Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 785

Parker felt a strange stir in his heart, unable to believe that Tiana, that little lady, had the guts to seek him out alone. Was she worried about him? Did she think he had vanished?

A shadow of a smirk played across his lips as Parker swallowed hard, asking, "You didn't do anything to Ms. Melford, did you?" Phineas, faced with such a question, could only give a speechless look. He hadn't done anything to Tiana.

The real question was, what had Parker done to her, and did he even remember?

The poor girl had been in Parker's bed for several days now, and by the looks of it, his fever had almost completely subsided.

"I'm an old man, what could I possibly do to her?" Phineas rolled his eyes in secret. "The problem is, she..."

"What happened to her?" Parker asked, a mix of concern and cluelessness on his face.

Seeing his obliviousness, Phineas wasn't sure how Parker would react to the news that he'd unwittingly shared a bed with the girl for days.

What if Parker wasn't even into her? Blasting this news might just set him off.

Let the young folks figure it out themselves.

The Melford girl would likely seek some answers from Parker sooner or later. He'd find out eventually.

"It's nothing much, Ms. Melford got some bruises... ahem, she might need to stay in bed for a few days here on Saltland Island before she can walk properly again," Phineas awkwardly hinted with a heavy meaning.

Parker, failing to catch his uncle's drift, furrowed his brows in speculation. "Did she get injured by falling into the sea on her way here?"

"You could say that," Phineas sighed internally at his nephew's ignorance.

"Where are we now? How far from Saltland Island?" Parker turned to gaze at the sea, "How long have I been here?"

"More than twenty days. And Ms. Melford has been here for about ten days."

Twenty days...

And there was no telling how Ludwik was doing.

Parker was anxious, his thoughts with Ludwik. He pondered for a moment, "Uncle, I need to head back to Emperor City now, to meet with Ludwik. As for Tiana, if she needs to recover, let her stay here. Once I've met with Ludwik, I'll come back for her." Phineas internally criticized his decision, seeing it as prioritizing brotherhood over a woman.

But he didn't voice his thoughts, instead raising an eyebrow, "What spell did this Ludwik cast on you that you're so devoted to him? Parkie, I don't understand why you're so eager to follow him. Ludwik might be the top young man in Harmonia Country, but you, with your mother's brother, me, as a major financier behind the president, are no less than him."

Parker chuckled, "Uncle, Ludwik and I go way back. Yes, you are my mother's brother, a powerful man in politics, but that has little to do with my mother.

Back in Banyan City, when I first became the head of the Doonan family, we were in a tight spot, and Ludwik saved me. I swore then I'd follow him for life."

"You're a loyal fool," Phineas sighed.

"Anyway, I want you to offer the Inko Group collaboration to Ludwik, to support him," Parker earnestly requested. "If you really dislike Ludwik, I could step in. This important collaboration should not fall into the hands of Ludwik's rivals." "You're jumping into action without even knowing the current situation in Emperor City?

Ludwik did present me with a chip containing secret technology, which honestly impressed me. He possesses monopoly technology.

But I haven't responded to him yet, even though I've heard he's been trying to arrange a meeting with me these past few days, eager for a collaboration."

Phineas smirked coldly, realizing Parker was back to his senses and remembering everything.

Well, some matters were beyond his control as an uncle.

Not that Phineas was short-sighted; in fact, he was quite perceptive. At the welcoming banquet the other day, he noticed that the Patrick family's Wade and Jarvis were up to no good, always plotting against Ludwik. With the Lippert family in decline, his naive nephew would likely lend Ludwik a hand, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

As long as Ludwik hadn't harmed Parker, Phineas found himself less antagonistic towards the young man.

"Alright, if you want to meet your Ludwik, steer the yacht towards the private airport," Phineas finally agreed.

"Thank you, uncle," Parker said, sitting on the deck, his drenched, muscular body cooling in the breeze, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.

His disappearance must have caused Ludwik significant trouble.

He needed to return, quickly grasp the situation in Emperor City, and assist Ludwik.

-

Back at the villa on Saltland Island.

Tiana, having finished her breakfast, curled up in bed, grappling with unbearable stomach pain and the need for wound dressing.

She was immobile.

Waiting from dawn to noon... Where was Parker, that blockhead?

Hadn't she sent him to secure the collaboration for Ludwik?

Why had he not returned? Was he not as ravenous as a wolf, yearning for her?

Tiana bit her lip in frustration, her face flushed with anger. How many more nerve-wracking things did he intend to do?

Leaving her hanging like this, without knowing how his talk with Phineas went.

He had amnesia, completely forgetting Ludwik, and seemed indifferent to Ludwik's affairs.

Sighing, Tiana cursed the rogue hundreds of times in her heart.

-

Emperor City.

Whitney hid in Sandy's apartment, enduring a sleepless night. The physical pain was one thing, her face swollen badly, with no relief from cold compresses.

But it was the turmoil in her mind that kept her awake, pondering over dark suspicions about Bryce, growing colder the more she thought.

The next day, Whitney was so terrified that Bryce might show up at the Sheldon Group to find her that she didn't even dare to go to work or visit Skye Gem Ltd. Instead, she chose to stay hidden, quietly nursing her wounds.

Ludwik had sent her several texts the night before, worried because she hadn't replied. Whitney hadn't found the strength to text back.

She wanted to retreat into her shell, to quietly lick her wounds in solitude.

But in the afternoon, she received an unexpected call that jolted her from her thoughts - it was Natalie.

"Whitney, I'm so sorry to bother you," Natalie said, her voice laced with urgency. "I was at the preschool with the bodyguard and the kids for registration this afternoon - the international preschool Ludwik had vetted. But as we were leaving after talking to the teacher, Bryce showed up out of nowhere!

He's claiming he's coming to take the kids, saying that since Sammy and Danny were born during your legal marriage, he's their rightful guardian. But Ludwik had already filled in his name in the 'father' section of the forms.

Now the preschool staff are confused and asking who the real father of the two kids is.

I've already called Ludwik; he's on his way here.

I'm afraid there might be a confrontation over the kids. Can you come over as soon as possible?"

After hanging up, Whitney felt overwhelmed.

She remembered discussing sending Danny and Sammy to preschool with Ludwik; he had even invited her to check out the place with him, but she had declined.

She hadn't expected Ludwik to act so quickly.

But why would Bryce suddenly show up to claim Sammy and Danny? Was it because he couldn't find her these past few days?

Frowning deeply, Whitney quickly got up, grabbed a face mask to cover her identity, and drove off to the international preschool Natalie had mentioned.