His Destructive, Toxic Love

Eliza looked exhausted, her face a mix of weariness and frustration. The last thing she wanted was another argument with Casper. After everything they'd been through over the years, wasn't it enough already? She'd hit her limit.

With a decisive shove, she pushed Casper away, spun on her heel, and stormed back into the office, slamming the door shut behind her. Casper stood there, hands empty and heart full of regret. Why couldn't he just talk to her calmly? Why did his temper always get the best of him? Was this really his fault? Did it even matter if it was?

He had come to mend things, yet all he'd done was make it worse. "Casper, you idiot," he muttered to himself, drowning in remorse. "You went through so much to win her back, and now she won't even take wedding photos, let alone marry you. What have you done?"

Eliza was swamped with tasks at Crystal Clear, so much so that she barely had a moment to mull over her situation with Casper. But at night, when silence wrapped around her, she found herself tossing and turning, sleep eluding her. Yet, she kept herself busy and fulfilled.

Her next encounter with Casper was at a trendy bistro. Chelsea had invited her for dinner at this hotspot, known for its celebrity clientele and chaotic fan crowds at the door. Chelsea had recently jumped into a new job and was raving about a dish at this place, insisting Eliza give it a try.

"Why the sudden switch to an entertainment company?" Eliza asked, a bit puzzled.

Chelsea, serene as ever, poured them tea. "Sticking around in one field too long can make you complacent. A change of scenery helps keep things fresh."

"So, you must be bumping into a lot of celebrities?" Eliza asked, curious.

"Every now and then. I'm not an agent, though, just doing liaison work. Mostly dealing with clients, not the stars," Chelsea replied succinctly.noveldrama

"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

Chelsea grinned, "Yeah, it's not bad, and the pay's pretty good."

"That's awesome. Here's to new beginnings," Eliza raised her teacup for a toast, beaming with warm wishes, "Cheers."

Just then, a waiter knocked and entered. “I'm so sorry, but we're down to our last 'Eight Delights special, and the table next door was hoping you might let them have it."

Eliza knew Chelsea had her heart set on that dish, especially with its good-luck symbolism, perfect for her new career path. They'd ordered it fair and square, and now someone else wanted to snag it?sn't right. sŵnovel

"No, we're not giving it up," Eliza stated firmly.

The waiter looked sheepish, “Please reconsider. The guests next door are, well,

not the easiest to deal with. We'd appreciate your help."

"Just because they're difficult doesn't mean we have to give up our dish. We ordered it first. We're not budging," Chelsea snapped, sending the waiter on his way.

The whole situation was ridiculous.

When the dish still hadn't shown up after a long wait, Chelsea's mood soured further, "Seriously? They're not serving us? We already said no. This is absurd."

Eliza sensed something was off and called the waiter over. It turned out their dish had been swiped by the folks next door.

"How can your restaurant let this happen?" Eliza demanded, incredulous. "You need to bring that dish to us now, or we're filing a complaint."