Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Remington's fingers clenched around his phone with such force that his knuckles stood out starkly in the night.

A chill crept up his spine, that unsettling feeling sweeping over him once again.

"Get it sorted!" he commanded, his voice a deep growl. He didn't wait for Ray's response before hanging up and immediately dialing Lizetta's number. During those few seconds waiting for the ringtone, even his breaths became short and rapid.

His mind raced with a flurry of thoughts. He had assumed Hans had spotted a tail and bolted out of fear.

But now, the idea that Hans's flight from Zion City was just a decoy, and that he might still be lurking there, raised the question: what was he planning?

The image of Hans confronting Lizetta flashed before Remington's eyes, her face pale with shock.

He couldn't bear to think what might happen if Hans was still around, biding his time...

His palm, gripping the phone, grew clammy.

But the phone kept ringing with no answer.

Remington's brow furrowed deeply, then dialed Bess's number.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.

Meanwhile, Evelina was being carried out, her screams piercing the air as she was loaded into a vehicle.

Stella approached rapidly, urging, "Remington, let's go. We need to head to the hospital..."

She reached out to pat his shoulder, but he turned abruptly.

A bolt of lightning lit up the night sky, revealing his stern features.

His skin was pale as frost, but his eyes were a frightening red, like a predator in the night.

Stella staggered back two steps, "Remington..."

But he moved past her like a gust of wind, his silhouette cold and hurried, his steps betraying his urgency.

Bess didn't answer her phone either, an unmistakable sign of trouble.

Remington's instincts screamed that something was wrong at Lizetta's end!

"Remington! Wait for me..." Stella's voice trailed off as she ran after him out of the mansion.

The storm outside was fierce, with rain pouring down in torrents.

The bodyguard tried to offer Remington an umbrella, but before it could be opened, he had already dashed into the rainfall, heading straight for the parked Bentley. The chaos in the courtyard, illuminated by the flashing lights of the ambulance, added to the turmoil.

Evelina's cries echoed from the stretcher as the medical team tried to soothe her.

Stella, seizing the umbrella from the bodyguard, chased after Remington through the storm.

"Remington, what are you doing? Where are you going? You'll get sick running out in the rain like this!"

Her words were torn apart by the wind and rain.

But to Remington, all of it seemed unreal, a distant concern.

He had only one thought: he needed to get back to Zion City, to see Lizetta.

He prayed silently that the two bodyguards left with her would keep her safe, that nothing was wrong.

Perhaps he was overthinking it. Liz always slept through her phone ringing Maybe she was just ignoring his calls on a whim, teasing him by making him worry.

And Bess, probably taking

advantage of Liz's sleep to catchet

some extra shut-eye herself. Such laziness, he thought, deserved a reprimand...

With these thoughts, he opened the car door, and as if in answer to his prayers, his phone finally rang. "Lovely Wife!"

A ray of hope lit up Remington's dim eyes as he stood in the cold rain, a smile breaking through his anxiety.

He answered eagerly, "Liz..."

But before he could finish, his smile froze, replaced by a cold, sinister dread.

Because it wasn't Lizetta's voice on the other end of the line.

It was Hans's venomous tone.

Lizetta was in trouble!

Half an hour earlier.

Lizetta was jolted awake from her sleep by the persistent ringing of her phone.

Groggily, she reached for it, answering without a glance.

"Emergency, Mr. Gardenia's vitals

have suddenly plummeted. He's tel d to surgery. You net

been

come now!"