beastly ambition.

“I’m glad you think that.” Despite all the naysayers and the opinions of those around her, Casper wasn’t all cracked up to be as people thought. From the outside he could be this intimidating, insensitive, money and power hungry individual, however, there was more to him than people gave credit. For some reason, the world had aligned them to be together at this moment in time and she so happened to be one of the lucky ones to see outside of the general perspective. Sure, she was incredibly skeptical and had her own misconceived thoughts about him. All the more once she was in somewhat of a binding contract the first month or so dating him to protect her father. However, as the weeks went on and more time was spent with him, Isabel was peeling back layers of the Du Pont whether he’d like it or not, because if she was gonna remain in this, she had to know his heart. His desires, dreams to his pet peeves and fears. Six months was no easy feat to learn and know one another, yet she wouldn’t change this season for the world. 

“You know I don’t do well with surprises,” she commented with a mischievous look in her eyes. Since she was a kid jumping from home to home until she settled in Grimmbrook, the feeling of uncertainty and not-knowing had always shook her to the core. When she’d gotten a surprise visit from yet another social worker and coordinator, it was hardly ever good news. Yet Casper had somehow turned that fear into something delightful every single time. Standing up from the ground she held the gown in her hand and approached him before laying a gentle kiss on his lips. “Thank you for this. It means a lot and I know it’s not easy for you to be so open all the time, but I appreciate it and you very much.” With that she stepped away and ran up to their bedroom to spruce herself up a bit and place on the dress he selected for her. How’d she get so lucky, she’ll never know. But for now, she was grateful. After a few minutes of fixing her hair and retouching her make up, she returned to him in the dining room, with a dramatic twirl in the red dress. “What do you think?” She only could wonder what else he had in-store for the two of them the rest of the night.

“Maybe not, but practice makes perfect.” He smiled softly as her lips brushed against his, nodding silently at her words. Whilst this may have seemed very open to Isabel, there was still a lot of things about himself that Casper didn’t need for her to know. There were sides to him he wasn’t willing for her to see, where a certain detachment was needed to pull off dodgier deals and arrangements, for both business and pleasure. He didn’t consider those things to necessarily be something to be ashamed of, but he knew that there was no way Isabel would condone them, and he didn’t need that hassle ruining the pictureque relationship and persona that he had managed to cultivate. Isabel was a wonderful woman, and the longer he could keep something that could potentially hurt her quiet, the better it would be for everyone involved.

Casper had taken the time to himself to start nibbling at some of the spread of food he had arranged. He was part way through a few chocolate covered strawberries when she walked back in, and his eyes widened. He hadn’t imagined that she’d somehow look even better than he had assumed she would, but here she was in all her beauty. Instead of responding, he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers once more, this time holding her tight against him. God, if he’d ever had any doubt that he wanted —no, needed —her in his life, her in that dress had easily put those thoughts to bed. She looked perfect, and all he wanted was to know she was his for good. “I know I almost literally just said to leave them ‘til last, but I’m thinking I might not be able to last that long.” Casper mumbled in between smalls pecks, before reluctantly separating from her and picking up the gifts labelled ‘5′ and 6′. “Ultimately it’s up to you, but I promise you they’re good ones.” 

Say what you want about Casper Du Pont but the man knows his suits. Probably the one positive thing he could say about the man. He’s one of the very few people who knew the truth behind the Candy House. As a client, he has been briefed and has signed a disclosure agreement that prevents him from spilling out the things he knows. Not that a piece of paper would do much to stop him if he chose to open his big fat mouth but Casper is a smart man who is very much aware of the risk he’d be taking. Why would he risk his own reputation just to expose a prostitution ring that he has been a client of for years? That would be reckless and stupid. One of the girls Casper fancies is no other than Aurora. And while any other man would feel some type of jealousy over the thought of his so called friend fucking his wife, Caleb remains unaffected. After all, it had been his idea to get her working and send her of to Casper in the first place. Caleb clears his throat, letting the strong burning taste of the alcohol wash down his throat. ❛ Oh, I know you. And of your irons. ❜ He was not going to specify but Casper knew who he was talking about. ❛ I guess you just know. I really didn’t need much convincing, I wanted a wife. You should try it, it’s good for business. Not so good for your patience though, that takes a toll. ❜

Casper could imagine that a wife would definitely be a test of patience, but he’d already had to have a lot so he was sure he’d be able to handle it. It would be worth it to be able to officially have his girlfriend as his, in both spirit and name. The Du Pont name was probably one of the best gifts he could ever offer her, and so when he eventually offered her the chance to take it he couldn’t see why she would say no. Still, he was sure he had plenty of time to work out the specifics, and until then there was nothing stopping him from making the most of what the rest of Glimmerbrook had to offer.

Aurora was a woman who had especially taken his fancy, with the beautiful woman grabbing his attention from their first meeting. Whilst he’d never felt the same magnetic pull to her that he had with Isabel, he couldn’t deny that the woman knew exactly how to make sure he had a good time, and it wasn’t something he was looking to give up any time soon. At the end of the day, it was purely a business transaction, even if it was a card he kept close to his chest. It certainly didn’t hurt that she had the relationship with Caleb that she did. Maybe that’s why Casper and Caleb were friends; they were good at sharing. “I’m not quite sure how she’d be good in my line of work, unless I was to get her dolled up to show off my properties. I’m not sure she’d go for that though.” 

Cordelia could tell that Casper didn’t want to talk about this at all and she knew she shouldn’t push him but sometimes she couldn’t help it. She felt everything so strongly and just wanted him to….show something. She knew it was wrong to expect it because she knew him but still. Sometimes she couldn’t help but be the little sister. Finishing her drink, she stood, raking a hand through brown tresses as she put a hand on her hip. “Mom and dad can be stubborn about things. It was the right thing not to press charges. He was clearly dealing with something…it was good of you not to make things harder on him. And, besides, you work out obsessively so… I feel like you’re prepared for any older man who comes at you,” she said a bit wryly, having been shocked to hear someone had attacked her brother but was grateful that no one had been reported hurt. 

“I know nothing I say will change your mind but I think that you should consider it for next time. She’s special and it’d be a shame if she felt like you were keeping her from your family. Besides, we get along great,” Cor grinned, “and you make it so easy –– you’re too serious. You could hardly embarrass me because I don’t care about what people think the way you do. Maybe you should try it sometime,” she encouraged, nodding at the door leading to the hallway and the dining room at the end of it. We should probably get in there before Tanya rings the bell like we’re kids again.” Their parents had kept on the same housekeeper who’d been with them since Cordelia could remember and the dinner bell was one she remembered well. 

At Cordelia’s words, Casper simply stayed silent. She was correct when she stated that nothing would change his mind, but that didn’t mean that the idea wasn’t now in his mind. He couldn’t deny it would be nice to have her over and have her be accepted by his parents, especially since each day that passed assured him that she was the woman he could see himself staying with for a while. Still, he couldn’t convince himself that the pros outweighed the cons, and shook his head to himself as he downed the last of his drink. 

When she mentioned taking himself too seriously, his instant reaction was a frown, which he supposed proved her point. His entire being was built on the notion of caring about what others thought of him. It didn’t make sense from a personal or a business perspective to not care about people’s opinions. Talking about the ringing of the bell made him picture himself in his childhood, and the vastly different personality he had back then. He’d still been ambitious and would bicker with his sister, but there was a certain softness he’d learned to drown out since then. Perhaps he’d been a better person. If nothing else, in a lot of ways, he was probably a lot braver. “Okay,” Casper said simply, standing with a heaved breath. “I’ll ask her. Isabel I mean. On the condition that you leave it to me and don’t mention anything about it to either of us again until I have decided on the right time for myself.” He felt like just the idea went against everything he was feeling, but just asking couldn’t hurt that much, other than potentially giving his sister an ego boost for getting the idea planted in his head. As he walked toward the door he sighed, offering her a small smile as he beckoned for her to follow with him, “God, you’re annoying.” 

He didn’t like Casper; he thought he was an asshole. He always found it strange how Cordelia could be so kind and selfless and considerate while her older brother was the complete opposite of that. Already, Daniel regretted speaking to him. His day would be so much better if he had just ignored him. His mother had taught him to be polite, and his dad told him it was a waste of time after he failed at being a politician. So, he chose to listen to his mom’s advice in a small act of rebellion against his dad. He was beginning to think his dad was right, and he hated that they agreed on anything. Daniel all but scowled at Casper, wishing he would’ve just exchanged a few pleasantries and then left. “Just because I look bad doesn’t mean I am.” Though, it would be a stretch to say it’s fine. He just wanted to prove the other wrong. “My shift hasn’t started yet. I’ll be hard at work soon enough. It’s nice to see you care about the safety of Grimmbrook so much.” His words were thick with sarcasm. 

Daniel wasn’t necessarily wrong— the safety of Grimmbrook itself wasn’t high on Casper’s priorities. Certain citizens had his full care and loyalty, but the town’s health as a whole had nothing to do with him as far as he was concerned. Still, Casper didn’t think it would become a man of his reputation to admit that so blatantly, and thus he stared at the man blankly. "Just because I don’t have the option to provide physical action doesn’t mean I don’t care. I’ve donated to the causes and asked for people more capable to look out for those at risk.” Perhaps that was stretching the truth a little since both had ulterior motives, but he didn’t need to go into details. “The only difference between our versions of caring is that I don’t have to be paid to do so.” 

tyler: i'm not the world's best babysitter but i will try.

tyler: i am gonna try, casper.

[UNSENT] tyler: ha ha it's isabel you oughta worry about getting into underland not cor

tyler: what, you finally gonna admit you like me???

casper: i'd say it's more akin to pet sitting, she's like an excitable spaniel

casper: it definitely wasn't kind, you've hurt all my feelings. now you have to put all my scribbles up on your own walls to live with the guilt

casper: true, i don't think that's a battle i could win

casper: no need to worry about me, but i will do

cordelia: let me know if you need anything, okay?

cordelia: i have off for a few days so i figure i'd stop by to see isabel

cordelia: don't worry, i'll only tell a few embarrassing stories xx

casper: sure.

tyler: wow 💔 that wounds, casper. that wounds.

tyler: whatcha need help with?

casper: i'm sure cor will patch you up, so you'll be fine

casper: she's what this is about

casper: i'm not thrilled about the idea of her being around all the people affected by the mist stuff since we don't really know much about it. she's refusing to not go to work, so i need you to keep an eye on her and also make sure she doesn't go anywhere near underland itself

casper: and if at any point she seems to be getting ill, regardless of how minor, you convince her to stay home and you let me know even if she says she's fine, okay?

cordelia: mmhmm

cordelia: so where are yours?

cordelia: sorry, that wasn't kind

cordelia: it's definitely too late, but you can try. it'd be a convo to have with dad for sure

cordelia: you be safe too, cas, okay? please

casper: it definitely wasn't kind, you've hurt all my feelings. now you have to put all my scribbles up on your own walls to live with the guilt

casper: true, i don't think that's a battle i could win

lena frowned a little, not enough to really seem aggressive but she just didn’t like the idea of selling the cupcakes. especially since this man was acting like good will was something that you could just buy. she supposed that she didn’t know him, and perhaps he was just in desperate need of cupcakes and really wanted to buy them, but somehow she doubted that considering the way that he was approaching this discussion. “well… it’s not that i don’t think that you deserve to be happy, and i think it’s lovely that you want to buy my cupcakes. but.. i just.. once they’re gone i can’t give them to anyone else and i wanted to spread joy to as many people as possible.” steadying herself she decides to compromise. “how about i give you half a dozen of my cupcakes for free as advertised, and you give twenty dollars to the charity that’s helping people affected by the mist.” she suggests, still trying to do a little good with her cupcakes.

Had Casper been a bit more invested and had the deal in question been more than simple cupcakes, he may have tried to push the compromise a little further. He wasn’t foolish, he knew that a compromise would always be the most likely outcome, but that didn’t mean his side of the deal couldn’t be a little sweeter. But alas, this was meerly a chance encounter, and half a dozen cupcakes was more than enough for two people regardless. Whilst Casper still didn’t care much for her lack of business skills, it was quite commendable that she stuck to her guns — even if her guns were wildly optomistic. Considering she wanted him to donate to charity proved that she genuinely wanted to help people and there was no point continuing to fight it, but if nothing else, it was a chance for him to get a little good will of his own. 

Casper pulled his leather wallet out of his pocket, pulling out a twenty dollar bill and placing it on the table next to the cakes, “i’m a business man; I don’t like taking things for free. You take this twenty dollars and reinvest it in something that’s for you and not charity, and that’s what’ll make me happy.” Casper didn’t wait to gauge her reaction before thumbing through his wallet and pulling out a couple more notes and placing it next to the first one, “Two hundred dollars. Go and donate that on my behalf and then we both get the best of both worlds.” 

Again, before she could respond, he pulled out one last thing. “Take my card. If you want more of a donation let me know and I’ll send it through. Only catch is I want to see proof of you investing in yourself as well as everyone else. Deal?” 

He really sees no real use for friendship other than convenience. Abigail is the one who seems to enjoy having people around, giving her attention, and actually cares for them. Caleb has friends but they all serve a purpose whether is business, power, or just plain superficiality. One can’t ignore the importance of public image. What others see in you, who you surround yourself with, the things you do for your community. Even if he doesn’t care if this entire town gets swallowed by the fog he still has to pretend to give a shit, otherwise he starts to stand out in the worst of ways. Casper is a big name in town. Heck, he practically owns the damn place which makes him far more important and rich than him, and this is something that drives him crazy. There has been an unspoken competition between the two men since the moment they met. Who dressed the best, who had the most expensive things, who fucked the hottest women, etc. Nobody is really keeping count and yet they seem to continue doing it out of habit. Tonight Casper is dressed to the nines, like usual, but Caleb is also wearing a very nice suit by  Ermenegildo Zegna that makes him look like he just stepped out of a GQ cover. 

The topic of conversation bores him but he still acts interested.  ❛ Isabel, right. ❜ Tomato, tomato. Casper’s relationship with the girl could be seen as strange by others but Caleb has no real opinion on the matter. He doesn’t exactly have a normal healthy marriage.  ❛ She sounds like quite the keeper. Do you think she’s, you know, the one? ❜

It was true that Casper had made sure he was especially well presented that evening. Whilst he never stepped out of the house without some kind of designer label on his back, he often felt a specific need to go out of his way to outdress his companion. To most, the response would likely be that they both looked as nice as each other, but that didn’t stop Casper from preening himself for longer than he would care to admit before one of their meetings, and from analysing every inch of the other from his hair to the soles of his shoes. Perhaps it was a bit obsessive, but Casper prided himself on always feeling like he had an unparalleled advantage over anyone he spoke with, and so having to spend time with someone like Caleb who seemed to match that mindset was a rivalry he couldn’t escape. 

Whilst the questions Caleb asked would seem harmless on the surface, there was a part of Casper that felt the need to keep a lot of the details to himself. Whilst it would be nice to brag about his relationship and how he did, in fact, think his girlfriend was one to last, he knew that none of the details would particularly interest his company. Their back and forth of pretending to care about each others’ lives was commonplace, but the specifics of Isabel weren’t something he felt deserved that kind of aloof treatment. “You know me, I’ve got too many irons in the fire to think about that kind of thing at the moment,” Casper replied simply, before changing the subject to Caleb’s own relationship, “When did you know your’s was? I can’t see it being easy to convince you to get tied down.” 

If Isabel was being honest with herself, she didn’t realize how much Casper truly cared about her. The lengths he went to show his adoration for her was unlike anything she’d ever experience before. Sure, she made subtle jokes here and there about their relationship coming to an end, but Isa knew very well how much Casper cared for her. Despite feeling as if she had an ultimatum placed on her to be in this relationship initially, she could have walked away months ago, but chose not too. Despite all the glitz and glam and even his controlling nature at times, she knew that if anyone was going to go to bat for her, it was him. It took her a while to realize that. Maybe it was this moment in itself that brought it all too light that she cared for him just as much if not more. “Duly noted Mr. Du Pont,” she smirked as she helped herself to the champagne flute on the table. “You’re really insane for doing all of this, you know that right?” She appreciated it though. 

As he wrapped his arms around her waist, she leaned back into him happily, thankful for this moment and could only imagine many more like these to come. Their relationship was a whirlwind, but for what it was worth, Isabel was enjoying getting to peel back the layers of Casper ever so slowly. He had a soft spot that came out every once in a while in the public eye. Behind closed doors it was a constant. She’d only wish he’d showcase it just a tad bit more to the outside world. In due time. As he pointed to the gifts by the fireplace, she could only shake her head in shock. “I didn’t even get you anything babe,” she muttered softly as she stepped forward and kneeling down to the ground to open up the box wrapped with the tag number one. Isabel would have to pay him back in some way. She honestly felt horrible for not recalling it was their sixth month anniversary and was upset with herself. However, she wouldn’t let her mishap ruin the night he’d so perfectly planned for them. As she opened the box, she couldn’t help but utter a gasp at the gorgeous red gown, looking back at him in surprise. “Casper…this is too much. I love it though. And I’m supposed to wear this now?” she chuckled. It was such a beautiful dress and she thought it’d be better out for the public to see than just for his eyes alone. But maybe he wanted it that way. Something just for the two of them to simply relish in without any outside opinions. “Am I supposed to open the rest of these now too?” The dress was one thing, but she couldn’t even begin to imagine what were in the remaining wrapped boxes. 

The concept of how they first got together was always going to be incredibly unorthodox. Casper had never felt like he had been in the wrong for it, since he had tried courting Isabel beforehand and for all intents and purposes, she had still had the option to say no again. That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t have rathered she’d said yes without the ultimatum, but he hoped he had made up for the initial hesitation on her part by his many displays of affection. Whilst his own idea of what counted as caring for a person may not have been the same as that of an average person, he felt a fierce attachment to the woman, and knew that he would do almost anything for her to keep her both happy and safe. His actions to facilitate that may often come across as controlling, but the root was always with what he considered their best interests at heart. With money as no object, it was no trouble to shower her with gifts, but anyone could do that. He needed her to know that his heart was in it just as much as his wallet was. “Maybe I am, but it’s pretty hard not to become insane over someone as wonderful as you.”  

As she mentioned her lack of gifts for him in return, Casper took another sip of his champagne. He was a man with the funds to get himself anything he wanted, and whilst it was always nice to receive things, he never felt the need to expect anything back from her. “Don’t worry. If you’d realised and thought to get something then you wouldn’t have been surprised by what I was planning anyway. The look on your face was priceless enough,” Casper let out a small chuckle at the thought. 

Casper closed in and watched as she unwrapped the first gift, knowing exactly what it was. The tags helped him know which ones were which, and whilst he didn’t mind if she chose to rip them all open at once or let him slowly reveal them, he hoped she would appreciate each one regardless. There were a few that were just nice, and a couple that had some sentimental reasons behind them, with the dress falling into the former category. If he was being honest, he’d walked past it whilst shopping for a suit for himself, and he thought she would look gorgeous in it. It was the right mix of elegant and enticing, and assuming he’d got the sizing right, he could only imagine it would suit her figure beautifully. It was almost definitely rather dressy for just staying inside of his house, but it matched the vibe he was trying to attain for their meal, and thus he nodded his head, “Yes. That was the intention at least. If you’d feel more comfortable in something else I’d understand, but I do feel like you’d look wonderful in it.” When she mentioned the other gifts, he smiled, “Tonight is about you, so you can choose to open them whenever you’d like. I’d say maybe save the last two until after dinner, but the rest are completely up to you. You don’t have to decide now though, you can change first if you’d like.”

Isabel honestly had no words at that moment. The rollercoaster that was their relationship was incredibly energy consuming and it felt like every other week she was questioning how she’d lost her moral ground for herself. Not that she had lost any respect for herself per se, but never in a million years did she think she’d be dating the like of a Du Pont. Let alone the notorious Casper Du Pont. If it weren’t for her father and trying to protect him and their family name, would things have been different? Would their worlds ever have collided once more? Isabel honestly wasn’t sure. However, she couldn’t dwell on the what ifs and for what it was worth, despite how tumultuous their relationship was up to this point, she did appreciate and dwell in these type of moments a lot. 

As he placed the flower in her hand and kissed her on the check, she couldn’t help but blush. And then when he mentioned it had been six months, her eyes widened slightly. Shit. Isabel had been too caught up with her father’s illness, something she had kept secret from Casper, to even realize that it was their sixth month anniversary. Plus with everything going on in town and managing her business, it had simply slipped her mind. “Champagne sounds great,” she responded as she walked around the room admiring the multitude of roses splattered around the space. “I can’t believe it’s been six months already. You know it’s still not too late to run in the opposite direction. I won’t be offended.” Why he was so intrigued and fascinated by her, still baffled her to this day. He could have had anyone in this town and yet he had chosen a simple girl who worked her ass off to make something out of herself. She didn’t come from much, but with all that she had, she made sure she was a good steward of her earnings. Life didn’t come easy, but she learned to navigate it to the best of her abilities. “Should I go change or something?” She was after all wearing just a simple sundress, yet Casper looked handsome as always in his suit jacket. “You did clean up rather nice tonight may I add.”

Casper poured the champagne, a grin seemingly etched into his face. Over time he had learned how to better gauge Isabel’s reactions; oftentimes if she wasn’t happy with something, she wasn’t afraid to let him know. It was therefore easier to work out when she was genuinely happy and when she was putting it on, and he was more than confident that this was a case of the former. He took a sip of his drink, leaving hers on the table for her to take when she had finished exploring. Her comment caused his expression to falter, but he gave a single shake of his head. “Don’t say things like that. I’m not going anywhere, I hope you know that.” He knew better than to think she was serious, but it was important to him that she was aware of his dedication to her. There weren’t many people he had cared for in the way he cared for her, and so losing her was not an option — for better or for worse. 

When Isabel mentioned changing, he made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He planted a soft kiss on her temple, thanking her for the compliment ( he knew he looked good, but it was always nice to hear it ), and pointed to the pile of gifts that were near to the fireplace.They were all purposefully chosen, the first of which was for this exact question.  “Open present number one first.” Each one was elaborately wrapped and tied with a ribbon, with a large tag attached denoting the ‘number’. “I think you’ll be happy with it.” 

@casperdupont

This was not the way he wanted to start his morning. He dreaded going into work now as everyone clamored to know what was happening. As if he had any idea. He had gotten two more shots of espresso than usual. He needed a lot of energy to get through the day. He was sitting outside, drinking his drink to prolong his time outside of work. He wasn’t paying much attention to anything, but the next thing he knew, he made eye contact with Casper Du Pont. Daniel didn’t want to say anything, but he thought Cordelia would be disappointed if he didn’t say something, not that he owed her anything. “Hey, Casper? How are you?” He could be polite. He could make small talk, but that didn’t mean he had to like Casper or want to talk to him.

As Casper’s eyes met those of Daniel Mickey, a long-familar feeling fell over him. Pity. He’d never cared much for the other man, and he felt little more than contempt for him, but the eldest Du Pont was always expected to keep up appearances and be civil with him for his younger sister’s sake. The time the two had been dating rarely affected Casper’s own life, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have an opinion. The man had always clearly been beneath them, and he knew his sister could do much better. When the news broke that the two had separated, Casper all but celebrated it. Now that he was facing him again, Mickey looked like the pitiful man he always appeared to be, but somehow with even less life in his eyes. “By the looks of it, I’d wager better than you.” He gave the man a once over, noticing his run-down expression, “You working hard sat out here?”