His Destructive, Toxic Love

The institute was close to her home, offering a convenient commute. The opportunity seemed perfect.

The manager watched Eliza's impromptu sketches, nodding frequently. "Ms. Eliza, your artwork is truly exceptional. You're a distinguished graduate from a top art school. We urgently need someone with your solid fundamentals, prestigious background, and exceptional talent."

"Thank you," Eliza replied, a bit embarrassed by the praise.

"How about this: you can start on Monday, with a salary of $4,000 per month plus performance bonuses. Typically, our teachers earn over $10,000."

Eliza's face lit up with delight. "Okay, I'll come by on Monday."

The manager excitedly grasped Eliza's hand. "It's rare to find such a talented teacher. You wouldn't believe it, but we recently had a teacher get pushed to us through connections. It was... difficult. Now that we have you, we'll find an excuse to let her go."

Eliza was taken aback. She felt uneasy if her arrival meant another teacher would lose their job. "Is that... okay?"Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

"Ms. Eliza, don't worry. We would have found a reason to dismiss her regardless," the manager sighed, shaking his head. "That teacher didn't even attend college, just had some drawing classes in high school. How could we let someone like that teach our children? If it weren't for her disability, we would've..."

The manager's discontent was evident.

"Ms. Eliza, we're looking forward to Monday. We'll have the contract ready for you, including health insurance and a pension plan. Rest assured."

The salary wasn't high, but Eliza felt content. After reaching a verbal agreement, she politely excused herself. "Then, I'll get going now."

"Let me walk you out."

As Eliza and the manager reached the institute's entrance, they spotted Nova.

She emerged from Casper's car, her white dress fluttering in the breeze, her face beaming with happiness.

The manager whispered, "That's the teacher I mentioned. Looks like a wealthy guy backs her. She does not really do much here." So, it was her.

Upon spotting Eliza, Nova, leaning on her cane, approached. "What a coincidence, Eliza. You're here..."

The manager calmly interjected, "Ms. Eliza is here for the art teacher position."

"That's wonderful. You'll do great," Nova offered a kind smile to the manager. "Eliza is my friend. She's really wonderful. Please give her a chance." Eliza gave her a cool glance. "I'll be off then."

"Goodbye, Ms. Eliza," the manager waved cheerfully.

As Eliza passed Casper's car, the vehicle revved up, brushing against her pants as it drove past.

Just after Eliza got home, the manager called. "I'm sorry, Ms. Eliza, but you can't start on Monday. We hope you find a position that suits you." "It's okay." She had anticipated this.

How could Casper allow her to compete with Nova for a job? Even without Nova, just a word from Casper and nobody in Falconridge would hire her. However, Eliza didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Finding a job was never easy. It was time to look for the next one.

After half a month of unsuccessful job searching, Eliza suspected Casper had interfered. By now, she had come to accept her situation.

With the little money she had left, Eliza bought an electric scooter and planned to deliver food to make ends meet.