Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

"Of course it's real, I'll show you a video and you'll see for yourself."

"What video? Hurry up!"

Soon, everyone huddled together and watched a blurry video.

The video clearly depicted a high society party, with dazzling lights and a relaxed atmosphere in the VIP lounge.

Stella, who was obviously too drunk, was resting on Margaret's shoulder on the sofa.

Nearby, two heiresses were playfully fighting and suddenly knocked over a candlestick on the table.

The candlestick fell, igniting Stella's dress hem, and screams filled the air.

Stella, reacting a beat too slow, raised her hand to pat out the flames on her dress, but her glove caught fire instead.

"Oh no! The glove's on fire!"noveldrama

"Quick, take off the glove!"

"What... What happened? How did my little finger get... burned off?"

As a few of the heiresses rushed over to help, everyone watched as the fire

burned through where Stella's little finger should have been.

In a panic and attempting to leave, Stella was stopped by Margaret who pulled off

her glove, revealing a grotesque and strange four-fingered hand.

Instantly, there was another wave of screams and panic.

"Oh my God! She's missing her little finger!"

Someone couldn't help but exclaim aloud, causing Stella's face to drastically change. Unable to bear the shock and everyone's astonished gazes, she quickly hid her hand behind her back and said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare everyone. I got a burn and need to take care of it."

After mustering the courage to speak, she turned and hurried toward the restroom, her figure both defiant and fragile.

Margaret shot a glare at those present and quickly followed after her.

The room fell silent for a moment before someone finally spoke, their voice filled with disbelief.

"How could her little finger be missing..."

"No wonder she wears gloves every day. We thought it was because of burn scars, but this is horrifying!"

...

The video ended there.

But the group of employees who had gathered to watch the video were stunned. Stella had been working at their company for half a month.

They had all envied Stella's background, but never imagined that beneath those gloves was a disfigured body.

It was inconceivable and deeply sympathetic.

"But, what does this have to do with Mr. Dashiell?"

"Of course it's related. After that party, several of the heiresses went home and asked their parents. They then discovered that about a decade ago, Mr. Dashiell and Ms. West were kidnapped together.

Ms. West's little finger was cut off in an attempt to delay the kidnappers, giving Mr Dashiell a chance to escape. Over the years, Mr. Dashiell hasn't stopped looking for Ms. West. When he founded the Starlight Group, the star was named Stella' after her."

As he finished speaking, the room erupted into a mixture of admiration for Stella's bravery and compassion.

They marveled at the deep bond and childhood friendship between Stella and Remington.

Naturally, there were skeptics, but their doubts were quickly drowned out by louder voices of support and soon faded away amidst other discussions.

The elevator arrived, and the group, still discussing, crowded inside.

The tall man who had shared the video stepped back from the crowd and entered

a nearby stairwell.

He took out his phone and made a call, "It's done, the video's been spread. Give it a couple of days, and it'll circulate through all the

employee groups in Zion City,, el.ne

reaching small and large companies alike. Everyone will know about the story between Ms. West and Mr. Dashiell."