Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Lizetta's cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson in an instant. Biting her lip, she pushed her chair back and stood up.

"I need to use the restroom," she murmured, quickly making her way out.

Remington lightly touched the corner of his mouth, noticing a faint trace of blood on his fingertip. Without offering an explanation, he flashed a mysterious smile and stood up as well.

"She's not feeling well. I'll go check on her. Enjoy your meal, everyone," he said, following her out.NôvelDrama.Org content.

They left one after the other, and Andrea turned to Jerome with a knowing look.

"Bro, you saw that, right? Even though they're separated, the spark's still there. Maybe you should stop playing the villain here. You're standing up for Mrs. Dashiell, but for all you know, she might find you more annoying than helpful!"

Jerome's expression remained unchanged. He took a sip of his wine before responding.

"She won't think that."

Lizetta wasn't like that, and Remington should realize the whispers and rumors Lizetta had to endure because of him. If he couldn't handle that much, he didn't deserve to pursue her any further.

Andrea huffed, "And how would you know? Since when did you get so close to her? I had no idea."

Jerome poured Andrea a glass of freshly squeezed juice. "Just eat your food, will you?"

Andrea pouted, "I'm only looking out for you because I care, okay? It's not like anyone else will. Grandpa, look at him!"

She appealed to Nelson, who chuckled and said, "Jerome, Liz is a fine woman, but it seems there's still a chapter left in their love story."

Andrea nodded vigorously. "See, even Grandpa agrees. Instead of pining for someone who's taken, why not pay more attention to me? I'm pretty good-looking too, you know." Resting her chin on her hand, Andrea fixed her gaze on Jerome, batting her eyelashes.

Jerome, however, barely glanced at her before sighing. "I've been looking at that face of yours since we were kids. No matter how much I see it, you'll always be my little sister." Andrea felt slighted. "But I heard Mr. Dashiell and Mrs. Dashiell were like siblings before..."

"It's different, Andrea, cut it out!" Jerome interrupted firmly.

Lizetta joined the Dashiell family at eight, and even if Remington treated her like a sister back then, he was well aware she wasn't his real sister. But how could Andrea and he be same? He was adopted by the Maddens before Andrea was born, making her his sister in his heart from the moment she arrived. So, no matter how much Andrea confessed her feelings, he saw it as nothing but sibling antics. There was simply no chance between them.

Andrea's eyes welled up with tears as she clenched her fists. "It's not different at all. You're being unfair!"

She stormed out, pushing her chair back aggressively.

Jerome shook his head but didn't follow.

Nelson sighed as well, yet remained silent. Jerome wasn't blood-related to the Madden, family, so if there was a chance for him and Andrea, the elders would've been happy. After all, Jerome had been raised in their care, proving himself to be responsible and of good character. But Jerome clearly had no romantic interest in Andrea, and such feelings couldn't be forced. Nelson wouldn't use the favor of raising Jerome to guilt-trip him; doing so would only harm both of them.

"Bernice, why isn't Elsa back yet?" Nelson asked, concerned about Mrs. Bernice Madden, who seemed anxious without Lizetta's return. He peeled a shrimp and placed it in her bow "Eat up. If Elsa isn't back soon, I'll go out and look for her with you."

Mrs. Bernice Madden hurriedly started eating, while Nelson turned to Jerome.

"Jerome, tell me more about Liz. She seems to have taken a liking to our family."

Jerome shared what he knew about Lizetta's background with Nelson, which wasn't comprehensive since he hadn't investigated her life in detail. Nelson listened with a mix of sorrow and compassion. "She's had a tough life. Try to look out for her a bit."

It seemed he had taken a liking to her and didn't want to see her struggle if he could offer any protection.

Remington followed Lizetta out, waiting by the restroom for a while, but she never emerged. Nelson, growing concerned about their prolonged absence, sent Jerome to find them.

Jerome found Lizetta standing under a tree, gazing up at a pair of birds nestled among the branches.