Shattered Illusions Love Lies and Redemption (Lizetta and Remington) novel Chapter 1192

Before Stella could finish her sentence, Martin stood up and began hitting and kicking her all over again.

Only after venting his vicious rage did Martin finally storm out of the bedroom.

Stella lay curled up on the messy floor, covered in bruises. With Martin in such a volatile state, the staff didn't dare step in to check on her.

She lay there, completely ignored and left to her own devices.

It wasn't until half an hour later that she scraped together enough strength to crawl up and clean herself up a bit.

Shortly after, she was summoned to stand rigidly in the center of the study.

Stella felt like her legs were about to snap under the strain, but under Martin's watchful eye, she didn't dare move an inch.

She was terrified that the slightest shift would provoke his anger and earn her another brutal beating.

“Mr. West, the current online narrative is still working very much in our favor.”

His assistant stood to the side, reporting the latest social media trends.

Martin skimmed the screen, his expression softening slightly as he gave his orders.

“Do you have those old photos I asked for?”

The assistant nodded. “They've been ready for a while, along with some childhood video footage of Stella and her brother.”

Martin massaged his temples and tapped his fingers against the desk.

“Good. Release them through overseas channels when the time is right. Make absolutely sure no one can trace this back to the West family.”

The assistant acknowledged the order. Since Martin had nothing else for him, he waved him out of the room.

Martin closed his eyes to rest. Taking advantage of the moment, Stella slightly shifted her numb legs, but the second she moved, Martin's eyes snapped open.

Stella turned deathly pale in terror, swallowing hard.

“Dad…”

She looked pitiful. Martin's expression softened as he let out a heavy sigh.

Before his hand even made contact, Stella flinched violently.

Martin's face darkened. Realizing her mistake, Stella quickly leaned in, nuzzling against his palm like a tame cat.

“It doesn't hurt anymore. It's my fault for making you angry.”

Only then did Martin's expression ease. He took her injured hand, tracing the stump of her severed finger with his thumb.

“Don't blame me, Stella. I'm just frustrated with your lack of progress. Look at how much you've suffered to make it back here. If you can't get Remington to marry you, won't all this pain have been for nothing?”

Having him stroke her mutilated finger felt like a venomous snake coiling around her hand, sending shivers of revulsion down her spine.

She bit the inside of her cheek hard to keep from screaming, whispering meekly.

“You're right, Dad. I messed up. I disappointed you.”

Satisfied, Martin patted her hand and continued.

“Once the PR storm about you and Remington peaks, the Dashiell family will be forced to take responsibility unless they want the whole world branding them as ungrateful traitors. You know exactly what to say to the media, right?”