Her eyes blurred as she stroked her son's head, trying to explain the harsh reality to him. “Danny, he has his own life. He’s engaged now, and you have to come to terms with it sooner or later. Mommy always said, we should be happy, kiddo, no need to worry about grown-up stuff. Wait for Sammy to come back, you and your brother, you’re what truly matters to me, my treasures.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Danny gently wiped it away, his young eyes brimming with more tears than hers, his intelligence shining through the sadness. “Mommy, are you not gonna forgive that jerk this time? I heard you, it’s all his fault! Grandma told me today to secretly try and make things right between you two. She’s so naive, and so was I.”
Whitney closed her eyes in silent resignation – how could she have been so foolish? But she was done being foolish.
“Let’s not talk about unhappy things now. Let’s go and rest, Mommy will give you a bath.”
“Okay…” Danny muttered, his gaze fixed on his smartwatch. He had called his dad several times that night with no response.
Forget it! He won’t bother anymore.
“Mommy, I wanna sleep with you tonight.”
“Of course, you can.”
“Tiana said she’d take me to the hospital tomorrow morning. She mentioned you’re busy with work and running a fever, told you not to go to the hospital.”
Whitney’s expression remained neutral. “There are plenty of people to look after Grandma; she’ll be out of the hospital soon.”
Danny bit his lip, wanting to say more but couldn’t. He had a feeling, maybe this time, Mommy would distance herself from Grandma. After all, once Grandma was better, Mommy wouldn’t worry about her anymore.
Sigh.
Lately, sighing seemed to be what he did most.
He was tired, constantly waiting for Sammy to return so he could share his frustrations, the two brothers standing together, looking out for their Mommy.
---
The next morning.
Ludwik’s dark eyes were bloodshot as he momentarily stepped away from the demands of the Lippert Group. After a night spent tirelessly dealing with a crisis, shareholder anger, and falling stock prices, his face showed no emotion, but his mind was elsewhere, filled with thoughts of Whitney.
Where was she? Had Parker found her?
How did she react to Florence’s pregnancy? Would she ever forgive him again?
He needed to see her, and soon.
“Felix, get a hold of Parker now!”
“Mr. Lippert, you’ve been so focused on wrapping up company matters to not be cornered by shareholders, you haven’t had a drop of water all night. You look exhausted, your eyes are full of red veins. Maybe you should rest a bit before you go to Ms. Valentine?”
Ludwik’s icy gaze met Felix’s.
His suit remained crisp despite the long night, not a crease in sight.
Felix sighed internally at the sight of the man before him, visibly fatigued yet relentlessly driven.
“Alright… calm down. I’ll contact Mr. Doonan right away to see if he knows whether Ms. Valentine is at home.”
“Immediately!”
Ludwik, his figure tall and commanding, quickly descended the stairs and got into his car.
The morning light fell across his chiseled face, highlighting his handsome features, yet failing to bring warmth to his expression.
He lit a cigarette in the car, inhaling deeply, his brow furrowed, revealing no emotion.
---
At nine o’clock.
Delight Mansion.
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