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.

lights off. Lizetta

at his watch again, pushing nine o’clock, growing impatient, when he spotted

flowers, ready to step

with Lizetta, taking the shopping

other, obviously, chatting and

guy even patted Lizetta on the shoulder, and instead of ducking away,

the emotion draining

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

man stepped back, gazing up, watching the lights flick on floor by floor until they hit

the car, Remington let

seemed in high

that’s all:

roses into the trash bin and drove

the corner store for some necessities and bumped into Granny Susan’s

days back, and Lizetta

קיד.

14-20

Chapter 83

good news that Granny was stable now.

big trouble; she could rest easy now.

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

over to