His Destructive, Toxic Love

The staff brought out more paintings from behind Manuel, one after another, which were supposedly masterpieces by renowned artists.

Honestly, Eliza had never seen such a concentrated collection of fakes in her life. Was there not a single genuine piece in a mansion as grand as this? Or was Manuel planning to sell Casper a counterfeit? "The paintings Mr. Manuel has collected are quite nice, indeed. They would make fine decorative pieces for a home," Eliza said, offering him a graceful way out.

Manuel couldn't help but glance at Eliza again, pausing for a few seconds before he smiled. "If you like them, Ms. Eliza, I could gift you a few."

"Thank you, Mr. Manuel. I appreciate the thought," she replied.

Amid the polite exchange, Casper caught on. It didn't really matter to him whether the paintings Manuel was offering were real or fake. Business collaborations were always like this. Today, he might spend a hundred million, but that could potentially bring him back billions later. The paintings were merely tokens in a larger game.

He just never expected Eliza to actually discern their authenticity.

"Mr. Casper, this young designer here is quite talented," Manuel began, but Casper cut him off, "Mr. Manuel, don't get any ideas. She's taken."

"Is that so?" Manuel smiled slightly, his gaze lingering on Eliza. "What a pity."

When they left, Casper still spent twenty million on a painting.

On the way back, Casper's long, well-defined hand propped his chin as he turned to look at her. "How did you figure out that painting was a fake?"

"From the brushwork, the strength of the strokes, the light and shadow, and the sense of depth. It wasn't hard to tell. Even the paper was artificially aged, and the seals were a bit messy. It was a counterfeit and not a very good one at that."

These details, etched in her memory, made her light up.

For the first time, Casper listened closely and seriously to her analysis of a painting. His face softened. "It seems I didn't know you well enough before."

She turned to meet his gaze, expressionless. "There was no need to."

When they got married, she had tried so hard to understand him and blend into his world. She longed to. be understood, to be discovered, to be cherished. But he never gave her the chance. His mind was always on Welton International or Nova, showing her nothing but disdain and impatience.

The only real attention he gave her was in the form of revenge. So, she wouldn't react to his tenderness, r Outd her heart flutter. Once the

heart dies, it's dead.

nor

She looked out the window indifferently, peaceful and serene. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, enough to make his Adam's apple bob.

Suddenly, the car's privacy screen went up. He grasped the back of her head, moving to kiss her. She pushed him away with effort, not speaking, just glaring.

He laughed suddenly. "That look of yours is not cute."

"You never like me anyway. Does it matter whether I am cute or not?"

He shrugged slightly, scoffing, "Indeed, it doesn't."

His phone rang. She glanced at Casper's phone, Nova's name flashing on the screen. Eliza turned her face away.

"Hello?"

"Casper, where are you?" On the other end, Nova suddenly cried, "I'm so scared. There's a fire at home. The smoke is so thick, my eyes, my eyes... I can't see."

Casper's expression changed. His relaxed posture stiffened significantly. "What happened?"

"I don't know, cough cough, I can't

see anything right now, Casper, please come home, ah..." There was

the sound of falling donet

and

Nova's scream from the other end.