His Destructive, Toxic Love

"Do you really expect me to believe nothing happened between you two that night? That there wasn't a spark strong enough to make you forget all caution? Or that in the following month, there were no late-night rendezvous, no scare of a pregnancy, no solo trip to Australia under the guise of recovery, no fibs about some film festival?"

He didn't want to bring all this up.

He was hoping to leave a little dignity for both of them.

She thought he was in the dark about her actions.

But secrets have a way of surfacing.

After all the heartache, he decided to end it.

Allysha swayed slightly, grabbing the wall for support, her heart pounding wildly

with anxiety.

She wanted to explain.

Her lips moved, "He..."

"He gave you three million dollars, and you spent a month with him? Are you telling me it was all about the money, that you didn't have any feelings for him?" Gabe let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "So, Allysha, you're willing to make such sacrifices for cash?"

"It's not like that, Gabe. You know how tough our industry can be. Sometimes, it's not as simple as just saying no. I did it for our future, didn't I?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, making her look like a delicate, shattered flower.

Gabe chuckled.

Listen to her, framing it so nobly.

All for their future.

"Allysha, don't dress it up like that. I'm not going to live off a woman's earnings. You should find someone else. From now on, let's just wish each other well. I won't spill any of this, and I ask you not to mess with my life anymore."

Gabe had no intention of dragging this out.

He walked away.

Allysha called out in desperation, "So you look down on me for being with someone else, but what about her? Eliza has been with Casper. Hasn't she been

with someone else too? What is it about her that's got you hooked?"

"That's none of your business."

Gabe walked off.

Allysha broke down into tears.

No, she couldn't accept it.

She couldn't stand that Gabe had eyes for someone else.

He was supposed to be hers.

Gabe headed straight to Eliza's office on the thirteenth floor. "Ms. Eliza."

"Finished talking?" She pointed to a chair. "Take a seat, let's pick up where we left off."

"Sorry for taking up your time," he said apologetically.

"Everyone has personal stuff. It's all good," she replied with a warm smile. "Now, where were we?"

They continued their work discussion.

Meanwhile, Casper arrived on the thirteenth floor, and Brian rushed to greet him, "Mr. Casper, you're here."

"Can I come in?" He wasn't sure if Eliza had lifted the ban on him, so he hesitated.

Brian swiftly opened the door, "Mr. Casper, Ms. Eliza said you can come in now, but we haven't set up your fingerprint access yet. I'll get the door for you."

"That's fine."

He didn't mind, as long as he could go in.

This was his first time on the thirteenth floor.

The bold Crystal Clear logo caught his eye, shining brightly.

It felt both familiar and refreshingly new.

"Mr. Casper, Ms. Eliza and Mr. Gillum are discussing work. Please wait here while

I let her know," Brian said politely, eager not to offend.

Casper was usually easygoing, butnoveldrama

hearly uneasy."

Gabe was there

him inexplicably uneasy.

inform her, I'll just head in myself."

"Mr. Casper, wait, Mr. Casper..." Despite Brian's attempts to stop him, Casper

went on.

He pushed open the door to Eliza's office and saw the two of them, their

head touching as they

focused on something. His face darkened immediately.

Brian quickly chimed in, "Ms. Eliza, Mr. Casper is here."