Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1206

Lillian thought of her mother. She wondered if seeing Sabrina beaten bloody would help heal the traumatic memories festering in her mind. Eleanor forgot most things, but the abuse—the hitting, pinching, boiling water, and hair-pulling—remained vividly burned into her psyche.

Seeing Brandon hesitating, Lillian laid out her terms. "If she's not dead, we continue. Add one more condition: if my mother wants to hit her, she is not allowed to dodge!"

Brandon took a deep breath and looked at Martin. He couldn't exactly agree on his father's behalf. Given how brutally Sabrina had just been dismantled, she'd likely be terrified to ever show her face again for fear of losing her life.

But Brandon had absolutely zero sympathy for the woman. Since she was still breathing and Lillian's anger wasn't fully sated, agreeing to this wasn't unreasonable. Sabrina deserved everything coming to her for exploiting her position to torture a defenseless woman.

"I'll convince Dad," Brandon finally said.

Martin knew exactly how much wealth and power was riding on Lillian. Unless he was willing to lose everything and let the company burn, he had to comply, no matter how much it pained him. Lillian's demands weren't outrageous—just an apology, and perhaps taking a few hits from Eleanor. How much strength could a fragile, mentally ill woman have anyway?

Brandon mentally touched his own cheek, remembering the sharp, stinging slap Eleanor had delivered earlier. She packed a surprising punch. Still, it wasn't him taking the hits, so he didn't care.

Ethan nodded. "Then patch her up. If she died, that would be one thing. Since she's alive, let her suffer."

Martin's tears fell again at the callous words, but he had no ground to argue. Sabrina was the one at fault. If he pushed Lillian any further, she might destroy the Mercer Group entirely. Martin was genuinely afraid of her now; after seeing her fight so ruthlessly today, he realized she was bold enough to actually kill someone. He finally realized that his company was only still breathing because Lillian hadn't bothered to officially crush it yet. He wisely kept his mouth shut.

The doctor cleaned Sabrina up. Her face was no longer covered in blood, but her head was swollen like a massive balloon.