Love beyond the mask ( Whitney )
Chapter 481

Florence felt her heart race under Ludwik's intense gaze and managed a nervous chuckle, "Ludwik, all done? Shall we head out? My blood pressure's normal." "Florence, come here," he said, his voice betraying no emotion.

But the way he gripped his phone under the lights looked downright sinister.

She slowly walked over to him.

Ludwik looked down at her, his question direct, "I got a call from Whitney. Did you pick it up? And then delete the call record?!"

He didn't leave any room for Florence to defend herself.

Under his piercing gaze, her face turned almost ghostly pale, barely maintaining her composure.

How did he find out? She had asked her uncle to take care of it immediately. Whitney shouldn't have been able to contact him since he wasn't with his phone! "Ludwik, what are you talking about..."

"When did you find out about my past with Whitney?" he asked, his voice sharper, face emotionless.

Fear flickered through Florence's doe eyes.

She stood frozen, unable to reply, when Ludwik's phone rang again.

This time, Florence saw him pull out another phone, her face draining of color.

She thought it was Whitney calling, but overhearing the voice, it was a man.

Ludwik answered the call in front of her, his icy gaze locked on her, "Parker, talk."

"Whitney's car was pushed off the bridge! Ludwik! Something's happened! But she didn't fall into the river; I saw a woman's footprints on the ground and traces of a struggle. She must've been abducted! Damn, I was too late. Someone's definitely trying to kill her!" Ludwik staggered back a step.

His face turned sheet-white, forcing out a semblance of calm, "You're saying she's been kidnapped? Any leads?"

"Nothing. I just got to the bridge. Get here fast; I can't save her alone!"

Ludwik clenched his phone, "Okay."

He ended the call, his knuckles white, the plane beginning to taxi. By 8:00, he was supposed to take Florence for her blood donation to his mother.

Only by seeing his mother receive the blood transfusion and wake up could he be at ease.

But now, he was forced to choose between his mother and Whitney.

He closed his eyes, no longer having time to question Florence about the secretly answered call and its deletion. His tone softened, "Florence, I'll have Felix take you to Banyan City. Dr. Ford will meet you there. Please, donate blood for my mother! I have an emergency. I'll be there tomorrow."

"Ludwik!" Florence caught most of the call's content. How could she let him go now?

To save that woman Whitney?

She immediately clung to his arm, her weak coughs voicing her disagreement, "Ludwik, I can't do this alone... What if my condition worsens?

I agreed to donate blood with you by my side. How can you just leave me?

Besides, can you really be at peace not seeing your mother receive the blood? What if something happens to her? Will you regret it for the rest of your life?"

Ludwik's heart trembled.

But Whitney was the woman he couldn't just abandon; he loved her.

Frowning deeply, Ludwik pulled away, making Florence sit down, and urgently had Felix stop the plane.

The plane screeched to a halt on the taxiway.

Ludwik, with a cold expression and throbbing temples, struggled with the decision but already knew his answer.

"Felix! Keep Ms. Sheldon safe, escort her to the hospital in Banyan City for the transfusion."

"Ludwik, I want you with me! Cough, cough, I can't do this alone... Otherwise, I might not be able to donate," Florence cried, her weak voice now carrying a hint of coercion. Ludwik, already at the cabin door, clenched his fists and jumped out of the plane as swiftly as possible.

Florence was fuming!

Her face turned a shade of blue with rage, her handkerchief twisted in her hands as she coughed violently. Felix, worried, immediately called for a doctor.

Florence refused to be examined, getting up and heading to the restroom, with Myra following closely.

Inside the confined space, Florence angrily knocked things over, her eyes burning with intense jealousy.

"He's leaving me here for Whitney? Choosing her over his own mother's life and death?"

"Myra..."

Florence's eyes shimmered with cold determination, "Think I'll just obediently go to Banyan City and donate blood?

No, I'll make him regret it. Tell Mom to have Uncle's people hide Whitney well. Torment her, kill her, but keep her from Ludwik!"

Her hatred for Whitney, who occupied Ludwik's entire heart, was palpable.

-

On the bridge.

Ludwik raced over as fast as he could.

The summer rains were heavy, the river raging beneath the bridge as if it wanted to swallow everything.

Ludwik felt drained, his throat dry, staring at the river, "Are you sure she didn't fall in?"

"The car definitely went over!" Parker pointed to the twisted guardrail.

The scene was swarmed by police, security officers, and the fire brigade, all quickly mobilized by Ludwik's influence.

The fire brigade was searching the river for Whitney's car.

"Based on the bend in the guardrail, the car's front wasn't over the edge by much, so Whitney was probably safe inside at first... but then, the rear must've been deliberately lifted and pushed over!

Whitney must've managed to escape the car at the last moment. There are bloodstains here on the railing, dropping to the ground, proving she made it out!"

Parker pointed to the still-fresh blood droplets.

Ludwik, heart aching, couldn't imagine how she, a fragile woman, had fought to jump out of the car in such a desperate situation.

Ludwik's gaze tracked along the railing, fixing on a spot half a meter away, where delicate footprints marked with blood caught his eye.

His pupils narrowed, a chill passing through them, "The person who ditched the car in the river, did they take her?"

"They must've planned to send both the car and her into the river. That would've been the end of Whitney!

But Whitney must've sensed it, knew the fierce river currents meant certain death..."

"So, she made a choice, a desperate leap from the car!" Ludwik stared at the chaotic footprints as if he could see her last desperate struggle, his heart constricted, struggling to breathe, "The bastards realized she jumped, tried to grab her back. She was smart, didn't wear shoes, bleeding left a trail, her way of leaving clues."

"Exactly!" Parker thought, Ludwik really got Whitney, "That was her leaving us a breadcrumb trail. Sadly, there are only a few prints, she must've been fighting fiercely. The kidnappers, wary of drawing attention from nearby traffic, quickly dragged her into another vehicle." "What about street cams?!" Ludwik turned, demanding answers from a nearby traffic cop.