Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

In the end, Remington got into the passenger seat without saying a word.

As the car pulled away, Lizetta reached over and pulled Yolanda close, letting her rest on her shoulder.

"You must've been losing sleep these past few days, huh? Don't think too much about it, just get some rest. I'll wake you when we arrive."

Lizetta's voice flowed softly in the car, gentle and soothing, like a lullaby.

Yolanda leaned against Lizetta, tilting her head to wrap her arms around Lizetta's waist, almost burying herself in her embrace.

Lizetta looked down with a smile, patting Yolanda's shoulder gently.

Cedric, driving, glanced at his boss beside him.

Man, the boss was shooting daggers through the rearview mirror at Ms. Yolanda, almost setting her on fire with his gaze.

The car was thick with the tension, almost as if it were filled with the jealousy brewed by the Dashiell Group.

Worried that Remington might actually throw his wife's best friend out of the car in a fit of jealousy, Cedric decided to break the ice.

"Ma'am, long time no see. They say Tranquil Meadows is a place that nurtures beauty and grace, and you look even more radiant than before, absolutely breathtaking." Yolanda, not wanting to speak in front of others, had already closed her eyes, leaning against Lizetta.

The once lively and energetic girl, now so quiet and serene, almost broke Lizetta's heart.

She could almost understand the urge Yolanda used to have to lash out at Remington.

Hearing Cedric's words, Lizetta snapped out of her daydream of beating the crap out of Cassius, and turned to Cedric with a smile.

"Cedric, always the charmer with high emotional intelligence, always pleasing to talk to."

Cedric, flattered, almost floated away with pride, but in the next second, he felt the intense gaze that was previously fixed on the backseat now piercing through him. Cedric nearly floored the accelerator into the car ahead.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" Remington frowned.

Cedric was on pins and needles, his hands sweaty on the steering wheel.

Was the lady genuinely complimenting him, or was she setting him up?

He hadn't offended her, had he?

But in the next moment, Cedric knew exactly how he had managed to offend Lizetta, as she flashed him another smile.

"Cedric, the boss and I have been divorced for quite some time now. Maybe it's time to change how you address me, to avoid any misunderstandings."

Cedric really wanted to correct himself, but with the boss right there, exuding an ever-colder aura, he gritted his teeth and smiled at

Lizetta with all the sincerity he could muster. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"You're absolutely right! By the way, ma'am, where did you and Ms. Yolanda plan to go?"

Cedric's face was a picture of

astonishment, quickly replaced by an apologetic look, "Oh, look at me, still stuck in old habits. Sorry ma'am, my bad!" én.swnovels.net

Lizetta, "..."

Four months apart, and Cedric seemed to have taken acting lessons from a second-rate troupe.

"We're heading to Maple Cottage."

"Right away, ma'am." Cedric nodded immediately.

Following Remington's orders, Cedric focused on the road, and the car fel silent again. Remington

however, slightly turned to look back

at Lizetta and asked,

"Why 'Cedric' all of a sudden?"

He couldn't even get her to call him Remi, or brother anymore, and now Cedric was in the mix?

Cedric, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, felt a chill run down his spine again.

He really should have kept his mouth shut.

Why was he worrying about the dog boss, enduring the exploitation of a heartless capitalist, developing a damned servitude mentality? Pitiful, truly pitiful.

As Cedric mourned for himself, he didn't forget to throw a pleading look at Lizetta through the rearview mirror.