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502words
"All the ingredients Claire bought were certified by the manufacturer.They can confirm that."
"I never thought you'd stoop so low,endangering people to ruin Claire!"
The parents,hearing this,erupted."I thought you were decent,but you're the one who hurt my child!"
Ms.Harper said righteously,"Sophie,you've disappointed me!"
"This was her personal error,not the restaurant's.We'll send her to the police."
Ethan"kindly"handed over a knife.As the enraged parent lunged,police burst in.
I'd called them before coming here.
Last life,Ethan and Claire pushed me forward,and I was hacked to death.
I'd never forget Ethan's venomous glare.
"Sophie,if you'accidentally'die by the victims'hands,the truth won't matter."
His cruelty,I'd seen firsthand.
Having died once,I was cautious,calling the police early.
Their scheme failed.Claire looked at Ethan anxiously.
He squeezed her hand,confident."Don't worry—she's the one going down."
I laughed.Two brainless fools.Even in my previous life,with a fair chance,Claire would've been jailed.Let alone this time around?
We were taken to the police station.
Ethan repeated his story.I watched him perform,waiting.
The parents were still furious.
I asked calmly,"Did the doctor say the child had nitrite poisoning?"
The parents paused.A sharp officer sensed something,calling the child's doctor.
Half an hour later,the doctor arrived with the child's lab results.
"Nitrite poisoning?No way!The kid was poisoned from raw and cooked foods mixed—completely different symptoms!"
Claire's face went white.Ethan's expression darkened.
I handed my test report to the police.
"This is from the cold storage food.It confirms poisoning from improper storage."
"Claire was in charge of that food."
Realizing they'd been lied to,the parents'rage exploded.They grabbed Claire's hair,slapping her twice.
Claire screamed,"No!It wasn't me!"
The police stopped the assault,or she'd have been half-dead.
Ethan quietly stepped back,knowing he couldn't save Claire.
He likely dated her for career boosts,not love.
I glanced at him,sneering.
"Officer,I'm also reporting Ethan Brooks and manager Fiona Harper for abuse of power and defamation!"
Ethan panicked."What are you babbling about?"
I submitted the audio."Here's the evidence."
Ethan's face twisted,but he was helpless.
"Officer,don't listen to her nonsense."
"We'll verify her claims,"the officer said.
Two weeks later,the court ruled.Claire got two years.Ethan and Ms.Harper were detained for education for half a month and fined$10,000 for my emotional distress.
The scandal hurt the restaurant,and both were fired.
Management,to compensate me,promoted me to the head chef with a raise.
On the promotion day,the parents brought gifts to apologize.I accepted,hoping for no further contact.
Truthfully,seeing them again,I couldn't help but fear.
I thought it was over until one night,heading home,a figure with a dagger jumped out at a corner.
It was Ethan,unshaven,haggard.
"Give me a million dollars,or I'll kill you!"
He waved the dagger,backing me into a wall.
No choice—I had to gamble.When he let his guard down,I sprayed him with pepper spray from my bag.
He howled,clutching his eyes.I shoved him and ran,yelling"Murder!"into a nearby supermarket.
Ethan didn't follow.Shaken,I called the police.
They caught him nearby.
He tried to lie,but street cameras proved everything.
He was sentenced to three years for robbery.
Seeing those who wronged me punished,I exhaled,my heart's burden lifted.
Justice had been served.
