Headlights swept across the floor-to-ceiling windows. Casper entered the room with determined strides.


    Moments ago, Nova had been full of herself, but now she was holding a hot bowl, her voice quivering. "Eliza, this soup is too hot. Can I let it cool down first? It''s really too hot; I can''t swallow it. Please don''t do this to me."


    As she spoke, the bowl slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor under Casper''s watchful eyes. Nova''s hands, now red from the burn, immediately caught his attention.


    Eliza dryly remarked that the Oscar Academy should create a special award for Nova''s acting skills, or else it would be an injustice for them to go unused.


    Casper''s eyes darkened as he swiftly stepped forward, taking Nova''s hands, "Are you alright?"


    Nova, tears streaming, shook her head. "I''m fine, Casper. Don''t me Eliza. She just wanted me to have something warm. It''s not her fault. Please don''t be mad at her." Casper''s expression tightened, his gaze shifting from the broken bowl on the floor to Marian''s face.


    "Is there more?" he demanded.


    "Yes, sir," Marian responded, too scared to lift her head.


    "Serve me a bowl of the freshly made meatballs."


    Marian, sensing the tension, quickly scurried into the kitchen. She returned with a steaming, slightly bubbling bowl of meatballs and ced it in front of Casper. "Sir, here you go." His icy gaze fell on Eliza. "Drink it now. Let''s see if you can handle the heat."


    Eliza looked up at him, bewildered. "Why should I?"


    "Aren''t you the best when ites to bullying Nova?" He ced the hot bowl into Eliza''s hands. "Feeling satisfied about your actions now, huh?"


    The bowl was scalding. Unable to withstand the heat, Eliza tried to put it down.


    Casper''s voice turned menacing, "Drop that bowl, and you''ll regret it." It was clear he was seeking justice for Nova.


    But Nova was pleading desperately for Eliza, "Casper, don''t do this. Eliza has delicate skin. A little burn is nothing to me. Let her put it down, please?"Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    No matter how tough Eliza was, she was still human.


    Crash! The bowl shattered, and the meatballs fell to the floor.


    Eliza''s palms turned red from the burns. She winced in pain, her brows knitting together.


    She ran to the bathroom, hoping the cool water would alleviate the pain.


    Marian quickly turned to find some ice.


    Casper, still unsatisfied, strode into the bathroom, grabbed Eliza''s wrist, and dragged her upstairs.


    The heavy m of the bedroom door signaled that no one inside woulde out and no one outside should disturb them.


    "How dare you throw the bowl? Eliza, you don''t want to know the consequences of that."


    Eliza was disappointed and tugged at her lip. "What if I can''t? You vent your anger on me without knowing the full story. You think yourself a knight in shining armor?"


    "You still have the nerve to talk back."


    He dragged her, throwing her onto therge bed.


    His mostmon method of punishing her was to make her beg for mercy in bed. Yet, no matter how cruel Casper''s methods were, Eliza kept her lips sealed, not making a sound.


    He bit her neck in frustration. "Eliza, what kind of woman are you? Don''t you know how to moan?"


    "If you want to hear a woman moan, you can find a prostitute, or if that fails, sleep with Nova. She''ll surely moan to your heart''s content."


    Her words enraged him further, resulting in even more brute force from him. Hepletely disregarded her body, doing whatever pleased him.


    Eliza, in pain, wanted to push him away but instead found her hands pinned above her head. Casper''s mockingughter was cold. "Can''t take it? If you can''t stand it, then moan for me."