Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

It was a man's familiar, deep voice that resonated on the line. Lizetta paused for a moment, pulling the phone away to glance at the screen, only to realize it was an unknown number. She brought the phone back to her ear, "What do you want?"

At that moment, Remington, phone in hand, was lounging on his office sofa. His work desk was adorned with a simple lunch, which he had no appetite for. Instead, he was eagerly anticipating the dinner he had planned with Lizetta. His iPad, resting on his lap, displayed a collection of reviews and photos of the hottest couple's restaurants in Zion City, curated by his friend Cedric. As Remington's slender fingers swiped through the options, he found an excuse to discuss their dinner plans with Lizetta, his fingertip momentarily hesitating. "Why are you upset? Did I accidentally make you angry again?" His voice conveyed a mix of worry and care, as if her happiness and sadness were of paramount importance to him. Lizetta felt a sudden pang in her heart, as if the profound disappointment she felt towards her biological father had been gently soothed by a warm hand. Without realizing it, her voice softened, "It's not you, it's nothing really."

Seeing that she still wasn't sharing her troubles with him, Remington's expression darkened for a moment, but he didn't press further. Instead, he quickly searched online for something to lighten the mood, suddenly saying, "I heard a pretty funny joke today, want to hear it?" Lizetta was taken aback by the abrupt change in subject. Before she could decline, Remington had already started, "So, the number 0 and 8 run into each other on the street. O looks at 8 disdainfully and says, 'So you're a bit chubby, but why wear a belt?"""

Lizetta was silent... Remington frowned slightly, a hint of dissatisfaction not with Lizetta but with the search engine's joke selection crossing his face. What was this? It wasn't even funny! He had searched for the funniest jokes, but all he got was this rubbish. He scrolled down quickly, then tried again, "A wife searches her husband thoroughly every day for any strands of another woman's hair. One day, after finding nothing, she still scolds him, 'Now you're even going after nuns!""

Silence fell on both ends of the phone once more. Remington's brow was deeply furrowed, his eyes scanning rapidly for something better. However, he was met with Lizetta's light laughter instead. His frown eased immediately, his fingers stopping their frantic search. But then, Lizetta's teasing voice came through, "Maybe you should stop looking up jokes online, they're really bad."Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

Caught in his attempt, Remington no longer searched, instead replying with a slight smile in his voice, "True, but they're still not as bad as your jokes." His voice, laced with laughter, brought back memories for Lizetta.

It reminded her of the early days of The Starlight Group, when Remington, young and often underestimated, faced constant challenges. Seeing him stressed and tired, Lizetta would try to cheer him up with jokes she had found. But Remington, typically reserved and emotionally distant, was hard to amuse. Her attempts often ended with her laughing alone, appearing foolish in her efforts to lift his spirits, receiving no more than a courtesy smile in return. Eventually, frustrated and near tears, her defeated expression managed to coax a genuine laugh from him. He had teased her by pinching her face, trying to soothe her frustration.