His Destructive, Toxic Love

"No way, I don't want you to take care of me. I want to earn my own money." She pleaded, hugging Casper's arm tightly. "My leg might be injured, but my heart isn't. I want to be independent. I want to work."

"Let's discuss this later."

He neither agreed nor refused.

To Nova, that was as good as a yes. "Eliza, we're going to be colleagues soon!" She was bubbling with excitement and couldn't resist showing off a bit in front of Eliza.

Eliza finished her toast and shot her a frosty look. "Welton International is hiring high school graduates now?"

"What do you mean by that?" Nova's face flushed with anger. She hated when people used her education to belittle her. "I only lost my chance to go to college because of my leg injury." Eliza couldn't be bothered to argue further. She grabbed her bag, ready to report to Welton International.

Casper quickly caught up and grabbed her wrist. "Let's go together."

"I'll take a cab," she snapped, shaking him off and walking away.

Casper's brow furrowed slightly as he turned and headed to his car.

Sitting in the car, his irritation grew. He picked up his phone and sent Eliza a message, [We must not reveal our relationship at the office. Otherwise, there will be consequences.] Eliza glanced coldly at the message. Without hesitation, she blocked him.

She didn't need his reminder.

Casper paused, then sent another message, [I mean, it would be inconvenient for work.]

[Message sent. Recipient has blocked you.]

Had she blocked him?

Casper was so furious he tossed his phone onto the passenger seat.

...

After reporting to HR, Eliza headed to the design department alone and found the manager, Molly.

"Hi, I'm new here. My name's Eliza."Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Molly adjusted her glasses and scrutinized Eliza for a moment. "You're new?"

"Yes."

"Quite pretty." Molly was always wary of pretty faces without fundamental skills. She suspected Eliza was another one placed by higher-ups. "Who recommended you?" "I applied on my own."

Molly's skeptical gaze lingered on her for a few seconds. "I see."

She didn't say much more and led Eliza to her workstation. "You'll work here. Our department is busy with the company's promotional designs. Even though you're new, you can try to participate."

"Sure."

Eliza was quiet, rarely moving from her desk.

Molly checked on her several times and, seeing no issues, felt reassured.

At noon, HR came by to ask if Eliza needed employee housing.

"This is a company benefit. All single employees can apply for housing. We have double rooms, quadruple rooms, and single rooms. 4-person apartments are free, 2-person

apartments are three hundredelne

month, and single apartments are five hundred a month. This cost will be deducted from your salary.

Utilities and internet are included."

A single apartment would be more convenient, and five hundred wasn't much. Plus, saving on utilities and internet was a good deal.

"I'll apply for a single room then."

HR noted it down. "Single rooms are in high demand. We'll see what's available, and you'll be notified if a room opens up."

"Alright, thanks."

Not long after HR left, Molly hurried over. "Eliza, could you go to the CEO's office and ask Faithe for the original drafts of the company logo our department submitted last year?" "Sure, Molly."

Before she reached the secretary's office, Eliza heard Faithe's laughter. "Ms. Noya, you're really something, asking me to look after you? You'll be the CEO's wife soon; I should be asking for your favor."