Chapter 2

Amy scoffed, full of contempt.

"Legal liability? Murder? Who are you trying to scare? I don't fall for that crap!"

"Heart condition? Old man? So what? Just because they're old and useless, they get to leech off society? A bunch of useless old folks just taking up space, they deserve to die! They die early, and they save the country some pension money!"

"I'd actually be thrilled if my own in-laws, those two old farts, just had an accident and died! Save me the trouble of seeing their faces every day! Maybe their own family members think the same thing, just wishing they'd kick the bucket already!" Amy's words instantly ignited the public'outrage among the seniors, who began to accuse her.

"Who are you cursing to die?"

"Exactly! Don't you ever get old?!"

"How can you be so vicious? What did your family elders ever do to you, that you curse them like that?"

Just then, Eleanor, with trembling hands, pulled an old-fashioned flip phone from her pocket.

"Chloe, dear, I... I'll call my son. He... he might work at this park..."

"He's in security or something... he'll definitely know what to do... he can definitely handle this person..."

Her voice wasn't loud, but the intercom was on speaker, and Amy clearly heard her words.

Then, what answered us was just Amy's sneering laughter echoing through the intercom, full of disdain.

Eleanor clumsily used her shaking fingers, pressing one number after another, as if summoning all her strength, then hit the call button.

The cabin instantly fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath, twenty pairs of eyes fixed on that small flip phone, hoping the sound of the call connecting would bring a miracle.

The long waiting tone hammered like a heavy club on everyone's heart.

However, the hoped-for voice never came until the call automatically disconnected.

"No... no one picked up..."

Hope instantly dwindled by half.

Margaret tried to comfort her.

"Maybe he's busy? What about your daughter-in-law? Call your daughter-in-law and ask."

Eleanor snapped back to reality and frantically picked up the flip phone to dial again.

The phone rang a few times, then was answered.

Eleanor excitedly said, "Amy! It's me! Your dad and I are on the cable car going down the mountain, and it's stopped, it's not moving! Your dad's having a heart attack, and he's out of medicine. He can't breathe, his face is turning purple!"

"The staff member controlling the cable car is demanding money to restart it, 7,000 bucks, you..."

The woman's voice on the other end impatiently interrupted, "Mom, Daniel and I are busy making big money right now. Can we call you back when we're done?"

Before the call was cut off, everyone heard the other person mumble:

"So annoying. Daniel is great in every way, except he's blindly devoted to his parents. If I wasn't afraid he'd argue with me, I would have gotten rid of those two old farts a long time ago."

Eleanor held the phone, dumbfounded.

The cabin fell into a deeper silence again, broken only by Arthur's heavy, gasping breaths.

My brows furrowed sharply, and a chill snaked up my spine.

That daughter-in-law's voice on the phone...

That sharp, arrogant, selfish tone...

How could it be... so much like Amy's voice on the intercom?

They were practically identical!

And Amy had just cursed her own two elderly in-laws...

A wildly absurd, yet terrifying thought suddenly surfaced in my mind.

Could this staff member, Amy, who was extorting us...

Be Arthur and Eleanor's daughter-in-law?!

I forced down the stormy turmoil in my heart, knelt down, and gently held Eleanor's cold, trembling hand.

"Eleanor, please don't fret. You just said... your son works at the park, so your daughter-in-law... is she... does she also work here?"