His Destructive, Toxic Love

A cheerful and lively voice accompanied the footsteps into the living room.

Without even looking, he knew it was Susan who had come back. Judging by her tone, she must have had a good chat with Ronan.

He didn't respond to her.

Susan walked around the sofa, bent down, and sat next to him, her excitement barely contained. "My dad said he's picked a date and he's going to discuss it with Uncle."

"A guy who's been married before, and you're still going to marry him?" He lifted his eyelids just a bit, asking slowly.

Susan initially couldn't accept it. But after giving it some thought, Casper was already thirty; it was perfectly normal for him to have been married. After all, plenty of people wanted to marry into the Welton family. She didn't care about his past; she only cared that she would be the last one.

"I think what Eliza, Brock's mom, told me was right."

Eliza? What had she told Susan?

"What did she say?"

Susan recalled what Eliza had told her that day. "She said, your ex-girlfriends or the women before me were just gardeners trimming the dead branches and leaves in your life. And me, I get a well-groomed, towering tree. Why should I care about your past?" Casper let out a soft laugh.

She was quite magnanimous. Using her own scars to hand over a well-groomed man to another woman, she felt quite accomplished.

"Susan, I'm not an easy man to tame."

Susan nodded; she was ready. Capable men were never easily manipulated by women. If they were, it was because they wanted to be. Feelings like this, nurture them, and they turn into love.

"It's okay, I'm amazing. You'll definitely fall in love with me," she said with a hint of confidence.

He laughed. Confidence is a good thing. Too much confidence, though, can be foolish.

"Casper, you said you have a child. Is that true?"

"It's true." He didn't shy away from the question.

Susan thought he was just trying to wind up Ronan, but finding out it was true, she felt uneasy. "Boy or girl? What do you plan to do with them?"

Do with them? The term made

Casper bristle. His already stern face grew even darker. "What makes you think would 'deal with' my child? Susan, where do you get the nerve to ask such a question?"

Susan was startled by his reaction and quickly realized her words were inappropriate. She hurriedly explained, "What I mean is, I'm only twenty Becoming a stepmom so soon, I'm afraid I won't be good at it.

"If you're not good at it, no one's forcing you," he said coldly.

Susan was left speechless, her pretty face showing a bit of hurt. "What do you mean? Don't I have the right to ask, even if it's your child?"

"You have no right." His words were firm.

They hadn't even started anything serious, and she was already thinking about 'dealing with' his child. Was she not afraid he might 'deal with' her too?

Susan huffed, her long eyelashes drooping as she bit her lip. "Fine, I won't bring it up again, okay?"

Casper didn't bother with her anymore. He stood up and went upstairs.

Susan didn't understand why she had to endure this. But they say love at first sight can lead to a lifetime of regret, and once you're in it, it's hard to walk away unscathed.

Men, with their little tempers and

I.ne

quirks, she could understand. After all, once they got married, she would have her own children too. She refused to believe Casper would only love his previous child and not the ones she would bear.

For a calm and peaceful future and a happy life with Casper, she would endure.