Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 1004

"Baby girl..." Ludwik stood outside the glass door, his heart twinging with guilt, "Your little face, so tiny. Just glanced at it in a hurry, but I can see your mom, Whitney, in you. You've been through so much already...

What shall we name you? Maybe we should wait until your mom knows about you, then we can pick out the most beautiful name together.

But little one, you've got to fight, to stay with us until then."

His deep voice murmured in solitude, long fingers covering his bloodshot eyes.

This was his and Whitney's genetics, nothing to do with Florence!

Poor thing, stolen as an embryo, used as a tool to threaten him. After enduring so much, he finally got his child back. Now, all he wanted was for his daughter to survive.

If only she had safely grown inside Whitney, developing healthily...

The night dragged on, but the doctor didn't come out.

His assistant called, "Mr. Lippert, I'm taking over your secretary's duties. Your secretary went to get you some breakfast, you've been up all night.

Also, Florence has been stitched up but left in the operating room, untreated.

It's morning now, and doctors are starting to arrive. They'll notice something's off with Florence. If they call the cops, the Germinia police might arrest us for breaking and entering. Should we, perhaps, eliminate Florence to cover our tracks?

Or what should we do?"

Ludwik frowned, icily. He had lost his sense of reason the night before, but now he was calm, contemplating. Murdering someone in a foreign land was out of the question; it would only get him in deeper trouble. If he was going to eliminate Florence, it would have to be back in his home country!

And more importantly, how did Florence end up in the hospital, and who was paying her hefty medical bills?

Someone was still lurking in the shadows.

His eyes narrowed, a cold laugh escaping him, "We'll spare her life for now, use her as bait. Wake her up, put her back in her original room, and keep an eye on her. Don't stir up any suspicion among the medical staff! I'll interrogate her myself later."

"Alright, you focus on saving your child first," the assistant said.

Ludwik's gaze hardened, "List all the major companies in the Berlidon center for me. Any information on that Inko building, it's crucial!"

Inko was Inko Group's headquarters in Germinia.

Florence fleeing to Germinia, having an accident right in front of Inko building, Ludwik sensed it was no coincidence.

Inko Group's branch in Harmonia Country, managed by Phineas Wilson, was already the strongest business there.

Florence's arrival in Germinia, her connection with Inko's global headquarters, wasn't random.

She and Bryce were in cahoots, with Bryce known for his opportunistic ways. Their target could very well be Inko Group.

This explained Bryce's taunting remark after being ousted by Ludwik, hinting at a comeback, making Ludwik regret everything!

The Lippert Group was strong, but for Bryce to make a comeback, he needed a giant like Inko Group.

But on what basis?

That was the crucial question.

And it was closely linked to Florence...

While pondering, his secretary arrived with breakfast.

The secretary brought a baseball cap, "Mr. Lippert, considering our unauthorized entry and coercion, it's best to wear this cap to avoid any trouble."

Putting it on, the cap shadowed his sharp features, his eyes still as cold as winter stars. He sat, not touching his breakfast, eyes never leaving the neonatal ICU, watching doctors fight to save his daughter. He asked without turning, "Did you find out?"

The secretary nodded, though looked troubled, "Sanctum Mary Medical is very strict about patient privacy. I tried asking the nurses about Florence's family.

They wouldn't disclose any information but mentioned Ms. Turner was staying for free, on special permission.

I looked into what qualifies someone for free care at Sanctum Mary Medical?

Mr. Lippert, only the relatives of the hospital's biggest donors get such treatment."

"The hospital's largest donor?" Ludwik tapped the chair, "Find out which company it is!"

He had a suspicion.

Sure enough, two hours later, the secretary returned with news, "Sanctum Mary Medical receives massive donations from Inko Group every year. Could Florence be connected to someone at Inko Group?" Ludwik stood, his gaze on his daughter's tiny incubator, "We'll have to ask her."

He knocked on the glass door.

The doctor, threatened by Ludwik, turned sharply, removing his stethoscope with a sigh, stepping out.

Ludwik, towering and imposing, demanded, "You've been treating her for almost a day and a half. My patience and time are limited. How is my daughter?"

"Sir... I've stabilized her breathing, but the lung infection is severe, with no significant improvement.

Plus, with hernia and jaundice acting up, it's a tough battle for the little one."

Ludwik took a deep breath, unfamiliar with these conditions but feeling the pain as if his own.

He covered his face, the strong line of his nose above tightly pressed lips, "How much longer before she can leave the neonatal ICU?"

"At least two more days, we need to clear the lung infection. You're planning to take her from the hospital?"

That was the plan. He needed to bring his daughter back home.

"Make sure she gets plenty of milk. A full belly means strength," was the wisdom Ludwik had gleaned from his time raising Danny. No matter how frail a child seemed, with proper nourishment, they'd grow stronger. Danny himself was proof of that, starting off tiny but growing into a force to be reckoned with.

He was Ludwik's flesh and blood, after all. Ludwik couldn't believe his child would be weak - not even a girl, not with his resilience in her genes!

"You've got one day. Get to it!"

The doctor didn't dare argue with the imposing figure before him. Ludwik's eyes bore into him with a murderous glare, made all the more threatening by the glint of a blade his secretary casually revealed. With no choice, the doctor hurried back to the emergency room, determined to save the child's life at all costs.

Ludwik turned to his secretary, "Stay here. I'm going to have a word with Florence. I want to know exactly who she knows in Inko Group."

The secretary nodded, understanding the urgency. With Mr. Lippert having a lead, it was more efficient to confront Florence directly.

Wearing a baseball cap, Ludwik quickly made his way through the building, returning to the quiet villa-

Florence was awake, lying in her hospital bed.

Ludwik's assistant stood menacingly by her side, forbidding any medical staff entry. Without the relief of painkillers, the agony of her surgery made her scream until she was hoarse.