His Destructive, Toxic Love

"Of course."

...

The engagement was all Tristan's doing. To avoid any future slip-ups a few days before the event, Tristan called Casper over and warned him, "You're about to get engaged to Nova. Are you ready?"

Casper couldn't care less. With a cigarette lazily hanging between his fingers, he stared at his father with a look of boredom.

"Did I ever say I wanted to get engaged to her?"

"If not you, then who?" Tristan gestured to the elaborately decorated engagement venue. "Look at all this. What do you propose we do now?"

"Was this my idea?" Casper stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes scanning the romantic setup. "Whoever set this up should be the one getting engaged."

"You..." Tristan, trembling with anger, slapped Casper. "Who do you think I'm doing all this for? It's all for Welton International! What's the big deal about making a small sacrifice? Besides, don't you love Nova? You even had Eliza committed to an asylum for her. Why won't you go through with it?"

Casper's jaw tightened.

He let out a bitter laugh.

Love?Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

He had no clue what love was.

What is love?

Possession? Jealousy? A meltdown and constant screams?

He didn't know,

and he certainly didn't understand why he refused to get engaged to Nova. He couldn't even explain the emotions swirling inside him.

Was it resistance?

Was it revulsion?

Or just the feeling of being trapped.

"Now's not the right time."

"When is the right time? Everything's set up. Even if you don't want to, just go through the motions. You can always break off the engagement later. What's so hard about that?". Tristan didn't want to push too hard. "Casper, if you cooperate, I might

reconsider letting Zach intot

Welton International."

Casper knew Tristan was just stalling, so he

wasn't particularly interested.

"Whether you like it or not, Zach getting into Welton International is bound to happen."

"As long as I back him and the board agrees, your objections won't matter, will they?"

Tristan knew how much Welton International meant to Casper. Zach had always been a wildcard in his eyes.

Casper raised an eyebrow, lifting his gaze to Tristan. "I remember two percent of Grandpa's shares ended up with you. If you're willing to hand them over, I might reluctantly agree to this farce." Two percent of Welton International's shares were worth billions.

Tristan was hesitant to part with them. But then he remembered he had already acquired ten percent of the department store's shares, plus the Henderson family's land which should more than make up for it.

Agreeing to Casper's terms didn't seem too bad; he could always back out later.

"Alright, I agree."

"Why are you agreeing so quickly?" Casper chuckled, a hint of mystery in his eyes. "Then let's sign a contract first."

"I'm your father. Would I really deceive you?" Tristan knew his son too well; Casper wasn't someone you could easily fool. "We'll sign after the engagement. Where could I run off to?" Casper, equally savvy, knew better than to play games. "Sign the contract first, or forget it."

"You..." Despite his reluctance, Tristan finally agreed, stamping kis foot in frustration. "Fine, we'll sign. But it'll only be a letter of intent for now. If you break the agreement, I'll Qf have nowhere to turn."

"Agreed."

Neither father nor son trusted the other. Each had their own calculations, agendas, and way of keeping things in check.

Meanwhile, Aaron had to pull some strings and spend a bit of money to get a chance to see Eliza. He didn't know if it was his own sensitivity or the vacant look in Eliza's eyes that deeply moved him. He found himself tearing up.