Fine." Ludwik's piercing gaze didn't soften much as he continued to scrutinize Whitney, pressing further, "There's something I can't wrap my head around. You administered two different drugs to my mother, which helped her brain cells recover and ultimately woke her up. Why is it that our family doctor never found traces of these medications, and there were no visible reactions on my mother's body?"

He was indeed meticulous and sharp, clearly doubtful about those two drugs. But his questioning only led Whitney to a bitter smile, her heart aching with a mix of pain and grievances she couldn't fully express.

Clutching the fabric of her sleeve tightly, she looked up, a cold, bitter smile on her face, "How could I have not made the pills a bit special to escape your scrutiny, and Elaine's surveillance over Natalie?"