Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Cassius felt like he had narrowly escaped disaster. He tugged at his collar, trying to catch his breath, only to notice the blotchy red marks on his neck.

Yolanda, that woman, was a real piece of work.

Cold-hearted and utterly ruthless!Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

Remington slammed his phone down on the desk, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Mr. Remington Dashiell, isn't Ms. Yolanda willing to help? This Hogan guy is bad news, getting too close to your wife is extremely dangerous. Maybe it's better if you talk to her yourself," Ray suggested, noticing Remington's angry expression.

Ray had just discovered why Shirley had been avoiding Hogan.

Recently, Shirley's beloved border collie, which she had for over seven years, had mysteriously disappeared.

Shirley had been furious, lashing out at the servants and even offering a hefty reward for the dog's return.

When Shirley visited Hogan, he invited her to his lab. There, she found him using a dog for his experiment.

The dog, having been injected with some substance, was violently crashing its head against the cage's tempered glass, bleeding profusely.

After the dog had collapsed, Hogan proceeded to dissect it in front of Shirley, extracting brain tissue for examination under a microscope.

He then stitched the corpse back together, intending to clean and prepare it for burial.

"Whimpering, she said, 'If I truly loved him, I should understand and respect his work. He prefers women who share his interests. I suppressed my disgust and helped him clean the dog's fur, and that's when I realized it was my Kaka!'

'Ugh! He butchered my Kaka. Every time I close my eyes, I see him coming at me with that scalpel. I can't love him anymore. Let him go be with Lizetta instead. Yes, I'll leave him to Lizetta!""

Ray recalled Shirley's terrified, broken state when she talked about Hogan while drunk, realizing Hogan was a master of deception with a dark psyche.

A normal person wouldn't scare off an unwanted suitor in such a gruesome, bloodthirsty manner.

And anyone capable of harming animals in such a way couldn't possibly be mentally stable.

Hogan must be kept away from Lizetta at all costs!

"Keep a close eye on Hogan. Have a few more undercover guards watch over Liz. And find that woman from the parking lot as soon as possible!"

Remington's concern deepened. He

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wished to explain everything to Lizetta personally, to take her from the hospital, to keep hepsafe by his side.

But he had just promised her he wouldn't intrude on her life anymore.

Even if he did go to her, Lizetta would likely see it as another manipulation, only fostering more resentment and resistance.

Remington felt helpless, uncertain of how to protect her without overstepping his bounds.

The only thing he could do was to uncover more about Hogan and guard her from the shadows.

Hogan better not make any more moves.

Otherwise, even at the risk of Lizetta misunderstanding him, he wouldn't let Hogan off.

The next morning, Lizetta received photos and a call from Yolanda.

"Liz, don't you want to ask Dr. White if he's got a girlfriend now?"

Lizetta glanced at the photo but didn't take it to heart.

"Yoli, I get what you're saying, but there's no chance between my mentor and me. I don't have feelings for him, and I've made that clear. Plus, I'm not looking to start a new relationship. If he truly has found someone, I'm happy for him."

As soon as Lizetta finished speaking the door to her room swung open, revealing Hogan in a white-lab coat, smiling warmly. He shook a thermos in his hand and asked, "A girlfriend? Me?"