His Destructive, Toxic Love

To deter Dillon from his persistent advances, Eliza had no choice but to mention her fake engagement to David.

"Dillon, David and I are getting engaged. From now on, I hope you and Mr. Casper will respect my wishes and stay out of my life." Dillon was stunned.

"Where did this David come from all of a sudden? And now they're engaged?" he thought, bewildered.

"Ms. Valerie, are you really..."

"Yes," Eliza interrupted firmly, leaving no room for doubt.

Dillon had no choice but to accept her statement. At least he could report this to Casper.

"If that's the case, I'll take my leave," he said, standing up, bowing politely, and walking out.

As he exited, he bumped into David.

"Dillon."Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

"Mr. David."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, David entered the café. He saw Eliza sitting there, lost in thought, and gently reminded her, "Your coffee's cold. Want a fresh cup?"

"No, thanks." Eliza snapped back to the present, smiling at David. "I noticed the professor seems in better spirits these days."

"He brightened up the moment he heard about our engagement. It's like his illness improved overnight," David said, though he knew it was just a temporary uplift. "But I fear it's just a fleeting improvement." Eliza was taken aback.

If the professor's recovery was indeed short-lived, their fake engagement ceremony might need to be moved up.

"Should we move up the engagement?" she asked.

The professor seemed to think he wouldn't make it much longer.

David wanted to make the occasion grand to fulfill his father's last wish, but he worried Eliza might not agree.

Looking troubled, he said, "I was hoping to make the engagement ceremony more formal. What do you think?"

Eliza had assumed the Simmons

family would host a small, intimate ceremony. A grand event would invite many prominent figures from Falconridge, which she was

reluctant to face.

It was all fake, and she feared the fallout if their charade was

discovered. But considering the

importance of respecting the dying's wishes, she couldn't refuse.

"David, I'll go along with it. Let's make the professor as happy as we can," she agreed.

David, visibly relieved, took Eliza's hand, "Thank you, Eliza. I really appreciate it."

A few days later, at the hospital, Dillon held the Simmons family's engagement party invitation, reading it repeatedly.

He had initially thought Eliza's engagement announcement was just an excuse to fend him off.

It seemed the engagement with David had been planned all along. Eliza was starting a new chapter.

He wondered how Mr. Casper would react.

Dillon shook his head. The Simmons family, with their reputation and education, was undeniably a good match for Eliza. But...

He hesitated at the hospital room door before finally pushing it open.

"Mr. Casper."

"You're here," Casper said, looking almost fully recovered. "Perfect timing. Arrange my discharge, will you?"

"Of course, Mr. Casper."

Dillon placed the invitation on a nearby cabinet and left to complete the discharge process. When he returned, he found Casper holding the invitation. "She's getting engaged?" Casper's brow furrowed in disbelief.

Dillon nodded, "Yes, Ms. Valerie and Mr. David are getting engaged tomorrow at the Falconridge Hotel. They've invited you to attend."

Casper tossed the invitation onto

the bed with a thud. After a moment, he scoffed, "Really, what does David have that I don't? She dismisses me and chooses him?"

Dillon remained silent.

"Mr. Casper, Ms. Valerie has decided to let bygones be bygones. She won't hold you responsible. Maybe it's best if you just let this go..."