Chapter 234
ine could not allow Whitney to turn the tables. She had to keep her secrets from being unearthed–
secrets that could crumble her house of cards. Secrets like the truth about Natalie’s ident or the fact
that she had never actually donated a kidney.
Jaxon, however, had been scouring the city for the elusive girl since dawn, but as dusk approached,
there was still no sign of her. Tiana had hidden her too well.
Frustrated, ine decided to take matters into her own hands. She changed into something less
conspicuous and headed to the Skyfaith Electronic Tech building.
Ludwik was workingte in his office. ine peered inside, her breath catching in her throat, then
turned away and casually asked the secretary, “Has anyonee to see the CEO this afternoon?”
“Just a manager from a partnerpany. Mr. Lippert hasn’t met anyone else,” replied the secretary
earnestly.
Tiana had not brought the girl directly to Ludwik to expose everything? Did that mean Tiana thought
Ludwik would not believe her? Or were they stillcking proof?
ine’s thoughts darkened as she twisted her fingernails anxiously. She had to find a way to get
Ludwik out of Banyan City before Tiana seized her chance.
Taking advantage of the dinner hour, when the secretarial office emptied, ine fiddled with the
schedule.
She then slipped out to a secluded terrace and made several phone calls, orchestrating a crisis at the
manufacturing nt.
When Felix received a call from the chip manufacturer, he stepped into the CEO’s office. “Mr. Lippert,
there’s been a glitch in the production line, and their top engineer can’t fix it. They suggest you, as a
co–developer of the Auric Chip, go down there tonight?”
Ludwik’s brow furrowed. “How did such a major issue arise so suddenly? Wasn’t there any quality
control?”
“I’ve got people looking into it, but the volume of chip orders is so high that even an hour’s dy could
cost us fifty million,” Felix exined, concerned.
“If you could reset the program, we could be back on track quickly.”
Ludwik nced out at the darkening evening sky, his expression pensive. He thought about the woman
in the sanatorium who was stubbornly refusing treatment, heavily pregnant, and due any moment. He
was angry and had decided not to visit her for a while, but he did not want to be too far from her either.
If he went to the southern factory, he’d be away for three or four days, and he was worried about her
safety.
“Let’s deal with it tomorrow,” he said finally.
16.33
ine was desperate when she heard this. She immediately contacted her father, Zane to sabotage a
few chip–seekingpanies.
Within the hour, the secretarial office was bombarded with calls. “I heard Auric Chip’s manufacturer is
having problems. Will Mr. Lippert personally handle it? Can we expect our chips on time? My
autonomous carunch can’t be dyed!”
Felix understood Mr. Lippert’s reluctance to leave Banyan City.
“Mr. Lippert, Skyfaith Electronic Tech needs these big orders to hold its ground. You’ve already shrunk
Imperial Gem Corporation’s market value by billions and stopped Orion’s vehicle project from being
The issue was not critical, but every step Skyfaith took had to be surefooted.
“Mr. Lippert, I heard there’s a problem with the manufacturer. Maybe you should go?” ine walked in,
feigning concern. “If you’re worried about Ms. Valentine’s child, I’ll keep an eye on the sanatorium for
you. Besides, you can monitor her room from the road.”
Ludwik stood up. “ine,e with me; we can solve the problem faster together.”
ine’s face fell at the suggestion, and she suddenly clutched her stomach, feigning frailty. “I’d like to,
N?velDrama.Org holds this content.
but I ate something bad today; it might have taxed my kidneys. I wouldn’t want to cause a dy in
flight.”
Ludwik did not think twice, just eager to return sooner. Seeing her like this, he did not press and patted
her shoulder. “Have the vi’s doctor take a good look at you.”
“Mr. Lippert, another partner’s on the line about the chip issue!” the secretary interrupted.
Ludwik massaged his temple, realizing the urgency of the situation. Grabbing his coat, he instructed
Felix to ready his private jet and could not help but worry about his unborn children and their mother,
who was in ill health. “Felix, link myputer to the sanatorium’s surveince!”
He could keep an eye on her; everything should be fine. Yet, for some reason, his mind just was not at
ease tonight.
…
Having finally gotten Ludwik on the ne, ine turned in the darkness and headed back to her
car.
She dialed Jaxon, but still no word on the girl!
Frustration seethed within her. “Can’t you find Tiana either? A bunch of ipetents!”
She paused, a sudden idea shing across her mind. Whitney was the mastermind behind the scenes.
Tiana had found the girl but was keeping her hidden. What would be her next move?
ine’s eyes glinted with a cold light as she abruptly ended the call and ordered her driver, “To the
sanatorium in the mountains!”
Before she even reached the sanatorium, the bribed director called. “ine, Mr. Lippert’s office is
demanding Whitney’s room surveince feed immediately. Should I send it or not?”
She nced at the time. Ludwik would be on the ne without inte ess.
“Dy it. Later, edit out anything inconvenient. What’s Whitney doing now?”
“She’s been in the bathroom for quite a while,” reported the director, but he was suddenly interrupted
bymotion on the line.
Panicked, the head nurse eximed, “Director, someone’s opened Whitney’s room! Several nurses are
knocked out cold, and Whitney is gone!”
ine heard it all on the other end of the line, her face turning ashen. “It must be Tiana’s doing. Find
them quickly!”
She was right on the money. Damn it, how had they managed tomunicate?
Whitney had been biding her time in the bathroom, keeping in touch with Tiana.
Tiana had narrowed down the search by morning, and now, with a precise location, she had infiltrated
the sanatorium disguised as a nurse. There was not much time. Whitney instructed her to gather
several medications and then follow the nurses on their rounds to her room.
In the dead of night, Tiana slipped a concoction into the water, and while the nurses were oblivious, she
dabbed it under their nostrils.
One by one, dozens of nurses copsed.
With no time to waste, Tiana threw a loose–fitting whiteb coat over Whitney’s shoulders, and they
made their way to the stairwell, fleeing into the night.
ine hurried to the sanatorium, her heart pounding with urgency.
Surveying the nurses sprawled out in a deep slumber, she clenched her teeth in fury, Whitney, that
wretched woman, had some tricks up her sleeve even in her final moments!
“Which way did they go? How long ago?”
“Over half an hour now. Seven o’clock is the nurses‘ shift change; there were bound to be gaps in the
hallways and offices!”
The director wiped his brow in panic. “If she’s gone, how on earth are we going to exin this to Mr.
Lippert?”
“What are you looking at me for? Get moving! How far can a clumsy pregnant woman get?”
Although ine barked orders, her mind was racing with calctions. A sly grin flickered across her
lips. Tiana had broken her out, a crisis indeed, but it could lead her to the root of the issue. It was not
all bad.
16:33
Their next move would likely be to find that girl.
Did they hold all the evidence?
It seemed tonight’s events called for a new strategy- to pull the rug from under them and catch them all
in one fell swoop.
A pregnant woman and Tiana, alone and outmatched, they would not get far.
A sinister gleam crossed ine’s eyes, and she stepped away to make a call. “Mom, I managed to
send Ludwik off. Now that Whitney has escaped, I intend to make the most of this situation. Sess or
failure hinges on tonight. Send more people immediately!”
“They secured evidence on that kidney donation matter. Only the dead can keep secrets. That little
bitch Whitney must die!” Delphine responded coolly.