His Destructive, Toxic Love

At times, the thought of ending the life of this illegitimate child crossed his mind, just to put all the chaos to rest.

"But he's the type who gets others to do the dirty work for him, so it's unlikely he'd get his hands dirty," Casper mused, suddenly struck by a realization. "Is Fiona still locked up at the station?"

Dillon paused, momentarily surprised.

She was there before, but now, he was unsure.

Someone like her could easily be bailed out.

"I'll make a call and find out."

After the call, Casper could tell by Dillon's face and eyes what the answer was.

It was clear that Zach had bailed Fiona out.

Next, Zach would probably use Fiona for some shady dealings.

"Go find Fiona and keep her under control," Casper instructed.

Dillon nodded immediately, "Got it, Mr. Casper. I'm on it."

But Dillon was a tad too late.

Fiona had already moved out of her old place.

After asking around, he learned she had just left with her kid before he got there.

Where she went? Not a soul knew.

Dillon lingered for a moment, then drove off.

Meanwhile, Fiona, hiding with her child, snuck back to her old place.

"Mom, why did we leave and come back?" Dylan asked, clueless about the situation and sensing something weird with Fiona.

Since meeting Zach, Fiona had been on edge.

Terrified that something might happen to Dylan, she said, "Sweetie, I'm going to take you to Grandma's for a bit."

"Why, Mom? Where are you going? Back to the police station? Aunt Mo said you wouldn't be back for a while, and now you're here, but leaving again?"

Dylan was bursting with questions.

Fiona couldn't explain it all to a child.

She gently stroked his cheek, giving a soft smile, "Mom's not going back to the station. I've got some things to sort out. Once I'm done, I'll come get you, alright?"

"Promise, Mom?"

Kids are trusting like that.noveldrama

Whatever Mom says, they believe.

Fiona felt like she was on a path of no return.

If attacking Eliza with acid was a rash decision, working for Zach felt unavoidable.

Did she really need to get back at Casper?

All she

anted was to be with I

He'd given her plenty o

Dylan.

she could have lived well Gontent

Why had she acted so recklessly?

She regretted it, but it was too late.

"Ding dong." The doorbell's chime startled her.

Fiona stiffened, quickly ushering Dylan into the back room.

Peeking through the peephole, she

her eyes with Zach, which made

race. She gulped and

opened the door.

"Mr. Zach."

Zach gave her a look that spoke volumes as he walked in.

Without uttering a word, he inspected the place thoroughly.

"I'm here to remind you, time's ticking. Move fast. The longer you wait, the more likely you'll get caught. If you can't pull off the task I've given you..."

Fiona knew what Zach was getting at.

Truthfully, he didn't need to come by; she was well aware of the implications of delay.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zach. Even if the Welton family keeps a close watch, I'll find a way to get to the kid."

Her words caught Zach off guard.

Had he underestimated her?

"Well, hearing that puts me at ease. Here's to a successful partnership," he said, extending his hand.

Fiona instinctively stepped back, then reluctantly shook his hand.

Zach didn't linger.

Before he left, he handed her a phone for contact, which was clearly meant to keep tabs on her.

As night fell, Fiona lay wide awake, unable to sleep.