His Destructive, Toxic Love

It sounded promising.

But... Eliza didn't want to be a burden to anyone.

"Does your friend know about my relationship with Casper? I'm worried..."

"My friend just got back from abroad, so he doesn't play by these local rules." Chelsea handed the contract to Eliza. "Look, I brought the contract. Have a read, and if it feels right, you should sign it."

The opportunity had come out of nowhere. After the initial excitement, Eliza couldn't help feeling a bit melancholic. "The terms are good, it's just..."

"What's there to worry about?" Chelsea pulled out a cigarette, placed it between her lips, and lit it. Her slender fingers held the cigarette in a captivating and cool way.

She took a drag and slowly exhaled a plume of gray smoke. "Does Casper still have that much control?"

"He's your friend, after all," Eliza said calmly.

Chelsea handed the contract to Eliza. "He doesn't have much leverage over Casper, so don't worry."

"So, should I... sign it?"

"Yeah."

Once the contract was signed, Chelsea put it away. She picked up her phone and sent Eliza a location. "Go to this place tomorrow. Someone will meet you." "Thank you, Chelsea."

"Stop thanking me, or I'll get mad." Chelsea stubbed out her cigarette, packed up the contract, and stood. "I'm heading out. You get some rest, drink some ginger tea, sweat it out, and don't catch a cold." "Okay."

Chelsea, holding the contract, quickly returned to her car. She fiddled with her phone for a bit before dialing a number. "Elle signed it."

"Good," a man's voice came from the other end.

"Zach, I'm not doing this for you. I just can't stand to see Elle suffer."

Chelsea wasn't sure if what she was doing was right. Maybe, once Eliza knew the truth, she would blame her. Chelsea accepted that.

Zach, on the other end, was silent for a moment. "Understood."

Chelsea hung up the phone. She lifted her gaze towards the third-floor window...

The next day, Eliza went to the art studio Chelsea had recommended. She was greeted by a very young girl.

"Our studio mainly helps students about to enter college improve their drawing skills so they can get good results in their upcoming exams," the young girl said, smiling and revealing two cute little bunny teeth. "Ms. Eliza, you graduated from the Art Academy of Falconridge and are the most popular among the students."

"Really?" Eliza never knew she was popular.

"Ms. Eliza, you can start working today. Later, some students will sign up. You can choose one-on-one sessions or groups of three or five, with different commissions." Eliza nodded, looking around.

"Is your boss not here?"

Eliza didn't see any sign of the boss and felt uncertain. She also wanted to thank him personally for the opportunity.

"Our boss doesn't come often. You'd be lucky to ever bump into him."

'I see.' Eliza silently acknowledged.

The young girl then explained some work-related matters to Eliza. With that, the job application process was complete.

In three days, Eliza got the hang of the workflow.

Compared to training institutions, this place was relatively high-end and staffed with teachers who were graduates from renowned colleges. Everyone got along well. After work, Eliza would stay a bit late to clean up the studio.

"Ms. Eliza, I'm heading out."

"Goodbye."

After tidying up, Eliza turned off the lights, locked the studio door, and turned around to find a low-profile dark sedan parked in front of her.

She paused, slightly taken aback.