“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.
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