After His Grandma Is Poisoned
Three years ago, I met Calvin Gabriel and later became his fiancee.
Today is the weekend, and I was busy in the kitchen early this morning.
Grandma Gabriel is getting old and has a poor appetite, so I specially cooked her favorite mushroom soup and made several light, nutritious dishes.
As I carried the bowl of soup into the living room, I heard the sound of a key turning in the door.
When I looked up, Calvin Gabriel had returned, and beside him was Maggie Scott—his childhood first love.
Grandma Gabriel had just stood up from the sofa, so I quickly handed her the bowl of soup and said, 'Grandma, drink it while it's hot.'
She smiled as she took it, scooping a spoonful into her mouth, a look of contentment still on her face.
But before she could take a second spoonful, her hand suddenly trembled, and the soup bowl crashed to the floor with a loud clatter, shards scattering everywhere.
Immediately after, her body went limp and collapsed straight down; her eyes remained tightly shut, motionless.
My heart nearly leapt out of my chest in fright as I hurriedly crouched down to support her.
The moment my fingers touched her wrist, my whole body stiffened—the familiar numbness was from the poisonous herb unique to our ancient ancient village, the 'poisonous herb'!
This poison was used by the elders in the village to keep wild beasts away. It's highly toxic and acts fast. Except for the antidote from our village, there's no other cure.
I looked up wanting to explain to Calvin, but I saw him rush over and shove me aside.
He was very strong; I staggered back several steps and crashed into the coffee table, my waist burning with pain.
"Wendy! What did you do to Grandma?" He lifted Grandma Gabriel, his voice trembling with rage, his eyes terrifyingly red.
Maggie followed him closely, patting his back in a feigned attempt to comfort him. "Calvin, don't panic. Let's get Grandma to the hospital first."
When she passed by me, a faint smile tugged at her lips, and I could clearly see the smugness in her eyes.
Calvin Gabriel was carrying Grandmother and running out the door, not giving me a chance to speak.
I took a couple of steps after him, then stopped—there was no point explaining now. Grandmother's poisoning couldn't wait; I had to rush back to the village immediately to get the antidote.
I pulled out my phone and booked the earliest flight back south.
Calvin's call came through quickly. I stared at the blinking name on the screen, my finger hovering over the answer button, but in the end, I hung up.
I'm afraid that if I speak up, he'll only become angrier and delay Grandmother's treatment.
While tidying up, I noticed broken pieces of a soup bowl in the kitchen trash can.
Doubt filled my mind: I was so careful making the soup—how could it be poisoned?
Only people from the village can get the powder of the poisonous herb—how could Maggie Scott have it?
When I arrived at the airport, there was still half an hour before boarding.
I found a corner to sit and my mind was a mess—sometimes worrying about Grandmother's condition, sometimes about Calvin Gabriel's attitude.
I have always felt that this matter is far from simple.
The plane landed at three in the afternoon.
I contacted grandpa inside the village to have the antidote ready, then headed straight to his house.
Only when I received the small porcelain bottle containing the green liquid did my anxious heart finally calm down a little.
Clutching the porcelain bottle as I left grandpa's house, I hailed a taxi to the airport, eager to return to the village as quickly as possible.
But just as I stepped out of the airport gates, a black Bentley pulled up right in front of me—it was Calvin Gabriel's car.
He stepped out wearing a dark suit, his hair neatly combed, but his face was dark and foreboding.
"Wendy Lincoln, how dare you come back?" He stepped forward and gripped my wrist, his strength enough to crush my bones.
I winced in pain and tried to pull free. "Calvin, I didn't poison her—please listen to me..."
He sneered, cutting me off. "Grandmother only collapsed after drinking the soup you made. The poison is from your ancient village. If it's not you, then who else?"
Before I could say another word, he waved his hand behind him.
Two bodyguards in black suits immediately advanced; one covered my mouth, the other grabbed my arm, forcing me toward the car trunk.
I struggled desperately, but their strength was overwhelming—I couldn't resist at all.
The trunk was dark and stifling, with a faint smell of gasoline.
I curled up in the corner, my wrists raw from the earlier pulling, feeling scared and helpless.
Why won't Calvin Gabriel believe me? After all these years together, is our bond really so fragile?
I don't know how long it was before the car finally stopped.
The bodyguard opened the trunk and dragged me out.
I looked up to see the entrance to the basement of the Gabriel family's old mansion—usually used for storage, dark and damp.
They dragged me into the basement and tied me to a wooden chair.
My hands and feet were tightly bound with tape, and a strip of cloth was stuffed in my mouth so I couldn't make a sound.
The light bulb overhead flickered, casting eerie shadows of spiderwebs on the walls.
Sitting on the chair, all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.
After about ten minutes, the basement door creaked open.
Calvin Gabriel walked in, toying with an iron rod in his hand, his cold eyes fixed on me.
He stopped in front of me and looked down with a commanding gaze.
"I was truly blind back then to fall in love with you, and to bring you into the Gabriel family." His voice was soft, yet it stabbed into my heart like a knife.
At that moment, a bodyguard walked in carrying an iron tray, on which lay a glowing hot soldering iron.
The tip of the soldering iron smoked faintly, and the air instantly filled with the sharp, pungent scent of burning metal.
My heart leapt into my throat, and I instinctively recoiled.
Calvin Gabriel picked up the soldering iron and flicked it before me. "Grandmother has treated you so well, yet you actually wanted to harm her?"
"I'm going out to dinner with Maggie, and you resort to such despicable tricks to force me back? Wendy Lincoln, you are truly wicked."
Before I could react, he pressed the soldering iron against the left side of my face.
In that instant, I felt as if the skin on my face was being seared by fierce flames, the pain wracking my entire body, and tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks.
Though I bit down hard on the cloth in my mouth, I couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
Calvin Gabriel looked at my pained expression with not a trace of mercy, but with a cruel satisfaction instead.
"Does it hurt now? When you poisoned her, did you ever imagine this day would come?"
He pulled away the soldering iron, leaving a dark, burnt mark on the left side of my face. The pain was so intense I nearly fainted.
I twisted my body, trying to explain, but my mouth was gagged with a strip of cloth, and I couldn't speak.
All I could do was look at him with my eyes, hoping he would see my innocence.
But he didn't even look me in the eye; he turned away and handed the soldering iron to the bodyguard.
After a while, the basement door opened once again.
Maggie Scott walked in wearing a white dress and carrying a delicate handbag, looking both elegant and innocent.
"Calvin, how is Grandmother?" She approached Calvin Gabriel and linked her arm through his.
Calvin patted her hand, his tone much softer than before. "She's still in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment. The doctors say her condition isn't good."
"It's all that poisonous woman Wendy's fault. If anything happens to Grandmother, I will never forgive her."
Maggie looked at me with eyes full of mockery. "I never thought Wendy would stoop to something like this."
"Is it because I came back that you misunderstood my relationship with Calvin and poisoned Grandmother?"
She sighed, feigning regret, "If I had known it would come to this, I never would have returned."
"Calvin, once Grandmother recovers, I'll go abroad. I don't want to be the reason your relationship with Wendy suffers."
Calvin frowned. "Maggie, this isn't your fault—it's Wendy who harbors ill will."
"The one who should leave is her, not you. Besides, I promised you that once Grandmother gets better, we will marry."
Marriage?
The moment I heard those words, my head buzzed as if I'd been struck by a heavy blow.
When Calvin Gabriel proposed to me, he promised that he would love only me for life and never let another woman come between us.
And now he's actually going to marry Maggie Scott?
I trembled with fury, struggling violently as the legs of the chair scraped harshly against the concrete floor.
Calvin Gabriel grew impatient with my shouting and came over to tear the cloth from my mouth.
"Have you had enough of your tantrum?" He stared at me, the disgust in his eyes almost spilling over.
"I didn't poison her!" I finally found my voice, trembling with emotion. "Calvin, you have to believe me—how could I possibly harm Grandmother?"
"The poison from the poisonous herb may come from our village, but I never had the chance to use it. It has to be Maggie Scott!"
Calvin Gabriel sneered, completely unconvinced. "Who else besides you would have access to the poisonous herb?"
"Wendy Lincoln, don't try to pin this on someone else."
Maggie Scott stood aside, a smile playing at her lips as she defended herself like a petty clown.
Her eyes shone with triumph, as if to say, "Even if you know it was me, no one would believe you."
Calvin Gabriel didn't want to waste any more words on me. He turned to the bodyguard and said, "Watch her closely. Don't let her escape."
"Once grandmother wakes up, I'll bring her to apologize in person."
Having said that, he left the basement with Maggie Scott. The door slammed shut with a bang, leaving me alone in the darkness.
I was the only one left in the basement; the cold air was tinged with the metallic smell of the soldering iron.
The pain on the left side of my face kept spreading; even the slightest movement sent a stabbing ache through me.
Leaning against the chair, tears streamed down my face as my heart filled with anguish and despair.
I thought of Calvin Gabriel back in university.
At that time, he was the student council president, and I was a member of the publicity department.
The first time I met him was at the student council recruitment meeting. He helped me carry a heavy display board, smiling and saying, "Wendy, you're a girl—don't push yourself so hard."
Back then, my family was poor. Both my parents were farmers inside the village, and supporting my university studies was already very difficult for them.
I ate only steamed buns and pickled vegetables every day, trying to save money to send home.
When Calvin Gabriel found out, he would order an extra portion of braised pork every day, sit across from me, and pretend he couldn't finish it. "Wendy Lincoln, help me share it, or it will go to waste," he said.
At that time, Maggie Scott already liked Calvin Gabriel. Seeing me grow close to him made her feel very uneasy.
Once, she gathered a few girls to block my way, threw my backpack on the ground, and even pushed me.
When Calvin Gabriel found out, he rushed over to protect me without hesitation and told Maggie Scott, "If you cause her any more trouble, our friendship is over."
The year we graduated, Calvin took me back to the Gabriel family.
His parents, knowing I was from the ancient village and that my family was poor, disapproved of our relationship and even froze Calvin's bank card.
For my sake, Calvin had a falling out with his family and moved with me into a rented apartment.
Those days were hard; the rent alone was over a thousand a month. Calvin, who had always lived as the eldest young master, had never endured such hardships before.
But he never complained.
Every day, he left early and returned late searching for a job, still smiling as he told me, "Wendy, once I earn enough, I'll buy you a big house."
Later, Grandma Gabriel found out about us and secretly pleaded with Calvin Gabriel's parents on our behalf.
She took my hand and said, "You are a good girl; Calvin will be happy with you."
It was also because of Grandma Gabriel that his parents reluctantly agreed to us being together and even let me move into the Gabriel family home.
I have always been deeply grateful to Grandma Gabriel, so I often prepared special nutritious meals for her and kept her company with heartfelt conversations.
How could I possibly harm her?
How could Calvin Gabriel forget all the moments we once shared, forget who I truly am?
I don't know how long I cried, but my eyelids grew heavier and heavier until I finally lost consciousness.
When I woke up again, it was to the shock of cold water being poured over me.
The icy water trickled down my hair, soaking my clothes, and I couldn't help but shiver.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Maggie Scott sitting in the chair opposite me, legs crossed, holding a compact mirror as she touched up her lipstick.
Two bodyguards stood behind her, expressionless as they watched me.
"Awake?" Maggie Scott put down her makeup mirror and looked at me. "What a pity about your face—it's such a wreck now."
"Calvin used to only have eyes for you. But now? You're disfigured; he'll never love you again."
I stared at her, filled with anger and hatred. "You poisoned her, didn't you?"
"Why would you do this? Grandmother treated you well. How could you harm her?"
Maggie smiled, showing no shame for her crime. "So what if it was me?"
"I've never liked you. Calvin was meant to be mine. What right do you have to compete with me for him?"
"Grandmother hates me too, always saying I'm malicious and forbidding Calvin from being with me." Her eyes turned poisonous. "Since she doesn't like me, then I'll make her disappear first."
"I originally intended to sprinkle the poison into the nanny's cooking and let her take the fall." She shrugged, "I didn't expect you to interfere and personally prepare nutritious meals for Grandmother. Wendy Lincoln, this is your destiny."
I trembled with rage, "You will pay for this!"
Maggie Scott sneered, "Right now, Calvin trusts me, not you. He won’t believe you."
"Besides, even if Grandmother dies, Calvin will only blame you. What does that have to do with me?"
She stood up, walked over to me, and took a small jar from her bag. "This contains a paralytic poison; I've already ground it into powder."
"Wendy Lincoln, I will make sure you never speak again, so no one will ever know it was me who poisoned her."
I stared at that jar, my heart full of terror. "Don't come any closer!"
"Do you think you can get away?" Maggie Scott signaled the bodyguards to restrain me. "Prise her mouth open."
Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward, one holding my head, the other forcing my mouth open.
I struggled desperately, but it was useless; their strength was overwhelming.
Maggie Scott opened the jar and poured all the white powder into my mouth.
The powder dissolved instantly, leaving a bitter taste.
I tried to spit it out, but the bodyguards held me firmly, so I had no choice but to swallow it.
Before long, I felt my throat tighten, unable to speak, and could only make faint, gasping sounds.
Maggie Scott looked at me with a smug smile. "There you go—you've become mute and can no longer compete with me for Calvin."
"Just wait here. Once Grandmother dies, Calvin will personally deal with you."
After saying that, she turned to the bodyguards and said, "Do as you like, just don't kill her."
"If Calvin asks, just say she was being unruly and you were simply teaching her a lesson."
Upon receiving the order, the bodyguard immediately walked towards me.
They dragged me off the chair one by one, their fists pounding me like raindrops.
I could only cover my head and curl up on the ground, enduring their beatings silently.
The pain blurred my consciousness; several times, I nearly fainted.
I don't know how much time passed before the bodyguard finally stopped.
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