Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Chapter 83

Remington had headed back to Oakridge Heights early, pulling up to a stop.

Leaning back in his seat, he was eyeing the villa with a gaze as heavy as the air pressure around him.

The place was pitch–dark, a dead giveaway that Lizetta hadn’t come home again.

He lingered in the car, not getting out, until Cedric piped up. “Mr. Remington? You freaked out Lizetta’s friend at the hospital, she might be steamed. Maybe you should sweet–talk her a bit?”

Remington glanced over. “And how do you suggest I do that?”

“Grab a bouquet? Throw in some sweets, girls dig that stuff. Flowers and treats always cheer them up.”

Cedric felt partly to blame for today’s fiasco and was eager to make amends, throwing out suggestions left and right.

Remington’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Girls also dig jewelry, don’t they?”

He hadn’t forgotten the morning’s episode, where he pushed a jewelry box towards the girl, only to have it chucked squarely at him.

Remington was starting to think his assistant was becoming useless; his skills were going downhill.

Forty minutes later, in the shadows beneath Yolanda’s apartment building.

There he was, in the driver’s seat, with a bunch of gaudy red roses, courtesy of the florist’s hard sell, sitting on the passenger seat.

off. Lizetta wasn’t back

growing impatient, when he spotted a

reached for the flowers, ready

shopping bag off her hands with a

knew each other, obviously, chatting and laughing as they walked

of ducking away,

froze, the emotion draining from his

knew, the two chatted for a bit outside the building. Lizetta waved goodbye cheerfully

lights flick on floor by

Remington let out a

in high spirits, simply

that’s all:

he tossed the roses into

Lizetta had made a run to the corner store for some necessities

the flowerbed a few days back, and Lizetta was the one

קיד.

14-20

Chapter 83

been waiting to give her the good news that Granny was

big trouble; she could

pour herself some water and heard a familiar car sound from downstairs.

hand, walked over to the