Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 1013

Hearing it from Florence's lips, Ludwik sounded like a man without a shred of decency!

Florence told her that she tried to take back her child, which enraged Ludwik. Fearing the hospital staff might notice, he tied her up, dumped her in the outskirts, and left her to fend for herself. If that man was so cruel, how could he not have inflicted more injuries on her? When she rushed to the woods earlier, seeing Florence's face covered in blood, she thought Florence had been severely beaten by a man, anger flashing in her eyes.

Now, the medical examination showed Ludwik hadn't inflicted any life-threatening injuries on Florence.

"Doctor, are you sure you've checked everything thoroughly?" Parisa asked again.

"Yes, Miss Tennyson. The lady's cesarean scar is pretty nasty, looks like it was done without anesthesia," the doctor replied as he continued his examination.

Parisa froze, her expression turning cold again. It seemed Ludwik had been terribly harsh on Florence.

"Please make sure she receives proper care," Parisa stood in the emergency room, scanning the stark white room, then her gaze drifted out of the window towards the hospital, and she asked the doctor, "Did the hospital have any unwelcome visitors last night or the night before, someone who forcefully performed a C-section? Didn't you hear any noise or calls for help?"

Something felt off to her.

On her way here, she hadn't seen any of the medical staff at Sanctum Mary Medical showing signs of panic.

This meant Ludwik's infiltration into the hospital had been done in secret?

The bearded doctor shook his head, "I'm sorry, I've been on day shifts for the past two days. The hospital seemed normal, and I didn't hear any calls for help or anything unusual."

"No one called for help?" Parisa's sharp gaze slowly settled on Florence's head.

She was so afraid of Ludwik, being held hostage by him in the hospital, and she didn't call for help?

Another question arose, Florence had been in the hospital for three days, and she didn't seek help immediately? Even if she didn't reach out to her, didn't she try to alert the hospital?

Was Florence threatened by Ludwik, or was there another reason?

Parisa furrowed her brows, feeling that Florence hadn't given a full account. It seemed they might need to check the surveillance footage to investigate Ludwik further.

However—

An hour later, Erik arrived at Florence's new hospital room with the results of his investigation into the hospital, shaking his head, "Madam Chairman, I personally went to the security room of Miss Florence's private villa to retrieve the surveillance footage. However, all footage from the past three days is missing. The security department doesn't know what happened, but it seems it can't be recovered."

Parisa twirled her cold fingers, her eyes narrowing slightly, "Surveillance missing? Malfunction or tampering?"

Erik glanced at Florence on the bed, knowing the Chairman had heard the story from her daughter but still wanted to check the hospital's surveillance herself.

It showed the Chairman's meticulous nature and her desire to see for herself what had happened.

He lowered his voice, "The security department thinks it was likely tampered with."

"Who deleted the surveillance?" Parisa murmured, her gaze thoughtful.

Florence, who had secretly awakened on the bed, panicked, pressing her weak voice to say in distress, "Cough cough... I can't believe Ludwik went so far as to delete the surveillance!

Mom, you don't understand him. He's very cunning and leaves no trace behind. He did this so you wouldn't see his face and recognize him, find him!"

Parisa's almond eyes were cold and unreadable.

She turned to Florence, "Your reasoning makes sense, considering he broke into the hospital to force you into a C-section, committing a crime. But, for a man from Harmonia Country to have such reach within Sanctum Mary Medical, and so swiftly, his methods seem too strong."

Florence's gaze shifted upon hearing her doubts.

Just like Whitney, that wretch's mother, Parisa thought too much!

Florence hurriedly said, "Ludwik indeed has such underhanded capabilities. Mom, if he and Whitney weren't so scheming, would I have ended up in such a dire state?"

Seeing her start to tear up again, Parisa spoke softly, "I'm not saying I don't believe you. I just want to thoroughly investigate this man, to see exactly what he's capable of, daring to treat you so cruelly in Germinia. Florence, who was the doctor that delivered your baby that night?"

Though she spoke of trust, she evidently intended to question the delivering doctor herself.

Florence, not wanting Parisa to dig any deeper, was vague in her response, "Mom, Ludwik was so cruel not to give me anesthesia, I was in so much pain, I can't remember who the doctor was. But I suspect that doctor must have been silenced by Ludwik, he even killed my nanny. He's a heartless demon."

"He dared to commit murder in Germinia? So brazen?" Parisa was incredulous, beyond angry.

What kind of company was the Lippert Group from Harmonia Country, to nurture such a lawless, almost psychopathic heir?

Moreover, what had Florence seen in this Ludwik initially, given his heinous acts, from murder to kidnapping?

Parisa was baffled.

Could it be that Florence and this Ludwik had once deeply loved each other?

Her mind was in turmoil, seeking calm amid the chaos, her gaze becoming pensive as she asked Erik for her work phone, "Since this Ludwik has come to Germinia to wreak havoc, acting above the law, I should ask some acquaintances about him, get to the bottom of his story, and have a full grasp of him and that Whitney."

Before leaving on her trip, she had agreed with Phineas to find time upon her return to discuss the situation in Harmonia Country in detail.

Having lived in Germinia all her life, she was unfamiliar with and had never stepped foot in Harmonia Country.

In essence, she knew nothing.

But Phineas, serving as the director of the Harmonia Country branch, surely had his finger on the pulse of the goings-on within the elite circles of Emperor City.

Once Parisa found proof that Ludwik was indeed as vile as suspected, she would be ready to take action.

She approached the hospital room door, dialed the transatlantic number, and before she could speak, the secretary on the other end uttered a few words that drastically altered the color of Parisa's face. Her voice, no longer calm, cracked, "What did you say? Director Phineas has been involved in an incident? What happened, an assault? This can't be..."

Erik quickly stepped forward, frowning protectively beside Parisa.

Behind them, Florence distinctly heard Parisa's voice, lowered yet filled with shock.

The temples of her head throbbed slightly, a mix of anxiety and triumph flickering in the corner of her eyes.

She clenched her fists tightly.

The secretary on the phone added a few more words, but Parisa was too shocked to listen carefully, only catching one sentence: "Director Phineas has been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, and he is currently unconscious..." Click.

Parisa hung up the phone, raised her hand to her forehead, and Erik inquired, "What happened to Mr. Wilson from the branch?"

"We don't know the details yet," Parisa muttered, the secretary had said Mr. Wilson's attack was sudden.

Suddenly, Florence's timid voice emerged from behind, "Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overhear your call, but Mr. Wilson was kind to me too, having offered me a brief position at Inko Group. Now, I'm filled with regret." "Regret? Why?" Parisa turned around, her gaze unknowingly fixing on Florence.

Covering her face with her hands, Florence wept guiltily, "It must have been Ludwik who targeted Mr. Wilson!"