Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
At the Saunders family estate, Lily Moore and Elsie waited eagerly. Seeing Owen with a shawl, Elsie assumed it was for her. She subtly nudged Lily aside. But Owen wasn’t looking at her; he watched the road, anticipating Paul’s car, holding the shawl for Yunice.
Elsie’s face twisted with frustration. Even now, Owen couldn’t let go of the lunatic. Paul’s car arrived. Elsie quickly adopted a look of admiration. “Paul always knows how to handle things. Yunice only listens to him…” Realizing her mistake, she gasped and covered her mouth. Sobbing, she said, “Owen, I wasn’t trying to say you’re incapable. It’s just that I grew up in the mountains and don’t know how to speak properly…”
But Owen was deep in thought. He’d tried to pick Yunice up, speaking patiently, but she’d been defiant. Yet Paul had brought her home easily? His happiness vanished; his face darkened. She didn’t care if he coaxed her? Well, neither did he.
When Yunice exited the car, Owen draped the shawl over Elsie’s shoulders instead. Yunice could freeze for all he cared. The autumn evening was chilly; the cold wind immediately sent a shiver through her thin T-shirt.
She glanced at the shawl on Elsie, then at Lily, who rushed toward her, sobbing, “My child, you’ve suffered…”
Elsie stepped forward, tears brimming. “It’s all my fault for wanting to live with the Saunders family. That’s why Yunice got so angry that she fell ill. I should never have dared to dream of having a family… If you agree to come home, Yunice, I’ll leave with nothing. You’ll never have to worry about me taking your family away again.”
Lily immediately embraced Elsie, weeping.
Owen scowled. “You’re Mom’s child too. What’s this talk about yours and mine? The Saunders family is your home. No one has the right to kick you out! Don’t ever say such things again!”
Paul stepped forward, placing himself between Yunice and Elsie. “She stabbed you, causing you to need lifelong medication. This is her punishment. She owes you. The Saunders family owes you. We all need to make it up to you.”
Owen’s expression darkened. Yes. This was Yunice and the Saunders family’s debt. They all owed Elsie.
Yunice lifted her gaze. Those closest to her now stood with Elsie, leaving Yunice alone in the cold wind, feeling utterly out of place. Her eyes drifted to the flowerbed by the Saunders family estate’s iron gate. As a child, her father had told her her mother loved red roses; she had loved them too. He had planted a row of rose bushes along the courtyard wall. During their blooming season, the roses thrived, swaying in the wind. Her father would hold her small hand as they stood beneath them, eagerly awaiting something.
After her father’s death, Elsie, allergic to pollen, moved in. Oscar had the rose bushes removed and replaced with bamboo, Elsie’s favorite. Elsie claimed bamboo was noble and unyielding, qualities she wished to emulate. Yunice pleaded with Lily, arguing the roses symbolized her father’s love. She begged them to keep them for his sake. But when Elsie gasped for air, Lily panicked, urging Oscar to cut down the “damn roses” immediately.
Oscar scolded Yunice for selfishness and lack of compassion. Owen declared only shallow people liked roses, advising her to emulate Elsie’s moral principles and develop a bamboo-like character. Lily comforted her, arguing that a few plants paled in comparison to Elsie’s life. The roses were removed, leaving Yunice with nothing to hold onto.
The weeping group eventually calmed. Lily wiped her tears, seemingly just noticing the cold. She turned to Yunice. “Go take a hot shower with Gianna to wash away the bad luck. From now on, we are still a family.” Gianna smiled, leading Yunice.
The house, her childhood home, felt both familiar and foreign. The layout remained the same, but much was unrecognizable. The entrance held a rack of Elsie’s pink fuzzy slippers. Elsie’s portraits adorned the walls; the thick stair carpet prevented Elsie’s falls. Her old room, naturally, belonged to Elsie-the best sunlight and view wouldn’t remain vacant.
Gianna led Yunice to a small room, a converted walk-in closet, slightly better than a maid’s quarters. Yunice didn’t recognize Gianna; she must have been hired after Yunice’s psychiatric hospitalization.
Entering, Yunice saw a hidden surveillance camera. Without reaction, she asked, “Gianna, what happened to the former housekeeper?”
Gianna sneered. “Oh, she went back to her hometown three years ago. Heard her husband found a younger woman, and she wasn’t happy, so she went back to stir things up. What man doesn’t cheat? Making a scene only affects his ego.”
Yunice glanced at her but didn’t reply. Seizing the opportunity, Yunice rummaged through the drawers. The room was hastily arranged; not a single electronic device was present. She looked at the camera again. Numerous cameras were installed throughout the house-clearly for her. They thought she was crazy, fearing she might harm Elsie. If they were so wary, why bring her back from the hospital?
Suspicious, Yunice saw Gianna exit the bathroom. She quickly locked the door.
Gianna knocked. “Hey, why did you lock the door?”
“I’m taking a shower,” Yunice replied.
“You don’t need to lock the door for that!”
Yunice countered, “Do you not lock the door when you shower?”
Gianna glanced at the bathroom, then reached for her uniform. Reaching into her pocket, she realized her phone was gone.
In the bathroom, Yunice swiftly disassembled Gianna’s phone, removed the SIM card, disabled location tracking, and began typing.
Outside, Gianna pounded. “Did you take my phone?”
“I haven’t seen it,” Yunice replied, without turning.
Gianna didn’t believe her. “Open the door and let me in. I’ll check.”
Yunice dismissed her. “Wait until I’m done showering.”
Unable to force the door open, Gianna fumed. “If you don’t open up, that means you definitely stole it! Just wait! I’m telling Mr. Owen!”
Yunice ignored her, focusing on the phone. The noise stopped; Gianna had likely left. Using Gianna’s phone, Yunice accessed the Saunders family’s security cameras.
Lily and Owen were in the living room. Paul spoke to Elsie.
Affectionately, Paul said, “Elsie, we brought her back this time to talk about breaking off the engagement. You can’t keep hesitating.”
Elsie looked conflicted, pushing Paul away. “Your engagement is with the Saunders family. I’m an outsider. How could I steal my sister’s fianc?? I can’t betray Yunice!”
Paul circled her, squatting. “Come on, it’s the modern age. Arranged marriages are outdated. Besides, our whole family agreed to call off the engagement. If it makes things easier, I can apologize to her. If she doesn’t agree, she’ll never see me again.”
Watching, Yunice smirked coldly. So that was their plan. No wonder they were so eager to get her out of the psychiatric hospital… They wanted her to relinquish her fianc?.
She remembered Paul’s breech birth. No Silverburgh hospital dared handle it. Her father’s ancient remedy saved his mother’s life, allowing Paul’s birth. His mother’s gratitude led to their engagement. Now, the Powell family wanted to transfer that gratitude to Elsie.
Gianna returned, unlocking the bathroom door and barging in. “Ms. Saunders, stealing is a bad habit. If Mr. Owen finds out, he’ll send you right back to the psychiatric hospital!”
She believed Yunice had taken her phone. Reclining, Yunice looked at her flatly. “I didn’t take it. Go ahead and report me.”
Gianna was stunned. She hadn’t expected such defiance. Knowing Yunice’s mental illness, she knew crazy people couldn’t be trusted. Catching Yunice red-handed would earn her points with Owen. Proving Yunice a thief would allow blaming future thefts on her. But she needed solid evidence; the surveillance footage showed nothing. Yet, she was certain Yunice had stolen it. The bathroom was small; where could she have hidden it?
Gianna forcefully dragged Yunice from the bathtub. Finding no phone on her, Gianna searched the bathroom. As she attempted to open the toilet tank, Yunice frantically flushed it. Seeing Yunice’s nervous expression, Gianna swiftly lifted the toilet lid, but found nothing except rushing water. The phone was gone. Gianna seized the moment, triumphantly accusing Yunice, “Stealing? Mr. Owen won’t let you off for this!” She excitedly ran to report Yunice.
Owen sat in his room, feeling unsettled by Yunice’s recent distance. Uneasy, he retrieved a necklace he’d prepared for her-a gift she’d longed for after their father’s death, a request unmet due to family troubles. He murmured, “If she still refuses to be nice after accepting this gift, then she’s just being ungrateful.” He was about to find Yunice when Gianna rushed in, but before she could speak, Lily urgently grabbed Owen’s arm. “Owen, hurry! Go check on Elsie, she’s having another attack!”
Chaotic footsteps and Lily’s sobs echoed, then silence fell. Yunice emerged from her room, her hair wet, her feet bare. The villa’s stillness amplified her heartbeat. She knew tonight, no one would care about her return. Elsie, she realized, was an expert at this-orchestrating episodes to steal attention whenever something significant happened in Yunice’s life. Elsie’s “attacks” had marred Yunice’s college entrance exam, her coming-of-age ceremony, and even their father’s death anniversary. After the last incident, Oscar and Lily had stopped holding memorials.
Yunice smirked coldly. The overgrown grass on their father’s grave-a consequence of her psychiatric hospital confinement-underscored Elsie’s manipulative behavior. Lily’s words about family seemed hollow.
In the psychiatric hospital, Yunice had harbored dark thoughts. What if Lily hadn’t brought Elsie back? What if Lily hadn’t been rescued? But time had dulled her hatred. She no longer craved Oscar, Owen, or Paul. She simply wanted to leave the hospital and keep her father’s few remaining possessions. But first, she needed to survive.
Yunice gazed at her old room on the second floor. Her expression darkened.
At the pawnshop, the clerk swiftly slid a bank card across the counter. “Dead pawn, three months. No extension. 300,000 in the account, no password.” Yunice snatched the card. This black-market establishment required no ID or explanation. She had pawned a bracelet, one of her father’s keepsakes, needing 500,000 to reclaim it in three months. Oscar had manipulated her registration, replacing her fingerprints with Elsie’s, rendering her unable to obtain a new ID or bank account. This money was all she had.
Securing the card, Yunice asked, her face hidden by a scarf, “Have the Alphasirox pills been sold yet?” The clerk indicated a nearby alley. “Still at the back.”
Yunice thanked him and hurried toward the alley. Alphasirox pills, effective for internal injuries, were rare and only available on the black market. Rounding a corner, she collided with someone, losing her balance and dropping the card. As she reached for it, strong hands seized her arms, pinning her against the wall. Heavy footsteps echoed. “He ran this way! That cripple can’t have gotten far!”
Yunice stiffened, looking up at her captor. He removed his jacket. She felt a cane press against her abdomen. He finished disguising himself, then frowned at her. Her disguise-a thick hat, scarf, and Gianna’s maid uniform-was too obvious in the black market. Wyatt Cooper scoffed; his luck was terrible.
As he moved to push her aside, Yunice grabbed his collar with surprising strength. Their positions reversed. She pulled down her hat and scarf, her hair partially concealing her face. Wyatt froze. Without hesitation, she transformed the maid uniform into a revealing off-shoulder outfit.
The pursuers burst into the alley. Yunice pressed against Wyatt, swaying against him. “Oh… you’re too good, I can’t take any more… ah… you’re ruining me…” she moaned, tilting her head back.
The men, flashlights sweeping the scene, saw a man with a woman. Assuming a streetwalker encounter, they dismissed their suspicion. The man wasn’t their limping target.
Once they left, Yunice moaned again, then glanced cautiously at their retreating figures. Believing herself safe, she turned, only to meet a pair of sharp eyes.
The man’s gaze was icy, filled with suspicion and hostility-like a venomous snake assessing its prey. I had clearly helped him, so why this? Was he insulted, unable to bear the humiliation? Instinctively, Yunice stepped back, lowered her head to adjust her clothing, and ignored his stare. Without her support, he seemed unsteady, leaning heavily on a black cane hidden behind him.
Yunice had no intention of interfering, yet the man radiated an air of nobility. His status was clearly extraordinary. His captors obviously wanted no witnesses; as an eyewitness, I could be implicated. I’d sneaked out that day, wanting only to avoid trouble. Helping him was, in a way, self-preservation.
Fortunately, he was crippled. Whatever he planned, as long as I grabbed the bank card and ran, he wouldn’t catch me. As expected, he didn’t chase her. Yunice relaxed. Now, she could process what happened. The man’s face flashed in her memory; besides a sense of familiarity, something else… a peculiar herbal scent. She didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she rushed to the auction house, grabbing a box of Alphasirox pills before buying a new phone and unregistered SIM card.
Owen and Lily were still at the hospital. In the ward, Giana tidied Elsie’s things, muttering, “If Ms. Saunders had returned earlier, Ms. Elsie wouldn’t be ill. Now she’ll stay longer…”
Owen frowned, looking towards the hallway. Yunice was nowhere to be seen. Annoyed, he snapped, “She’s heartless! How precious are her legs that she won’t even visit?”
Lily’s eyes were red with exhaustion. Wiping Elsie’s hands, she defended Yunice, “She just got home. Maybe she’s tired. Don’t be too harsh.”
Owen scoffed, “She had good food and sleep at the psychiatric hospital. How tired could she be?”