Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

"Ash, I'm not tired. I want to have dinner with Elsa!"

Nelson caught the old lady's pleading, panicked gaze, and any hesitation on his face vanished completely.

He immediately turned to Lizetta and Remington, flashing Remington a smile.

"So, you're Mrs. Dashiell? Mr. Dashiell, my wife seems to have taken quite a liking to your wife. Would you mind if we invited you both to join us for a casual dinner?"

Both being figures in the business world, even though Nelson had stepped back from the forefront, leaving the Madden family business in the hands of Jerome and his son-in-law, Conrad West, he was still acquainted with Remington, having met him a couple of times at business summits.

Remington held a respectful admiration for a business predecessor like Mr. Madden and glanced at Jerome and Andrea beside him before nodding with a smile.

"Having Mr. Madden and the gracious lady visit Zion City, the honor of hosting falls to me. Moreover, Mr. Madden has previously done my wife a great service.

I've tried to express my gratitude twice, only to be kindly refused by Mr. Madden. With Mr. Madden's noble character, I hope he wouldn't turn down our invitation today?" Remington's gaze shifted to Jerome.

Indeed, Remington had sent Cedric with generous gifts to Jerome's doorstep, only to be turned away.

Now, as the two men's eyes met-one cool, the other clear-Jerome's slight smile seemed to dissolve any underlying tension.

"Perhaps this question should be directed to Liz first, seeing as my grandparents wish to invite her. And naturally, I have no objections."

His words seemed to hint at Remington's dominant nature, lacking respect for Lizetta.

Remington's expression darkened slightly, changing the atmosphere around them.

However, Jerome had already turned to Lizetta, his eyes twinkling, voice warm.

"Dora's flight will be arriving soon. Wouldn't you be too tired to go out for dinner after picking her up? If it's too much, we can always plan for another day." All eyes turned to Lizetta.

Jerome's considerate demeanor made him appear more like Lizetta's husband than anyone else.

Cedric, standing behind Remington, dared not meet his boss's gaze.

The boss was indeed caught off guard this time.

All the effort spent in the past weeks, trying to assert his dominance and battling jealousy, seemed futile compared to M Madden's tactful and gentlemanly approach.

Feeling unexpectedly pressured, Lizetta found Mrs. Bernice Madden's anxiousness hard to ignore.

"Elsa, let's go for dinner. I'm hungry, and I'd love your company," she said, tugging at Lizetta's sleeve.

Facing the old lady's hopeful and hesitant gaze, Lizetta felt an inexplicable tenderness, unable to voice any refusal.

Perhaps it was Mrs. Bernice

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Madden's resemblance to Fiona

Dashiell and Granny Rachel that made her feel a special connection, unwilling to let the old lady down.

"Alright, I'll pick up a friend first, and then I'll join you for dinner, okay?"

Mrs. Bernice Madden's face lit up with joy, wrinkles and all. She then turned to Remington, finally voicing her confusion. "Elsa, who is he? I don't recognize him."

Lizetta, arm in arm with Mrs. Bernice Madden, laughed, "He's not important. I don't know him either."

Mrs. Bernice Madden glanced at Remington again, catching his sullen expression, and shook her head.

"Elsa, he may be handsome, but he

has a look of unkindness about him-so stern he might even be the type to mistreat his wife. I have a good eye for these things. We're better off staying away from such men."

Remington, "..."