Chapter 160: Tell my husband not to marry again

A few tense seconds passed as the three women stared at the old cabinet.

Thud!

Another loud bang echoed from inside.

All three jumped.

Lily practically threw herself onto Silvia, clutching her arm for dear life, while Clara stood frozen as if she’d been struck by lightning.

"There is absolutely no way my mother’s house has been hiding a ghost all these years," Clara muttered, trying—and failing—to convince herself.

"Madam..." Silvia swallowed hard despite being the bravest among them. "What... what do you think is inside?"

She didn’t believe in ghosts, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified. If it wasn’t a ghost, then it had to be something even worse.

Clara met Silvia’s eyes, and they silently reached the same conclusion.

A person sneaking inside the cabinet was impossible.

But a wild animal?

That was another story.

"Lily, get the pepper spray from my handbag."

She pointed toward the purse resting on a nearby table.

Lily nodded so quickly it was almost comical. Letting go of Silvia, she sprinted across the room like a frightened squirrel and returned moments later, proudly holding up the pepper spray.

"Silvia, go upstairs and grab a bedsheet. If it’s an animal, we’ll throw it over it before it attacks."

"Y-Yes, Madam!"

Silvia disappeared upstairs without another word.

Just then, Gen, who had been resting upstairs, walked into the hallway and frowned at the strange sight before her.

The three women were standing in battle positions, staring at a cabinet.

"...What’s going on?"

"Shhh!" Lily hurried over and covered Gen’s mouth. "Don’t be so loud! There’s a wild animal hiding inside the cabinet."

Gen blinked.

"A... wild animal?"

That sounded ridiculous. The bakery was nowhere near a forest.

Thud!

Another heavy noise came from inside.

Gen’s eyes widened.

"...Never mind. Carry on."

Without another question, she quietly joined the defensive formation.

Clara tightened her grip on the pepper spray.

She had beaten up school bullies.

She had even fought Karlo’s men without breaking a sweat.

But a wild animal?

That was way outside her job description.

Should I just quit everything and join the Forest Department? she thought miserably. Why does it suddenly feel like I chose the wrong career?

Despite the fear twisting in her stomach, she stepped toward the cabinet.

Someone had to deal with whatever was inside.

She took a deep breath and looked back dramatically.

"Girls..."

The others stared at her nervously.

"If I don’t make it out alive..."

Lily’s eyes instantly turned watery.

"...tell my husband not to marry again."

The room fell silent.

"...Or I’ll come back as a ghost and make his second marriage a living nightmare."

Silvia slowly raised a hand.

"Madam... do you honestly think any of us will still be alive to deliver that message?"

Clara paused. She looked at the cabinet. Then at the girls.

"...You know what? That’s a fair point."

The four women exchanged solemn nods. After another second, Clara sighed dramatically.

"But just in case one of you survives, make sure Dom remembers this."

She raised the pepper spray like a warrior preparing for battle.

"I forbid that man from marrying another woman."

Lily sniffled. "What if... we’re all the ghosts haunting him together?"

Clara’s eyes lit up. "...Now that’s the kind of teamwork I like."

The four women huddled together, refusing to take another step toward the cabinet.

"So..." Lily whispered, her voice trembling. "If we all become ghosts today... do ghosts still have to pay taxes?"

Silvia blinked. "I don’t think taxes are your biggest concern right now."

"Well, I need to know!"

Gen pinched the bridge of her nose. "You two are discussing the afterlife while something is trying to escape that cabinet."

"I cope with fear by asking important questions," Lily defended herself.

Clara nodded seriously. "That’s understandable."

Gen stared at her. "...Madam, please don’t encourage her."

Silvia tightened her grip on the bedsheet.

"What if it’s a wolf?"

Lily gasped. "What if it’s a bear?"

Gen frowned. "Why are we making it bigger? Maybe it’s just a raccoon."

Everyone looked at her.

"A raccoon doesn’t make the furniture shake," Clara said.

"...Fair point."

THUD!

The cabinet shook violently.

"Aah!" All four screamed and jumped into each other’s arms, nearly toppling onto the floor.

"I knew it!" Lily cried. "It’s hungry!"

"For heaven’s sake, stop saying things like that!" Silvia whined.

Clara took a deep breath and slowly pulled herself away from the group.

"No... no more running."

The three women looked at her. "If we keep standing here, whatever’s inside is eventually going to come out on its own."

She raised the pepper spray with trembling hands.

"If destiny has chosen me..." She looked toward the ceiling. "Dear heavens... I’ve always tried to be a decent person."

Clara took a deep breath. "I know I occasionally steal fries from Dom’s plate... and maybe I secretly blamed him for things he didn’t do." She then paused and thought for a few seconds. "...and perhaps I exaggerated a few arguments."

Silvia whispered to Gen, "That’s... more than a few."

Clara ignored her.

"But if this is truly my final day..." She sniffled dramatically. "Dom... I’m really going to miss you."

Lily instantly burst into tears. "This is so tragic!"

"Madam..." Silvia sobbed. "Please don’t die."

"I’m trying not to!" Clara steadied herself and took one cautious step.

Then another. The cabinet stood barely an arm’s length away.

Her hand tightened around the pepper spray. "Whatever you are..."

She swallowed. "...prepare yourself."

Just as she reached for the cabinet door—

"...Woof."

The sound was so soft that everyone froze.

Clara blinked. Her face slowly turned pale.

"...Did... Did that thing bark?"

Another tiny sound echoed from inside.

"Woof..."

Clara’s eyes grew as round as saucers. She let out the loudest scream the mansion had ever heard.

"IT’S A TIGER!"

She stumbled backward so fast that she crashed into the others.

"What?!"

"A TIGER?!"

"I DON’T WANT TO DIE!"

The four women instantly wrapped themselves around one another, shaking like leaves in a storm.

Lily squeezed her eyes shut.

"Mr. Tiger! Please spare us! We don’t taste good!"

Silvia nodded frantically. "She’s right! We’re all skin and bones!"

Gen added, "If you’re hungry, the refrigerator is on the left!"

"And my husband is richer than all of us!" Clara blurted. "Please don’t eat me! I’ll ask him to donate to wildlife conservation!"

No one knew why she said that. No one questioned it. They simply continued crying together.

Then...

BANG!

The cabinet door flew open. Something furry shot out at lightning speed.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The four women screamed so loudly that the entire bakery seemed to shake as they squeezed each other even tighter, convinced their final moments had arrived.

"Detective puppy. You cannot run, or else we will get caught."

"..."