Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Lizetta was feeling down, avoiding eye contact, and gave Remington a slight push.

"It's nothing."

She attempted to walk away, but Remington caught her by the shoulder, stepping forward to pin her against the wall.

"How can it be nothing? Why are you upset?"

It seemed like Remington was determined to get to the bottom of it. However, this proximity, for Lizetta, was torturous and stirred emotions she wished to suppress.

Her expression turned cool as she lifted her head, "Can you just not?"

Her tone was icy, causing the concern and urgency on Remington's handsome face to freeze over. His lips paled slightly, his grip on Lizetta's shoulder unconsciously tightened as he tried to hold back. Lizetta knew her outburst was unfair. Seeing him suddenly fall silent tugged at her heartstrings. She wanted to apologize but couldn't find the words. She couldn't interact with him as others might, not after loving and hating him so deeply, not with the unresolved issues between them. It felt like agony either way. Now, it seemed they were meant to be strangers, keeping their distance.

"I brought you a gift today."

Lizetta thought Remington might walk away, frustrated by her unwarranted anger. But unexpectedly, he spoke up, his voice soft and soothing, as if their recent disagreement hadn't happened. He reached into a red gift bag and pulled out a long velvet box, handing it to Lizetta.

The box looked expensive, likely containing jewelry, probably a necklace judging by its shape.

Lizetta frowned slightly, "You don't have to. I was thanking Mr. Dashiell with dinner. I didn't bring a gift, so I shouldn't accept yours."

She refused to take it, but Remington pushed the box closer to her.

"Consider it a thank you for the dinner, okay?"

Lizetta wanted to settle their debts with the dinner, not complicate things further. Annoyed, she pushed his hand away, "I said I don't want it! Can't you just drop it?"

She pushed harder than intended.

The box, seemingly heavy but surprisingly light, tumbled to the ground, opening upon impact. Lizetta stepped away, her foot landed on the fallen object. Panicked, she lifted her foot, staring in disbelief at what she had just

crushed.

It wasn't jewelry as she had assumed, but a velvet flower? Green stem, red petals. She had stepped right on the petals, now unrecognizable.

Lizetta looked up to see Remington standing stiffly. His gaze lowered, eyes seeming to fragment with lost light.

Guilt washed over Lizetta, especially

when she saw Remington bending down to pick up the flower, intensifying her remorse. She opened her mouth to apologize, but before she could, Remington had already placed the flower back in the box and closed it, saying,

"It's fine, it wasn't anything important. It's okay if it's broken."

His face wore a warm smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Lizetta could feel his subdued mood. She was at a loss for words, and Remington clearly didn't expect her to speak, turning and heading back to the private dining room first.

Lizetta watched his retreating figure silently before following. Their phones rang almost simultaneously as they were about to return to the dining room. Lizetta pulled out her phone, seeing a call from Zora, who was looking after Thaddeus Gardenia, and immediately answered.

After hearing a few words, her expression changed.Content held by NôvelDrama.Org.

"Alright, I'm on my way!"

Zora reported that Thaddeus was showing unusual vital signs today, with significant fluctuations in response to external stimuli.