Chapter 3: The Poisoned Cup Trap

Tiffany put on a show of pulling me up, feigning sympathy. "Celeste, the dead can't come back to life. We need to move forward."

Phineas handed me a document and said, "This is Dylan's will. You're his sole beneficiary."

I wiped away a tear and straightened up.

So, not only had they staged a fake death, but they had even prepared a will?

How suspicious.

I quickly skimmed through the document.

"All debts incurred during my lifetime will be assumed by Ms. Celeste Harper."

I scoffed and pointed at that line. "What does this mean?"

Phineas looked away, muttering in disdain.

He said that since I would be inheriting everything Dylan left behind, I should be responsible for his debts too.

They were playing this game now.

The family fund was drained, and Dylan was surely hiding something from me.

Suppressing my anger for the time being, I pulled out the card I had brought with me and informed them, "Dylan had signed up as an organ donor. I've already notified the donation center, and they'll be here soon."

My in-laws and Mandy turned deathly pale.

Tiffany was so furious she tried to slap me, but I dodged her easily. Phineas started shouting at me, accusing me of being cruel and not letting his son rest in peace.

Mandy stammered for a moment and made an excuse. "Dylan's cancer had spread and metastasized, so the rest of his organs might not work well."

I sighed and responded, "I've already checked. They said it's fine. We should respect Dylan's wishes, shouldn't we? I'm his only beneficiary. Don't I have the right to make this decision?"

The expressions on their faces were priceless.

Mandy looked like she was in a dilemma.

She suddenly turned and went to pour us some water.

I noticed she had set two cups close together, which she handed to my in-laws, while a separate cup was placed further away—for me.

I was just about to take a sip when I caught sight of some powder on the rim of the cup.

At that moment, the organ donation staff arrived.

My in-laws threw a tantrum, threatening to commit suicide, and Mandy worked hard to dissuade them.

Since the immediate family strongly opposed the donation, the donation center couldn't force the issue even if the deceased had signed up to be a donor.

After they had left, Phineas glared at me.

"Hey! Hurry up and call John! Why isn't he here yet? We need to take Dylan back to our hometown!"

So, they were trying to run off, huh?

"You're going to bury Dylan?" I acted surprised. "The drive back home takes seven or eight hours. You'll need to book a proper freezer coffin and a hearse with a refrigerating system from the funeral home, right?"

My in-laws exchanged guilty glances, too scared to respond.

I pretended to go along with it. "We should also notify all the relatives back home so that they can come and mourn Dylan. Isn't it custom to hold a three-day vigil?"

Let's see how you keep Dylan sedated with all those eyes watching. It would be truly satisfying if I could witness him being buried alive.

Phineas was sweating profusely as he stammered, "We're not so old-fashioned… we don't have to follow our hometown customs. We just want Dylan to return to his roots and rest in peace."

I nearly burst out laughing. Why did they insist on a burial if they weren't old-fashioned?

Mandy squeezed Tiffany's hand and reassured her, "Mrs. Lovell, it's more common to have simple funerals these days. How about cremation? You can still take the ashes home for burial. I'll contact the funeral home right away."

Tiffany relaxed, realizing there was still a way to fix things.

Mandy must have another scheme up her sleeve.

While they weren't paying attention, I discreetly tampered with the cups of water.

"Dad, Mom, let's have some water first."

My in-laws, suspecting nothing, drank the cup that Mandy had prepared for me.

Whatever was in that cup worked fast. Within moments, they both began to feel dizzy.