Chapter 246
He clenched his tiny fists tightly, unable to articte a defense against the stinging words.
Ludwik furrowed his brow as he thought about his son, Daniel. The boy was reticent, aloof, and had
always been a loner, ying by himself since he could crawl. The only person he ever opened up to
was Ludwik, his father, and that was only during their love–hate squabbles. The pediatrician had once
N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.
ine had mentioned that the boy struggled to fit in at preschool and often resorted to hitting other
children.
It troubled Ludwik deeply. If mainstreaming him in a regr ss could improve his social skills, then it
was worth a shot.
“Alright, we’ll do it your way,” he decided, siding with ine, his wife.
Daniel’s hopeful eyes, which had been looking for his dad to object, dimmed at the words. He felt
betrayed. His father never truly inquired about his feelings, always taking ine’s side.
With his little fists balled up, the frail boy stood up and stormed off to the backyard.
“He always runs off to his grandmother whenever things don’t go his way. Kids these days…” Ludwik
sighed, hoping his son would grow up healthy and sociable.
“Don’t overthink it, Ludwik,” ine consoled, aware of why the boy was upset. In her heart, she reveled
in the discord she sowed between father and son. It was exactly what she wanted.
That olddy in the backyard, who had been hanging on for three years, was a thorn in her side. But
what could the child really confide in her, and could she even hear him?
A child without a mother was easy prey for her schemes. It was unfortunate for Whitney to have passed
so young.
ine silently gloated, knowing she held all the cards now. With Whitney’s uncle on the brink of a life
sentence, the Bartels family would soon have nothing to fear.
Once she cured Ludwik of his erectile dysfunction, she would be the happiest woman alive, in both
body and soul.
She smiled to herself, adjusting Ludwik’s tie with feigned affection. “Ludwik, take a couple of hours off
for the hospital appointment, okay?”
Ludwik grunted, clearly unenthusiastic, and headed out, calling the caretaker as he left. “Make sure
Taryn feeds Danny well, and then get him off to preschool.”
“Taryn, you were right. She’s not my real mommy. She pinches and hits me.”
In the quiet solitude of the caretaker’s room, Daniel confided in Taryn beside hisatose
grandmother’s bed.
Taryn looked at the bruises on Daniel’s arm with a heavy heart. The boy was thin, a precious soul
brought up with great care by Ludwik. Ludwik was good at everything but trusting that woman too
much.
When Daniel was two, ine had coaxed him into calling her ‘Mommy.’
Taryn quietly disapproved. By the time Daniel turned three and grew more discerning, Taryn made sure
to remind him of his real mother, Whitney Valentine, not wanting him to forget her.
Plus, ine sometimes resorted to underhanded tactics with Daniel, and Taryn would reveal them to
the boy in secret. With his sharp intellect, Daniel caught on quickly.
“Before, she switched your medicine. When your daddy wasn’t around, she’d give you cold water to
drink, making you sick. We’re under her roof; we have to y by her rules. It took me a long time to
gain your Daddy’s trust and prevent ine from firing me. That’s why I’m still here to look after the old
Daniel pounded a fist on the bed. “She deliberately put me in a regr ss with a bully who picks on
me. Stinky Dad has no clue.”
Taryn was furious. “Your father trusts her blindly with your education… He can’t attend to everything. I
feel powerless. It’s been three years, and your grandmother hasn’t woken up. If only your mother were
here. Danny, just hold on a little longer. Your mom said she’de back with medicine for grandma.
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Maybe she’s on her way back right now, and you’ll have your real mommy soon, free from that wicked
woman’s torment.”
Taryn wiped away a tear, feeling a mix of sadness and hope. She never believed the story that Ms.
Valentine had abandoned her son to run away. It had to be ine’s doing.
Daniel looked up, his big eyes filled with confusion. Taryn always talked
about his real mother. Could it be true?
Why had his dad never mentioned her, referring only to ine as his
mother?
If he truly had a real mom, where was she? Did she even know she had a precious child waiting for
her? Why had she note to see him?
The little boy’s expression turned cold and dejected.
At the hospital, Whitney arrived early at the HR department to secure a position, but to her surprise, the
director promoted her to Head of Traditional Medicine and even organized a small meeting to wee
her.
The department heads gathered around her as if she were a zoo
animal.
“I heard she never formally studied at a traditional medical school. Can she handle it? Today’s patient is
quite high–profile.”
“But the director said Dr. Valentine cured an intractable case of epilepsy abroad that couldn’t even be
solved through surgery.”
“With just acupuncture?”
“With just acupuncture.”
“That’s incredible.”
The chatter continued,
Whitney responded with a light smile, “When ites to the nervous system, acupuncture is quite
miraculous.”
She added concisely, “Director, my schedule is tight. I’m only taking this one case for now. No need to
arrange any outpatient visits.”
Orion had arranged her cement, so the director dared not object, especially since her abilities were
well recognized internationally.
Several notorious neurological cases had been cured by the young woman standing before them, who
looked to be in her early twenties.
“Dr. Valentine, your office is on the second floor to the left.”
The male doctors were mesmerized by Whitney’s appearance, while the female doctors chuckled at
the mention of her office location.
Whitney was puzzled by their reactions until she arrived at her office on the second floor. Therge
sign that read “andrology” caused her to crack a wry smile.
Andrology…
It indeed involved a broad range of sensitive nerves.
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It was not like she had not treated such cases before.
She sighed softly, wearing an expression of professional detachment, and began preparing all the
equipment without the help of an
assistant, given the lucrative fee involved.
ncing at her watch, it was past nine, and her patient waste. She remembered someone
mentioning that today’s case was not ordinary, likely someone of significance.
They often came with an attitude, probably some pampered heir.
Whitney waited patiently.
She retreated behind a curtain, tying up her hair, slipping on gloves, and checking the equipment once
more. Then, the door opened.
The slow, deliberate footsteps that entered carried an air of authority and purpose.
With her back to the door, Whitney paused briefly as she felt a powerful presence fill the room.
The masculine scent was overpowering, a chill tinged with something oddly familiar.
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Whitney furrowed her brows slightly, plugging in the radio, and just as she heard him take a seat
behind the curtain, the man’s elegant fingers snapped a lighter, igniting a cigarette with a crisp sound.
Whitney picked up the medical chart, frowning, “You can’t smoke in here. Please remove your pants,
Mr. Lip…”
Her eyes dropped to the patient’s name on the chart, and she froze, her voice trailing off into silence.
Behind the curtain, the man’s brows knotted just as tightly, his stunning face clouding over with
frustration, “Felix, why is it a female doctor?”
As the words fell, Ludwik savored the woman’s voice he had just heard,
hoarse, with a familiar softness he had not heard in ages. It was a
voice that carved itself into the bones, tender and soft.
Suddenly, his face seemed to plummet into an abyss, frozen by an icy wind, each inch chilling to the
bone, cracking open.
Whitney’s trembling hands reached for the curtain, her sealed heart bursting with a myriad of emotions,
barely holding together her lovely face that seemed on the verge of copse. Her fingers stalled on the
fabric as ifcking the courage to pull it aside.