Love Beyond the Mask novel Chapter 1174

That look on his face, and the way he said it—why did it have to be so damn annoying?

Whitney almost choked on her words, but before she could say anything, he added, "Your mom might ask about Bryce. I need to know what she says, right away."

Alright, fine. If you’re not afraid of looking foolish, then neither am I.

A few minutes later, Parker showed up with the gurney.

It took a whole team of doctors and nurses to get a six-foot-two man like Ludwik moved from the bed to the gurney.

Whitney didn’t want to be the one pushing the thing and embarrassing herself, so she let Parker handle it.

So there they were—a whole procession—leaving the surgical ward, squeezing into the elevator, then rolling down the hallway toward Parisa’s private care suite.

Whitney walked ahead and knocked on the door.

Erik answered, holding one of those insulated soup containers the hospital handed out. Parisa could only have liquids for now; she needed time to recover.

“Mom,” Whitney called.

Parisa was sitting up in bed, posture perfect. She looked pale and frail, but her eyes were alert.

When she saw Whitney, she smiled briefly—then her gaze slid past her daughter, landing on the gurney being wheeled in behind. Her brow furrowed. “Whitney, Mr. Lippert is in no shape for this. You shouldn’t have brought him.”

“Ms. Tennyson, this wasn’t Whitney’s doing,” Ludwik said. Even laid up, he managed to look dignified. His voice was lower and softer than usual, almost polite. “I assumed you must have something important to discuss. Besides, you can’t expect an elder to go chasing after the younger generation.”

“Are you alright, Mr. Lippert?”

Ludwik’s eyes darkened with realization as he looked at Parisa.

Parisa gave another dry chuckle. “Honestly, it’s not hard to guess. I’ve been running Inko Group for years—of course I have enemies. Inside and out. But this time, I suspect certain shareholders within Inko Group itself.”

Whitney’s face changed. “How are things between you and those shareholders?”

“On the surface? Fine. No one openly defies me. But when I rushed back to Harmonia, I didn’t get everyone’s approval. And after Bryce tricked me and I disappeared—news of my supposed death spread overseas pretty fast.”

Parisa closed her eyes for a moment, voice calm but grim. “With the head gone, there are always those waiting to make their move. I even suspect Bryce, once he got his hands on my assets, secretly reached out to some shareholders in Germinia. He’s a slippery one—probably planned his escape route in advance.”

Ludwik nodded, his eyes cold as steel. “You’re absolutely right, Ms. Tennyson. Bryce is a snake—clever, cautious, always looking for an exit.”