Se connecterMy in-laws, Melvin Gardner and Sharon Murphy, kept it a secret from us and traveled all the way to Metoville to surprise their daughter, Vivian Gardner. I brought them to the restaurant where Vivian worked as head chef, thinking she would give them a proper welcome and a great meal. However, Vivian called over her favorite pretty-boy apprentice, Tyler Lambert, and had him handle a batch of wild-harvested oysters from the deep sea. These rare specimens were notorious because they may carry Tetrodotoxin if not purged with extreme precision—a high-stakes task that even the seasoned chefs usually avoided. Tyler frowned and whined at her, "Oh come on, Chef, these oysters are so tricky to prepare. I'm not sure I can handle them..." Vivian just laughed it off. "Just give them a quick rinse, and you're done. They're just a couple of old country folks. There's no need to fuss." Melvin and Sharon ate the oysters. Within ten minutes, they were foaming at the mouth and collapsed on the table. When Vivian rushed over, she did not even bother to look at the two elderly people. Instead, she was busy comforting Tyler, who had gone pale and fallen into her arms. She said, "If they got food poisoning, send them to the hospital. But make sure they sign a liability waiver before they leave." She glanced at me casually, her tone suggesting the poisoned elderly couple had nothing to do with her. "Your parents are from the countryside, so they're probably not used to city food. Don't try to pin this on the restaurant or Tyler!" It hit me that she still had not realized the people who had collapsed at the table were her own parents. I looked at her helplessly and confirmed, "Are you sure you want to clear 'Tyler' of all responsibility?"
Voir plusSelamat membaca.
Terbakar!Rasa panas menjalar menembus tulang, suara teriakan terdengar. Jeritan dan erangan pilu makin menjadi, tetapi aku terkurung dalam ruang yang gelap.Tidak bisa bergerak.Tap! Tap! Tap!Suara langkah kaki berat mendekat, aku tak bisa menoleh. Tubuhku tak bisa dikendalikan, seperti bukan milikku.Tiba-tiba. Sebuah tangan melingkar pada pinggangku. "Syuttt, kamu tidak akan mati!" Seseorang memelukku dari belakang. 'siapa?'Akhhh!!!Mati...dia bilang aku tak akan mati. Ta-tapi mengapa, leherku begitu sakit. Seolah-olah terbakar?!***Dia adalah awal dan akhir sebuah Tradegy. Yang berarti indah, dan bisa berarti menyakitkan.Cahaya yang berbunyi di langit Elydra yang gelap, lahir dan tumbuh di sebuah desa kecil bernama Clossiana Frigga. Tempat manusia tinggal dan hidup dari bayang-bayang hutan pinus penuh misteri, dibatasi gunung batu utara yang curam, serta memiliki lautan dan sugai bening yang tak terjama kedalamannya.Warga desa percaya, kalau ada sesuatu yang mengerikan dalam lautan. Jadi kami mengambil, tidak menyelam. Meski hidup dalam ketakutan dunia luar, desa ini cukup damai dan sejahtera, indah dengan pohon-pohon berwarna jingga layaknya musim gugur. Ada juga yang hijau, tetapi sebagai pohon yang tumbuh di wilayah Clossiana Frigga, adalah jingga, kekuningan, dan coklat. Tumbuh secara natural dari tanah yang subur.***"Emabell!" panggil seseorang, padaku yang sedang menikmati pemandangan dari jembatan kokoh yang menghadap langsung ke utara.Bahkan jebatan ini bisa menampung seluruh warga desa jika sedang banjir, dari sini, bangunan-bangunan desa terlihat sangat kecil. Konon katanya, jembatan ini dibangun oleh raja dari utara ke dua, untuk kekasihnya. Yang berujung perpecahan dunia Elydra.Sekarang, jembatan ini tinggal sejarah saja."Nike?!" Aku tau, orang yang suka datang ke jembatan ini selain aku. Ada Nike—Gadis cantik dengan perawakan tomboy. Nike itu cuma nama samaran, aslinya adalah Nirmala, tetapi ia lebih suka dipanggil Nike biar lebih keren saja katanya."Sedang memikirkan hal fantastis lagi tentang dunia ini Emabell?" tanyanya dengan nada mengejek. Akupun tertawa, "sekarang apa? Menciptakan jalan dengan membelah gunung utara? Atau, menciptatakan sayap untuk menjelajahi hutan pinus?" pikir Nike menyindir semua keinginan Emabell yang sangat mustahil.Tetapi aku tak pernah marah atau tersingung. Nike justru benar, mimpiku hanya terlalu luar biasa.Andai saja tak Aada aturan territory, mungkin hutan pinus bisa dijelajahi, dan gunung utara bisa didaki. "Hah!" Aku menghela nafasku berat. "Mungkin raja yang tinggal disana bisa mengerti, kalau bersama-sama akan jauh lebih baik bagi setiap territory," kataku sembari menatap ke arah gunung utara."Tapi mereka berbeda Abelll!""Memangnya kenapa kalau berbeda Nike? Kita 'kan, sama-sama bernafas!" ujarku sembari membari memayumkan bibirku ke kanan cemberut.Nike malah gemes. "Iya tahu, tapi bukan seperti itu juga konsepnya. Ingat, mereka yang hidup di balik pohon pinus, lautan, dan gunung. Bernafas selamanya, sedangkan kita hanya harus menikmati hidup dengan damai. Abell, bersama ck! Jangan mimpi!" jelasnya lagi."Benar, tapi Nike. Pernahkah kamu berpikir, untuk menaiki kuda, memakai jubah dan anak panah. Melintasi gunung dan lembah, atau berlari di hutan tanpa halang, serta berenang tanpa rasa takut?" tanyaku diakhir.Semuanya terdengar penuh dengan keinginan dan harapan.Nike makin bingung denganku."Bukan berlari di tengah hutan, tapi jadi santapan, bukan juga berenang, tapi mati sia-sia, bukan mendaki...tapi diperkosa oleh penduduk utara!" urainya membenarkan semua akibat dari keinginan Emabell barusan. "Kita manusia, fana, lemah...."Aku menimpali. "Tapi kita punya hati yang tulus....""Dan mereka tidak punya hati untuk membalas ketulusan kita!" sambung Nike kali ini di sertai tawa menyerigai—sebelum Nike mengambil alih keranjang buah yang ada di sampingku yang kosong. "Kita pulang dalam 10 menit lagi, jangan terlambat Emabell!" seru Nike sembari melambaikan tangannya padaku.Sebenarnya, memetik buah adalah tugasku. Akan tetapi, Nike selalu mengambil alih agar aku punya waktu mencari jamur obat untuk warga di dekat hutan pinus.Setiap datang aku hanya melihat sekilas, tak berani masuk karena itu bukanlah wilayah manusia. Jadi, aku hanya mencari di pinggir-pinggir hutan saja.Tetapi beberapa saat kemudian, aku menatap ke arah kiri dan kanan. Mengawasi, sebab di belakang pohon pinus ada jamur putih yang kubutuhkan.Namun saat aku hendak melangkah, lenganku malah di cekal oleh tangan seseorang. "Itu bukan bagian dari Clossiana Frigga!"DEG! Mataku membelalak.Satu yang kupikirkan, 'berbahaya!'Bersambung....I held that heavy will in my hands, unable to say a word.The simple, kind faces of Melvin and Sharon kept flashing clearly in my mind again. They were always thinking of me, and their care for me was no less than what they had for their own daughter.It was a massive sum of money. I accepted the will, but I did not plan to keep the money for myself. Instead of boarding my flight home, I bought a ticket to Melvin and Sharon's hometown.In Melvin and Sharon's name, I donated the entire fortune to the small town where they lived their whole lives. I signed an agreement with the town government specifying that the funds must be used exclusively for education.The town government used the money to renovate and expand the town's only elementary school.They also built a modern library and named it "Goodwill Library." On the day the construction was completed, the town erected a memorial archway in honor of Melvin and Sharon to commemorate their charitable act.Standing beneath the arc
The surveillance footage ended abruptly there. I felt a bone-chilling cold shoot straight to my head, and my palms were slick with sweat.A few days later, all the major news outlets published the final investigation results of this horrifying murder case.The final assessment report stated that at the time of the crime, Vivian was suffering from acute mental distress and was in a state of severe psychiatric disorder. Therefore, the forensic psychiatric institute determined she had no criminal capacity.The court ultimately accepted the evaluation.Vivian did not have to bear criminal responsibility under the law, but was sentenced to lifetime mandatory psychiatric treatment.Later, she was sent to a maximum-security psychiatric hospital. The rest of her life would be spent in that fortress-like white building.The day before I left the city, I found myself inexplicably visiting that psychiatric hospital. Through the thick glass, I saw her. She wore an oversized blue-and-white st
I understood immediately what was going on.Tyler acted weird the whole time. He orchestrated this entire tragedy from the restaurant table to the graveyard.And now Vivian knew it too.That deathly calm in her voice over the phone terrified me more than any heart-wrenching screaming could. I immediately pulled up the investigating officer's number and dialed with trembling fingers.As soon as the call connected, I shouted frantically, "Officer! Something's wrong with Vivian! She might be in danger! She just called me."The officer cut me off, his voice even more urgent than mine. "It's too late! We just got a call informing us that there's been a murder at Cloud Nine! We're heading there now!"I felt like I was struck by lightning, my mind going completely blank.I hung up and rushed downstairs like a madman, driving at top speed toward Cloud Nine.When I arrived, the restaurant entrance was already cordoned off with long strips of police tape. I contacted the officer I just s
At the police station, Tyler quickly regained his composure and revealed a cunning side that did not match his appearance. He insisted that he simply lacked the skills and did not properly prepare the raw oysters. Combined with Vivian's blind trust in him, it led to this disaster.Due to the lack of direct evidence of "deliberate" poisoning, plus his family apparently pulling some strings, the police could not charge him with "intentional homicide" for the time being.The cemetery incident could only be punished as "disturbing the peace" with an administrative penalty.Just two days later, his family bailed him out with a hefty sum.As for Vivian, without solid proof that she deliberately instructed Tyler to poison anyone using the oysters, she could only be held morally accountable. So, she was released as well.[Award-Winning Chef Poisons Own Parents for Her Lover, Then Lets Dogs Desecrate Their Graves!]Paired with video footage of the chaotic cemetery scene and tearful audio
I handled Melvin and Sharon's funeral arrangements all by myself. I contacted the funeral home, ran through all the tedious paperwork, ordered the urns, and scheduled the cremation.Throughout the entire process, Vivian did not call once. It was as if the deceased were just strangers who had nothin
I followed the ambulance in a panic and rushed Melvin and Sharon into the ER. In the vehicle, I frantically tried to explain the situation to the doctor."Oysters! They ate oysters!"The doctor's expression turned grave, and he immediately began preparing for emergency treatment.However, once we
Remembering how Melvin and Sharon treated me like their own son, even better than they treated their biological daughter, I used my life savings to buy them a peaceful plot at a cemetery on the outskirts of town.I personally chose the headstone, which was engraved with their names and featured pho
Vivian Gardner clicked her tongue in irritation. "Ezekiel Stevens, are you deaf?!"She snatched a printed "Food Safety Liability Waiver" from her assistant's hand and slammed it down in front of me. "Sign it now! Tyler's sensitive, so don't scare him!"The apprentice in her arms, Tyler Lambert, wa












Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.