His Destructive, Toxic Love

Eliza's fingers slid reluctantly across the screen, but she still ended up showing her contact info to Casper.

In a flash, a million dollars landed in her account. The whole transaction took just three seconds.

Casper tucked his phone away, a satisfied, calm smile playing on his lips. He unlocked the car and gestured for her to leave. "I'll be here to pick you up tomorrow on time. Have a great day."

During her three years away from Falconridge, she'd gained her freedom but lost the chance to visit Robin.

It had been ages since she last saw Robin. She wanted to see him to check on how his treatment was going. Casper had her right where he wanted her.

The next morning, sunlight seeped through the gaps in the curtains, casting mottled shadows on Eliza's face.

She dressed carefully, opting for a pair of black-framed glasses. These glasses acted like shields, making even the prettiest face look plain and unremarkable. Even someone familiar would become hard to recognize with them on. Sitting in Casper's car, Eliza stared straight ahead, not glancing around.

Casper, looking effortlessly relaxed, turned his head to her.

After a moment.

"Ms. Valerie, are you feeling nervous?"

She glanced back at him nonchalantly. "I just didn't sleep well. There's nothing to be nervous about."

"To be honest, I didn't sleep well either," he said, his slender fingers lightly massaging the bridge of his nose. "I had this surreal dream about my dead wife coming back to life."

His eyes were intense, fixed on her profile without blinking.

Eliza chuckled softly. "Never heard of anyone coming back to life. Mr. Casper. Perhaps you are missing your wife a bit too much."

"Missing?" He laughed, finding the

word fitting. "Yeah, you're right. She's been gone three years, and I've missed her every single day. I keep thinking that if I'd been better to her, maybe she wouldn't have left so definitively. If I'd agreed to the divorce and let her go, would she now be like you, Ms. Valerie? Would she have found some older guy and started a family?"

"Mr. Casper." Eliza was shocked that Casper had looked into her, her eyes wide. "We've never met. Why would you investigate me?"

"I'm sorry." He shrugged, his cool gaze indifferent, focused on the angry woman before him. "I didn't realize you would mind someone knowing about your past."

"My past is my business. Even if you have all the power in the world, you shouldn't get a kick out of other people's private lives, should you?"

Her eyes were cold. Casper even

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thought he saw a hint of hatred. He raised his hands in surrender, that ambiguous smile still lingering. "I'm not getting a kick out of your past. Unless, Ms. Valerie, you thinkyour past is a joke?"

"You..." Eliza's face turned icy as she looked away. "please stop the car. I'm not going."

Casper's voice had a teasing hint of regret. "That's really too bad. My friend will be disappointed today. told him woman who looks a lot like his sister was coming to paint his portrait. He even put on new clothes and was ready to cooperate with you."

Eliza turned her head slowly to look at Casper. He was smiling intriguingly and seemed like a madman.

He looked like a devil who found joy in others' pain.

"It's fine. Ms. Valerie, if you feel I've offended you, you can get out of the car right now." Casper raised his eyebrows, clearly not insisting.