Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Lizetta looked at the man's stern profile, her breathing momentarily uneven.

Yolanda was quite surprised too. After some time apart, it seemed even Badass Remington had learned the art of diplomacy. Shame that some folks seemed to have regressed.

Timothy had been silent since he arrived.

At Remington's command, he waved dismissively at the manager. "Get to work, and next time, open your eyes wide. Don't just listen to gossip. Recognize the lady of the house before you act, or nobody will save you next time!"

Timothy gave the manager a firm pat on the head, a clear sign he'd narrowly avoided disaster. The manager quickly agreed, closing the lounge door and standing guard outside.

Timothy approached Lizetta, a warm smile on his face. "Sis, you must be tired. Why don't you and Ms. Yolanda sit down? I'll get us some fruit and drinks, and we can talk this through."

Yolanda looked at Timothy, her smile showing her approval. "Mr. Temple knows what's up, unlike some who can't see or think straight."

Cassius, seeing Yolanda smile at Timothy, felt his blood boil. He impulsively let go of Margaret's hand, pulled Timothy away from Yolanda, and said coldly, "I hurt my foot, did you not see? Get your club's doctor here now. If it's broken and affects my mobility, some people won't hear the end of it."

Yolanda rolled her eyes, completely ignoring him. Margaret and Stella, however, were not as relaxed. The other girls gathered around them, eyeing the closed lounge door and the circle of security and bodyguards with unease.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Margaret whispered to Stella, "Stella, please, talk to Mr. Dashiell for us."

Stella's face fell. She had no such influence and tried to deflect. "This mess started because of you and Jane's actions. You're the one allied with the Sterling family through marriage. Talk to Mr. Sterling."

"Now Dashiell's making a mountain

out of a molehill, not Cassius. Didn't you say you and Mr. Dashiell were childhood friends, that he even

missed his own wedding for younet

Try talking to him. Or was all that just talk?" Stella's expression darkened further with each word until she finally pushed Margaret forward.

Margaret stumbled before the group, attracting everyone's attention. Biting her lip, she protested, "Ms. Yolanda's issue really has nothing to do with us, understand Ms. Gardenia and Ms. Yolanda's feelings, but we wish to leave now. Why are we being held...?"

She turned to Timothy, trying to maintain her dignity. "Mr. Temple, my family and our artists have supported your business well,

haven't they? We came here to enjoy ourselves, yet we've received poor service and now are detained. I demand an explanation, or my family and our artists will never step

foot here again!"

Margaret grew bolder with each word, confident since Jane had already taken the blame. Little did she know, Timothy simply raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Ms. Miller, there's no need to panic unless you've got a guilty conscience."

"What do you mean?" Margaret snapped, infuriated.

Lizetta chuckled, "Perhaps you should watch this video first, Ms. Miller."

As Lizetta spoke, the video played on the screen. It was the clip Lizetta had live-streamed to Mrs. Davis, capturing Margaret's smug expression in crystal clear detail.