Shattered Illusions Love Lies and Redemption (Lizetta and Remington) novel Chapter 1302

"This cufflink is exquisite. Did she give it to you?"

"Hmm?"

It wasn't until the man's deep, slightly raised voice rang out from above that Kimberley suddenly snapped back to reality.

She had accidentally blurted out her innermost thoughts.

Her neck stiffened, and her features scrunched up in agony beneath the mask. She wished she could bite her own tongue off.

Still, she figured Jerome probably hadn't heard her mumbled words clearly.

She lowered her head even further. Her long, silky hair cascaded over her shoulders; the thick curtain of strands gave her a profound sense of security in that moment.

Just then, Jerome let go and spoke.

"I just accidentally caught your hair. There's no need to play the creepy girl from a horror movie to scare me."

The man's amused, teasing voice drifted down from above, making Kimberley's face burn instantly.

She finally realized that the hair caught on his cufflink had already been untangled.

She felt like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

Having pretended to be a stranger from the start, she lacked the courage to look up now.

She kept her head down, determined to play the role of a passerby to the bitter end, and whispered.

"I'm sorry, I... I just got Botox, and my face is too swollen to be seen. Anyway, sorry for holding you up, and thank you."

With a quick bow, she turned to press the elevator button.

Unfortunately, the moment she turned around, Jerome's deep voice called out from behind her.

"Kimberley."

Kimberley was utterly speechless.

A heavy silence hung in the elevator for a few seconds. Slowly, Kimberley lifted her head, bracing herself as she met Jerome's gaze reflected in the mirrored elevator wall.

He let go, leaving the mask dangling precariously off one of her ears.

The air circulation had clearly improved, yet Kimberley felt entirely suffocated.

"You got Botox? Swollen face? Too swollen to be seen?"

Kimberley had no words.

There was no need to expose someone's lie to their face like that.

This completely contradicted her impression of Jerome. In her mind, the man standing before her had always been a polite gentleman, albeit distant and aloof.

He certainly wasn't the type to publicly humiliate someone so relentlessly.

Flustered and awkward, she reached up to take off the mask, tucking her hair behind her ears in a bid to compose herself, praying the elevator would just reach the first floor so she could escape this nightmare.

To her dismay, instead of heading down to the ground floor as she hoped, the elevator let out a ding and opened right there.

Three people crowded in, pushing an elderly patient in a wheelchair.