Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 893

Felix nodded, his eyes filled with admiration for Ludwik. "Ashton, can you believe our boss's smarts?

Bryce thinks he's sly, betting our boss would catch him in the act. His currency exchange was a red herring to mislead the boss!

But he didn't anticipate Mr. Lippert playing him at his own game.

This Florence, she's probably hiding out in Eurovoria by now.

But Mr. Lippert, Eurovoria's huge, you got any more leads on how to find her?"

Ludwik steeled himself, "It's about Whitney, I'll find a way no matter what.

I have no clue what they're plotting? And there's a baby involved, Florence is carrying his child. It's like finding a needle in a haystack, but I have to drag her out and deal with Bryce once and for all!" His words left his lips cold and determined.

Sammy ran over, didn't say a word, just silently hugged his dad's legs.

Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction, at least his dad knew Florence had fled to Eurovoria!

That meant the hopes of rescuing his sister just got bigger.

He was filled with hope.

-

The next morning, not even seven o'clock yet.

Whitney woke up groggy, noticed Tiana's absence from her hospital bed, and quickly got up.

She had spent the night on the couch, barely managing to catch some sleep.

"Tiana?"

Her heart sank, her friend had been extremely unstable since finding out she was pregnant yesterday. Especially after the fallout with Parker, things had gone south.

Sigh.

"Tiana?" Whitney spotted her luggage still in the room.

She felt slightly relieved, grabbed her purse, and walked out of the room, softly calling down the hallway.

In the distance, a slender and desolate figure emerged from a room.

Whitney rushed over, grabbed her wrist, somewhat annoyed, "What are you doing running around by yourself! Your pregnancy is at risk and it's not stable."

"It's going to be terminated anyway, stable or not," Tiana smiled at her, looking surprisingly relaxed, her eyes flickering uncertainly.

Whitney knew it was all a facade. If Tiana was truly heartless, her eyes wouldn't reflect such turmoil.

She forced herself to not want the child inside her.

Eyeing the maternity ward's chief office behind them, then the bank card Tiana held, Whitney's heart skipped, "What are you doing here so early, looking for the doctor?" Tiana pocketed the bank card, initially reluctant to share.

Whitney scoffed, trying to bypass her to find the chief.

"It's nothing, Whitney." Left with no choice, Tiana held back the stubborn Whitney, knowing she was determined to find out. Biting her lip, Tiana reluctantly revealed, "I just... I bribed the doctor to falsify my pregnancy to two months!" "Why?" Whitney couldn't understand why she would go to such lengths.

Tiana looked down, gripping her hand tight, "Since I've already told Parker those things, I need to make him believe this child is mine and Barclay's mistake.

I know his character; he might dwell on it and come back asking questions.

If he digs deeper, it'll only cause more trouble. I've also taken care of his uncle's side with some favors.

Whitney, I just want to smoothly terminate this pregnancy."

The last few words, she couldn't even bear to glance at her abdomen.

Whitney's eyes reddened with her, "Why be so stubborn, to take such drastic measures?"

Tiana smiled wistfully, "Because I wasn't decisive enough before, harboring foolish hopes and expectations for him, and suffered unnecessary torment in doubt. From him, from Endora, only by terminating this pregnancy can I end the ties between us.

After that, I want to live a peaceful life with Cherry.

As long as I'm not in Endora's way, my parents and Cherry will be safe and healthy."

This wasn't something the usually bold and fearless Tiana would say.

Life had clearly worn her down.

Parker was handsome, his background adding to his allure, his male charm overwhelming.

Like Ludwik, he stood at the pinnacle of success.

Being in such a position meant that being with him, even more, staying by his side, was too difficult. Whitney knew all too well, her eyes brimming with tears.

And Tiana didn't want to be hurt by thorns anymore, after three years of such life, she yearned for peace.

Now, she felt it was best Parker never knew about the baby, letting her affection for him vanish along with the child.

Only she knew the depth of her pain, as if severing a part of her life.

"Tiana, sometimes you have to realize, constantly hiding won't make those who harm you back off!

Am I not the perfect example? Did Elaine and Florence back off?

Tiana, leave it to me, I have my plans.

I fear before you manage to hide, those from Endora will only press harder."

Tiana was hesitant, shaking her head in resignation, "As long as I give up on Parker, return to Banyan City for a quiet life, Parker's world is in Emperor City, we'll never entangle again." Whitney's eyes widened, "You're going back to Banyan City?"

Tiana lowered her gaze, "In the near future, once everything's prepared.

My mom mentioned my dad hasn't been well lately.

I plan to withdraw all my money, visit Banyan City, and after half a year, take my parents to a new city to start over, completely cutting ties with all these troubles."

She was not just stepping away from the competition with Endora; she planned to disappear completely!

Whitney clenched her fists, Tiana's decision was too sudden.

Why should she sacrifice so much? She did nothing wrong, yet had to terminate a pregnancy...

Whitney disagreed, but dared not provoke her at the moment. She needed to stabilize Tiana's emotions first. Right now, Whitney was desperate to find Ludwik, to confide in him and discuss how to help Tiana and Parker, these two estranged individuals. Whitney didn't offer any judgment on Tiana's thoughts, instead, she focused on calming her down. "Let's not worry about all that for now! Tiana, with me looking out for you, why would you even think about running away? You're family to me, and I'll always protect you and your loved ones."

Tiana's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she let out a wry laugh. "You and Ludwik are both such messes, and you're always so busy. I don't want to be the reason you're distracted. I'm just not in the same league as you. If someone were to come after me, I'd be defenseless."

"I've got your back!" Whitney said, gripping her shoulders and guiding her back into the hospital room.

Her plan remained unchanged: stabilize Tiana's situation first, then delve into the authenticity of Barclay's report. If it turned out to be fake, it would confirm that there was more to Parker and Cherry's story than met the eye.

Whitney was determined to smooth things over...

But for now, the strategy was to get Ludwik to talk some sense into Parker. If Tiana was stepping back, they couldn't just let Parker walk away too.

If both of them gave up on chasing each other, their relationship was doomed from the start!

Stepping out of the hospital room, Whitney quickly dialed Ludwik's number. "Ludwik, are you home? I need you to calm Parker down. Once he's cooled off, get him to come to the hospital to take care of Tiana! Continuous entanglement is the only way to heat things up between them..."

She spoke so fast, she didn't realize at first that Felix was on the other end.

Apologizing, Felix said-