“I’m in pain.”
Esther was soaked in cold sweat, her biggest fear being health issues that might lead to her death.
In the dimly lit basement, a single spotlight illuminated a crystal coffin. Esther followed the hypnotic techniques
from the book and eventually hypnotized herself, drifting into a hazy sleep.
–
The seaside weather was fickle. A clear sky from yesterday had turned into dense clouds today.
Liora woke up on her usual schedule and went downstairs to find an empty living room. Her customary sumptuous
breakfast was missing.
“Mandy, Mandy, I’m hungry,” she called.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMandy had been sleeping, recovering from last night’s drinking and the presence of Bradley, a man with
unpredictable moods on the remote island.
Had Liora not knocked so urgently, she wouldn’t have seen a disheveled and disgruntled Liora.
“Eat if you’re hungry,” Mandy replied, pointing to the kitchen.
“But I don’t know how to cook,” Liora complained. “Besides, your father said my hands are meant for playing the
piano and arranging flowers, not for cooking.”
Hearing this, Mandy pushed her away and slammed the door shut.
“If you don’t know, learn. Otherwise, you’ll go hungry,” Mandy declared from behind the closed door, pulling the
covers tightly around herself and lying back down.
Liora felt wronged and stood outside, not daring to knock again to avoid upsetting Mandy further. She glanced
upstairs before going up gracefully.
She knocked on Bradley’s door, and he opened it.
Liora adopted a motherly tone, saying, “Bradley, what’s going on with your maid? It’s so late, and she’s still sleeping
longer than her employer.”
Bradley paid her no mind and proceeded down the stairs straight to the basement.
Undeterred, Liora continued her complaints. “Bradley, you can’t be so lenient. Servants need to be taught, or she’ll
—”
Bradley opened the basement door, and Liora let out a terror-filled scream. “Ahhh!”
“Esther,” Bradley called.
Esther furrowed her brows but otherwise showed no response inside the crystal coffin.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Esther, wake up!” Bradley urged.
Still, Esther remained unresponsive.
Liora clutched her chest, trembling, and timidly asked, “Bradley, could she be dead?”
Bradley glared at Liora, sending shivers down her spine. She had never seen such a cold look as though it could
condemn a person to death with a single glance.
For the first time, she realized Bradley wasn’t someone she could manipulate as she pleased. He wasn’t like
Richard, who would dote on her.
Hesitating for a moment, she climbed the stairs back up. When she saw Mandy, she rushed to her as if to save her
from a dire fate. “Mandy!”
Mandy looked at the trembling Liora in her arms and asked, “What happened?”
“Bradley is a psycho! There’s a crystal coffin in the basement…”