Love beyond the mask (Whitney)



Mike stormed out of the hospital room after giving the doctor a piece of his mind.

"Where's Justin?"

"He's in the building next door."

Sarah guided Dan through the corridors to Justin's room.

Justin was awake but his gaze was vacant, drool trickling down the corner of his mouth.

A bad feeling settled in Dan's gut as he stepped closer and asked, "Justin, on the day you and Parker left the lab, where did you go? Did you keep a copy of the surveillance footage they claimed was destroyed? Did you threaten him with something? A chip? Or did you conspire with Jarvis to do him in?"

"Huh? Hehe, who are you, mister?" Justin looked up, his expression dazed.

Dan's face grew stern.

Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes as she looked at her son, lamenting, "Dan, you see? Justin's gone. He can't tell us anything anymore. Jarvis, I swear, I'll make him pay with my own hands!"

Clenching his fists, Dan had no choice but to leave the hospital. "Alex, go bring Diana over."

Chris responded quicker, "I know which hospital she's at. I'm on it!"

In a nondescript hospital, Diana was swiftly taken away before she could even think about Cherry's wellbeing.

Chris 'invited' her to a villa, where upon entering, she saw Dan sitting on a couch, surrounded by a sea of cigarette butts, his posture rigid and his expression ice-cold.

"Dan..."

"I heard you know something about Parker. I've been searching for him. Start from the beginning."

Tossing aside the cigarette, Dan stood up.

Diana frowned, though it was clear she was deeply worried about Parker. The Lipperts were in turmoil, and now he was also suspected of kidnapping Whitney, something she had seen on the news.

Biting her lip, Diana began, "Looking back, maybe I was a burden to Parker. He was managing the chip launch for your company, making him a target for many. About a week ago, while I was working at Skye Gem Ltd., I received a call from Cherry's daycare saying she'd been taken. I rushed over only to find out that Jarvis's men had taken her. They kidnapped us, beat us, and made videos to send to Parker. He came to rescue us that very morning. Later, he met Jarvis in a diner, but I don't know what they discussed. All I know is that Cherry and I were released afterwards. Parker took us to the hospital and left a bodyguard with us before he returned to the Lipperts' lab."

Her voice shook with emotion, "But two nights later, while I was in the hospital, Parker called me, saying the chip had been stolen by Justin! Justin had rigged the chip data with a self-destruct timer, and Parker had to personally escort Justin to retrieve it. But they walked into an ambush! I heard gunshots over the phone... multiple shots! I don't know why he called me for help. Hearing him alone, with all his men taken out, I felt desperate. Then it hit me, he probably thought of me because I'm a hacker and could trace the call."

Dan's fists tightened, a chill spreading down his spine, "Where was his last known location?"

Diana quickly pulled out her laptop, "I found a place. I had just been stitched up, so I couldn't go to him. But with bigger equipment, we might still be able to trace him."

Dan led her to a dedicated computer room behind the living room.

As Diana set to work, Chris looked somberly at Dan, "Parker was shot."

"He risked everything for my chip," Dan muttered, his fingers threading through his hair, his jaw clenched in frustration. "Justin, that bastard, working with Jarvis against us. Parker is a Doonan, unmatched in skill. Imagine the trap Jarvis must've set. Diana said all of Parker's men were taken out. He had no choice but to call her."

།

"Mr. Lippert, Ms. Melford was Mr. Doonan's last contact. She might be able to pinpoint his last location, so we can find him," Alex tried to offer some comfort.

Unable to reach Diana, Whitney rushed to her hospital in desperation, only to find Cherry crying inconsolably by the bed.

Her heart sank, "Cherry, where's your mom?"

Just the other night, she had been talking to Diana. If it weren't for Sammy warning her about her father's danger, she wouldn't have hung up so quickly. She needed to ask Diana about Parker.

"Mummy... Wah, mummy was taken by some scary men."

Cherry was terrified by the men who took Diana.

Whitney's heart raced, "Don't cry, Cherry. I'll find your mum for you."noveldrama

She tried to comfort Cherry, her fingers trembling as she dialed Diana's number again.

On the sofa, Diana's phone vibrated and fell to the floor.

Alex picked it up; 'Whitney' flashed on the screen. He froze, then looked up at Dan, "Mr. Lippert, it's Ms. Valentine." Dan's gaze snapped up, the tension in the room plummeting to a chilling silence.

Felix watched the man's Adam's

apple bob in silence, a full several

seconds passing before Ludwik's icy

fingers finally reached for the phone, slowly pressing the answer button.

Swn

"Hello, Tiana, you finally picked up. Where are you? Are you safe?

Cherry said you were kidnapped, I wasn't sure if the little one was just making things up... Should I come find you?"

Through the static of the call, Whitney's clear voice came through, sounding almost from another world.

Ludwik felt a bitter taste spread to the tip of his heart, then past his throat, numbing his taste buds with its bitterness.

She came back so quickly.

It must have been Bryce and Keegan who found her, after he had reluctantly given out her address.

Did she no longer want to see him, so she came back without making a sound?

"Tiana, why aren't you speaking? You mentioned that day something had happened to Parker, he's actually okay, you know... I've been really worried about him..."

"Tiana's not here," Ludwik said gruffly, cutting her off.

To think the first thing he'd hear her say was praise for another man, even if that man was Parker.

Whitney was taken aback, suddenly silent.

The electricity turned into an awkward silence, as a cold atmosphere spread.