Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Chapter 71

Lucian overheard their chat and cocked his head towards Lizetta, saying, “Go ahead and play with them. If you lose, I’ll take the shots for you.”

With Lucian backing her up, what’s there for Lizetta to fear? Besides, she wasn’t scared in the first place!

She grinned and gave Lucian a playful eyebrow raise before looking at Evelina, “Bring it on.”

Evelina’s eyes curved into a smile. “I’m so jealous of you, Liz. Even without Remi taking care of you, you’ve still got Lucian treating you like a princess.”

Lizetta shot back with a smirk, “What, were you raised on a diet of wind?”

Evelina was taken aback.

“How else could every word out of your mouth be so loaded?” Lizetta said while shaking the dice and slamming the cup down on the table. “Your turn.”

She lifted the cup to reveal a six and a five.

Wearing a sour look, Evelina shook the cup for a long time until Lulu leaned in.

“Let me do the honors for Ms. Hawthorne. I’m on a lucky streak.”

As Lulu spoke, she lifted the cup – two fours. Not too shabby, but still a loss against Lizetta.

With an awkward smile, Lulu handed a glass of booze to Evelina, who took it and turned to glance at Remington.

The man, still lounging back in his leather chair, was casually smoking; with his legs crossed and resting on the coffee table, he looked utterly unbothered by the whole scene.

Evelina bit her lip, “You ask the question.”

Lizetta smiled lightly, “I’m curious about something. When I was six, uncle and auntie brought me back to the Hawthome family for a visit, and that very night you had a fever and nightmares. Nora the maid said I had jinxed you, and the next day I was sent away immediately. I heard water in your room in the middle of the night, were you taking a cold shower?”

Lizetta and Evelina locked eyes, people started paying

she could feel the prying eyes from

course, she was all intentional. Lizetta, bruised from Hans‘ beatings, was kicked out barefoot in the dead of winter to buy him cigarettes, and she happened to run into the Hawthorne

took Lizetta home, and Evelina, hearing Elara crying about how pitiful Lizetta was, wanted to keep her so the two girls

wouldn’t

to Elara, saying Lizetta reminded her of the hellish times at the Gardenia

sure enough, her parents sent Lizetta

such a thing. You must have heard wrong.” Evelina denied vehemently,

much sportsmanship from someone like Evelina, so

like she was on pins and needles, as she sensed that everyone was still sneakily

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also lost to Lizetta and, pouting, tried to get

a woman who can stand on

face and downed the

Lizetta’s luck

kept on

two sixes, she looked leisurely at Evelina,

cunning, picked up the glass, “I’ll drink.”

her head back, but then a hand reached over and took

It was Remington.

the glass looked at

drink. I’ll take it

and had just managed to stay out of bed for a few days, naturally. she couldn’t

across Evelina’s face as she leaned intentionally into

drink for you, and Remi is doing it for me, you don’t mind, right?”