All Chapters of An Expensive Meal and an Unexpected Meltdown: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Uncle Barron's hesitant, stammering voice came from the other end of the line."Elden… J-Just cut us some slack, okay? Your aunt is young and doesn't know better… So you can just pay, and I-I'll get it back for you."His voice sounded weak and lacked conviction.Before I, Elden Huff, could answer, his much-younger wife, Hilda Ross, who'd been listening in nearby, snatched the phone away and started cursing at him over the line."Cut us slack? Get back what? You're trash, Barron! Do you have a death wish?""Stop the act, both of you. I run the house now, and today, not a single penny is getting knocked off."With that, she hung up with a sharp snap.Holding my phone, I stared at her, a woman barely my age, and found it all utterly absurd.My girlfriend, Mildred McClure, tugged on my sleeve and whispered, "Elden… Maybe we should just call the police?"Hilda heard her and let out a short, mocking laugh. Then, she suddenly pulled out her phone from her pocket, set up a tripod with

Chapter 2

Barron's words left me stunned for a full beat.The family's reputation?Dad dragged him out of a casino years ago, paid off his millions in gambling debts, gave him a home and a plot of land so he could start over. Back then, "family reputation" wasn't anywhere on his mind.Now, he was wrapped around a woman's finger and helping an outsider pick on his nephew, yet he was suddenly talking about saving the family's reputation.Looking at his face, worn thin by booze and debauchery, I felt nothing but deep disappointment.Meanwhile, Hilda was glowing smugly at seeing Barron completely under her control. She turned back to face the livestream like she'd just won a war."See that, guys? There has to be no mercy when you handle freeloaders!"With that, she turned and entered the house, only to come back holding an EDC machine. "Card or transfer?"She gave me a slow once-over before her eyes landed on the Patek Philippe watch on my left wrist. "If you're that broke, you can pawn that

Chapter 3

Hilda saw Barron kneeling at my feet and didn't flinch. If anything, she saw it as solid proof of her excellent skills in "taming her man".She even turned the camera on him and proudly boasted to the livestream viewers. "See that, guys? This is how you handle men!"Another wave of flattery, like "Queen Hilda!" and "Teach us your ways!" flooded the livestream.Satisfied, she swung the camera back to me. "Well, have you made up your mind?"The corners of her lips curved in a mocking smile as she continued, "But now, it's not just 3,800 dollars anymore. You cost me business, ruined my mood, and made Barron kneel to you. "You don't know how humiliated I feel. Everything should be considered in damages for emotional distress!"She lifted a nicotine-stained finger, yellowed from years of smoking, and waved it in front of me. "Let's round it up to ten thousand dollars. Pay up, and today's matter ends here."Ten thousand dollars?I laughed in disbelief.Mildred had had enough. Hidin

Chapter 4

The moment the words left my mouth, Hilda's smile froze. Even in her livestream, the rapidly scrolling comments came to an abrupt halt.She frowned and could barely believe what she had just heard. "Are you still trying to bargain with me?"Once again, her voice turned shrill.I ignored her questioning and looked straight into her phone's camera before calmly continuing, "Ten thousand dollars is too cheap. It doesn't match the Supreme Farmhouse Set Meal you've put together, featuring your imported Ardorian chives and classically trained gourmet chicken."I'll give you a million dollars."The entire scene erupted in uproar.Villagers gathered at the fence, gasped in unison, while her livestream comments exploded into endless punctuation marks of "?" and "!" They nearly obscured the entire screen."Holy shit! Did I hear that right? A million dollars?""He's snapped. Hilda must've broken his brain.""Even the top fans don't throw money like that! Is he rich or just stupid?"Mild

Chapter 5

My words abruptly cut off Hilda's shrill laughter.The crowd at the fence plunged into a dead silence. Even the livestream viewers seemed stunned. The comment section remained blank for ten full seconds without a single comment."W-What nonsense are you spewing?"Hilda was the first to snap back. Her voice was sharp and warped with fear as she shrieked at me, "This is slander and malicious fabrication!"On the phone, my lawyer, Lenard Irwin's voice remained cool and utterly composed. "Understood, Mr. Huff. "Green Spring Corporation's legal and audit teams, along with Clouddream Ecological Project's security team, have departed. They'll arrive at the scene in approximately 20 minutes."Online reporting procedures to the relevant authorities have been initiated as well. They'll immediately dispatch personnel."When the call ended, Hilda and Barron had stumbled to the ground, looking pale and ashen.Green Spring Corporation and Clouddream Ecological Project… No matter how ignoran

Chapter 6

Law enforcement officers and the corporate team sprang into action with astonishing efficiency. Within minutes, Hilda's Farmhouse was completely taken over.Inspectors from the market regulation bureau marched straight into the kitchen. In under five minutes, they emerged carrying several large bags."Sir, we have something to report," one announced. "We found massive amounts of expired ingredients and materials without production dates, quality certificates, or manufacturer information in the freezer and storage room."On camera, an inspector ripped a bag of so-called "Ardorian air-freighted prairie chives" to reveal wilted, ordinary local chives. Nearby, the chicken coop allegedly housing the "classical-music-raised gourmet chickens" was surrounded by bags of feed heavily adulterated with hormonal additives.Everything was a stark contrast to what Hilda had boasted about on her livestream and the exorbitant descriptions on her price menu.Next, the tax officials connected profes

Chapter 7

At my words, Barron shuddered hard. He jerked his head up and stared at me with pleading eyes."Elden… Don't do this… We're family…"He tried to say more but could barely string together a full sentence.Lenard immediately understood. He drew another document from his briefcase, which was a stack of slightly yellowed papers stamped with my dad, Miguel Huff's, personal seal.After unfolding the document, Lenard turned to face everyone present and the still-rolling livestream. Then, he began reading aloud in a calm tone, "Property Transfer Agreement dated May 10th, 2005. "Mr. Miguel Huff, as donor, personally invested funds to pay his cousin, Mr. Barron Cortez's, gambling debts, totalling 2,000,000 dollars. He wished to break the gambling addiction and help Mr. Barron Cortez rebuild his life."Furthermore, he unconditionally granted Mr. Barron Cortez the lifelong use rights of his privately-owned residence and attached farmland at Redstead Lot 56."The content of the agreement im

Chapter 8

Watching Barron and Hilda claw at each other like stray dogs, I felt nothing but disgust.They fought for some time and finally stopped only when they were both exhausted. By then, their hair was disheveled and their clothes in disarray like two roosters who'd lost the same fight.I turned to Barron. "Uncle Barron, for Dad's sake, I can give you one last chance."Hope instantly flared in their eyes as if they'd just clutched at a lifeline. But I sighed on purpose and wore a complicated expression as if I was wrestling with a difficult decision."I can choose not to reclaim the house and land for now… As for the fines from the trouble Hilda stirred up, I can step in and cover part of them since we're family, but only if…"Looking at them, I hardened my tone and continued, "You both show real remorse."When Barron heard that the house wouldn't be immediately reclaimed and help was provided with the fines, his face lit up with relief. He showered me with effusive thanks and nodded h

Chapter 9

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Barron strutted into his yard. He was still riding the high of the grand get-rich plan he'd spent all night talking to me about.Just as he stepped through the door, a basin of icy water was thrown in his face and completely drenched him.Like a madwoman, Hilda stormed out with an empty basin and brought it down on his head without another word."Barron, you ungrateful, backstabbing old bastard! You thought you could pocket the demolition payout and kick me aside, huh? I'm telling you—not a chance!"In her left hand, she held the basin, and in her right hand, a recording device was raised high. It was the recording device I'd dropped off to her minutes earlier.She screamed hysterically at Barron while he shivered in the cold and howled. Shocked, furious, and terrified, he never imagined his words from last night would be recorded and end up in Hilda's hands.Blinded by shame and rage, he abandoned all pretense and lunged at Hilda. The two of

Chapter 10

The court's verdict swiftly arrived.Convicted on multiple charges, Hilda was sentenced to ten years in prison and a three-million-dollar fine. Every penny she'd conned, swindled, or cheated out of others was confiscated and used to compensate her previous victims.Barron was also sentenced to eight years of imprisonment and fined for illegal business operations, poaching protected wildlife, and a string of related offenses.The civil compensation lawsuit against Barron proceeded with exceptional smoothness. The old IOUs, bank transfer records, and every entry in Dad's ledger formed an airtight chain of evidence.The original two million dollars, plus 20 years of legal interest, amounted to an astronomical number beyond Barron's wildest dreams.Since I'd legally reclaimed the only house and land under his name, he no longer had a single asset to his name. He would be saddled with the insurmountable debt for life and declared a permanent credit defaulter.It meant that for the res

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP