I was the last holdout. For three years, I’d turned down every developer’s offer to buy my house. Today, during yet another negotiation, a barrage of transparent comments suddenly flickered across my vision: “Holy shit! Her husband’s banging his first love in the basement RIGHT NOW!!” “Layla Thompson is so clueless. Any payout will just fund his mistress!” “Forget the money. She’ll end up BURIED down there if she’s not careful!” I am Layla, and I was so enraged, my hands trembled. I snatched the pen from the table, signed the demolition agreement. Then I added a single condition. “Demolition to commence immediately. Flatten it. Now.” Mr. Davies, the developer’s lead negotiator, stared at the signed agreement in his trembling hands. “Ms. Thompson, are you sure? This contract is final and effective the moment you sign.” His voice was excited, almost euphoric. He had every reason to be thrilled. For three long years, I’d been the reason for his migraines and, quite possibly, the premature gray in his hair. I was the last holdout in the entire village. And my house sat right in the center of it all. The developers couldn’t get around it, couldn’t avoid it. If pleading would help, he would have groveled at my feet. But at that moment, I was still reeling from the bullet comments. My husband and his first love, having a passionate encounter in the basement? I couldn’t confirm if it was true yet. My husband, Mark Allen, was supposedly on a business trip, far away. For so many years, I’d doted on him, treating him like he was made of glass. When I married him, he was a nobody. I was the one who funded his company. Now that he’d made it big, he dared to cheat on me right under my nose? How could I possibly stand for that? After three years of haggling, I’d finally negotiated the compensation up to a very satisfying 18 million. I was ready to sign. It was Mark who stubbornly held out for 25 million, delaying everything. Fine. If he wants to play it that way, let’s just demolish the house first. Money was never the point for me anyway. I came from wealth.
“I’m entirely certain. You’ll note my additional clause is included. I trust there will be no…delay in its execution? Also, I’ll be observing the demolition in person. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” My voice was ice-cold. This house was one of the properties my grandparents left me. I’d never lived in it, and it had been cleared out ages ago. It could be torn down anytime. Mr. Davies was ecstatic. He sprang to his feet, grabbed his walkie-talkie, and bellowed, “She signed! Get all teams ready now! Move the heavy equipment to Plot 35, Ms. Thompson’s house. Yes, that one! Start demolition immediately, don’t wait another second!” After he finished, he turned to me with an awkward smile. In the past, that smile would have started another heated argument between us. But now, I felt nothing at all. “Ms. Thompson, please rest assured, our group’s top construction team is waiting outside. Would you… would you like to move to our safe observation area? The view is much better there.” Mr. Davies nimbly led the way, taking me to a flat area some distance away. More bullet comments appeared. “Go, Ms. Thompson! She’s going to take care of those two scumbags!” I dialed Mark’s number. The phone rang for a long time before he finally picked up. “Hello, darling, how’s your business trip going?” Mark’s voice was as gentle as ever. “Everything’s going smoothly. What, do you miss me? I miss you too, sweetie. Just wait for me to come home. “Oh, and how are the negotiations going on your end? Remember, absolutely don’t agree to anything less than 25 million. These developers are filthy rich; we can’t let them rip us off.” I didn’t answer him. Because at that moment, I saw the steel arm of a heavy excavator already raised high. The next second, It descended with the accumulated resentment of three years of negotiations, smashing violently into the roof. BOOM. A deafening crash. It came simultaneously from the phone and from reality. At the same time, from the other end of the line, a woman’s terrified scream echoed. After the scream, the call was instantly disconnected. My heart plummeted to the bottom. The woman’s voice was all too familiar. It was Mark’s secretary, Chloe Miller, his so-called cousin. Now it was clear. I’d been fooled. Chloe wasn’t his cousin at all. Just as the bullet comments said, she was his childhood sweetheart, his little mistress. The bullet comments were true. They really were in the basement. They really were on-site. And they really planned to bury me in the basement later. I clenched my teeth in hatred, feeling an unprecedented sense of humiliation and dread. We were all adults. Why would they choose this time, this place, to have sex? The reason was obvious. Mark. You like seeking thrills right under my nose, do you? Then I’ll give you a spectacle you’ll never forget. I turned to Mr. Davies, my voice cutting through the noise. “Demolish it. Leave nothing standing.”
Though surprised by my sudden change, Mr. Davies immediately brightened, beaming as he agreed. Next, a second piece of equipment targeted a load-bearing wall, beginning its assault. The entire building trembled. It was no exaggeration to say the ground was shaking. In a blink, five machines were striking the house from all sides. Rubble flew, crashing down in torrents. The bullet comments exploded with cheers. “Holy crap, this is awesome, so good! Those two scumbags are inside crying their eyes out, completely clueless about what’s happening!” “Demolish it! Harder! Don’t let them mess with our sweet Layla ever again!” “Mark tried to open the door, but a falling boulder blocked him in!” “Oh yeah, the basement collapsed halfway! Chloe’s legs are crushed, looks like she’s going to be a cripple!” With the bullet comments providing real-time updates, my eyes gleamed, and I felt utterly invigorated. I immediately pulled out my phone and furiously snapped pictures of the demolition site, then posted them to Mark’s family chat group. “Deal done! Demolition’s started. Celebrating with a family dinner this weekend-my treat.” Instantly, the family group chat lit up. Sarah Allen joyfully sent a voice message. “A daughter-in-law like you is heaven-sent! Oh, sweetheart, you’re incredible. I always knew you were the one with real vision in this family!” Arthur was extremely emotional. “So, the 25 million was settled then? This, this… this is truly wonderful!” Other relatives also showered me with praise. After all, ever since Mark married me, this family hadn’t stopped benefiting from me. The group chat was buzzing with enthusiastic discussion. Suddenly, Arthur and Sarah fell silent. Only the other relatives kept chatting. A bullet comment floated across the screen just then. “LOL, I’m starting to think Layla did this on purpose. Seeing the message in the group, that idiot Mark finally realized he was being buried alive!” “Now he’s finally remembering to call his parents for help!” “Layla’s in-laws aren’t good people either. Two-faced. Wasn’t it them who pushed Chloe onto Mark in the first place?” “Exactly! Layla isn’t easy to control, so they wanted Chloe to be their daughter-in-law so they could boss her around.” Seeing this, the corner of my mouth curved into a subtle smile. The last trace of moral compunction in my heart vanished without a trace.
Arthur and Sarah arrived faster than I’d expected. “Stop! Stop right now! My son is in there! Mark! My son!” Sarah let out a heart-wrenching wail. Arthur, trembling, pointed at the house and screamed at me, spittle flying. “Layla, what have you done? Mark is down there! He called saying he was trapped! Make them stop immediately!” I tilted my head slightly, looking genuinely puzzled. “Dad, Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? Mark is on a business trip, isn’t he? I just spoke to him; he said everything was fine. Did you hear wrong? Or… is he playing a joke?” Sarah was practically jumping with urgency. “Playing a joke? He was screaming for help! The phone suddenly cut off! He’s right there, under this house, in the basement! Make them stop!” Mr. Davies’s face turned white with alarm. If there truly was someone inside, he wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility. Just then, I spoke up. “Mr. Davies, these are my in-laws, Arthur and Sarah. They insist my husband is buried in the basement. “You were right there when I called him, weren’t you? My husband is clearly on a business trip out of town.” Mr. Davies let out a sigh of relief, his whole body relaxing. “That’s right, I heard it clearly just now. Mr. Allen even said he missed you and told you to wait for him to come back, and he also said… not to accept anything less than twenty-five million.” He stopped mid-sentence, giving me a fawning smile. “Ms. Thompson, you’re truly reasonable and so generous.” I nodded. “You see? Mark really is on a business trip. Are you two hearing things, or is he just messing with you? This house has been empty for years, and we’ve never even lived in it. Why would he randomly be in the basement?” Arthur and Sarah were speechless for a moment, blocked by my words. They exchanged panicked glances. Of course, they knew about Mark and Chloe’s sordid affair. At this moment, how could they possibly reveal that their son was having an affair with another woman? “Anyway., he’s down there! I heard it with my own ears!” Sarah could only resort to irrational rambling. Watching another excavator scoop towards the crumbling staircase, She completely lost it. She threw herself onto the ground in front of the excavator, flailing and screaming. Seeing this, Arthur refused to back down. He glared at me and Mr. Davies, his eyes spitting fire. “I’m telling you, I’ve already called the police! If you dare to demolish anything else, you’ll be going to jail!” With that, he also lay down in front of the excavator, just like Sarah. Mr. Davies’s face darkened completely. He felt they were being utterly unreasonable. However, hearing they’d called the police, he had no choice but to temporarily halt operations. The bullet comments were ecstatic. “Oh, good, the police are coming! When they rescue those two scumbags from the basement, they can ask them why they’re both naked!” “Right, the demolition happened too fast, no time to put on clothes, I guess.” “No way out! Mark either dies if he doesn’t call for help, or faces total public humiliation if he does! Clearly, he chose the second path.” The police arrived quickly. “Who owns this property? What’s going on here? We received a report that there might be people trapped inside?” I stepped forward, my voice calm and clear. “Officer, I’m Layla, the homeowner. This is my property, it’s been vacant for a long time, and today I reached an agreement with the developers for a legal demolition. “My husband, Mark, is currently on a business trip out of town. Mr. Davies can confirm this; we just spoke on the phone half an hour ago. But my in-laws suddenly showed up, insisting my husband is trapped down there, and they’ve disrupted the construction.” Mr. Davies quickly added, producing the demolition permit. The police officer frowned, looking at the tearful Arthur and Sarah. “You say your son is inside? Do you have any evidence? Why would he be in the basement of an empty house being demolished?” “He… he…” Sarah fumbled for words for a long time, unable to make sense, and finally, her embarrassment turned into rage. “I don’t care! My son is down there! If you demolish anything else, you’re committing murder!” The police had to be responsible for any possible risk to life. The lead officer signaled for the demolition to pause. The site finally fell silent for the first time. He walked to the edge of the rubble and shouted loudly. “Is anyone down there? If so, respond!” the officer yelled. Only a deafening silence. “Impossible! He just called! Mark, answer me!” Sarah threw herself at the edge of the rubble, crying out. Still no response. A bullet comment drifted past. “Mark wished he could answer, but a massive slab of concrete is pinning him down. Too much pain to even whisper, and his phone is probably crushed.” “Chloe seems quiet… did she kick the bucket? Oh, no, not yet. Still breathing, just blood loss and pain, unconscious.” Seeing Mark also pinned down, My mood brightened even further. The police asked me to call Mark. Of course, I complied. His phone has been switched off. That’s when a faint, rhythmic tapping echoed from deep within the rubble. Every face around me shifted in an instant. My eyes narrowed slightly. Not dead. Good. Then let’s get them out. After all, I heard those two bastards were completely naked. I was very much looking forward to the rescue.
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