Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Elsie, all smiles, invited, “Mr. Ford, shall we continue our discussion over here?”
Once Quinton had walked off with Elsie, Owen turned back with a scowl. “Elsic and I have work to do. Lao Liu will take you home.”
Yunice clutched her bag tightly and looked up at the grand hotel behind them. Owen and Elsie stood proud, dressed in luxury, using the Saunders family name to network with powerhouses like Quinton Ford. And her! A mentally ill distant cousin. Even after saving someone’s life, she was met with nothing but coldness.
Status really is everything.
That night, Owen came home in high spirits and even asked Giana to prepare extra dishes. At the dinner table, he turned to Yunice with a smile. “You don’t like spicy food, so these milder ones were made just for you.”
“You two are both wonderful,” Lily said happily. “You’re my greatest blessings.”
Yunice ate the food Lily had served her, but every bite was flavorless. No matter how much time passed, she still couldn’t adjust to this environment. She knew she was the outsider, yet still found herself caught between numbness and silent resistance. She lowered her head and ate faster, hoping to disappear from their line of sight. But fate didn’t let her.
“Yunice,” Owen said, “that notebook you dropped earlier-it looked like Dad’s handwriting. Can I take a look?”
Lily froze. Her expression darkened as she turned toward Yunice. “You told me you didn’t have any of your father’s things. Were you lying to me?”
“Lying?” Owen looked between the two, confused.
Lily’s gaze stayed fixed on Yunice, her voice filled with disappointment. “These past few nights I’ve been dreaming of your father. He kept telling me that he left important notes with you. He begged me to protect them. But when I asked, you told me they weren’t in your possession.” She pressed her temples as if in pain. “I haven’t fulfilled your father’s request. My head’s been aching constantly ever since…”
“How could you?” Owen slammed his hand on the table. “Yunice, those were Dad’s things-they should’ve gone to Mom! What right do you have to keep them to yourself?”
The last bite of rice turned to ash in Yunice’s mouth. She set down her chopsticks and said calmly, “Dad didn’t leave me anything. And if he did, they’re not with me.”
“That’s not true!” Lily snapped. “I searched every corner of this house and couldn’t find those books. Who else could’ve taken them?” She sighed dramatically, holding her chest. “I’ve tried to be tolerant of you. You didn’t have a proper upbringing, but I still treated you kindly. And now-now you’re lying to me? Even to me?” She clutched her chest again, as if the betrayal had left her breathless.
Elsie anxiously rubbed Lily’s back, trying to soothe her breathing, her own eyes welling up with tears. “Sis, look what you’ve done! You made Mom this mad-just apologize to her already!”
Owen slammed his hand down on the dining table. “Yunice! Are you seriously not going to bring out Dad’s things? Do you want to drive Mom to the hospital before you’re satisfied?”
Elsie was secretly delighted. Earlier at the hotel, Quinton had asked Yunice several times about the origin of that notebook-it was clear he was very interested in the Saunders family’s ancient texts. And if those texts ended up in her hands, there wasn’t a single resource she wouldn’t be able to trade them for. Even foreign hospitals had been trying to get their hands on the doctor’s methods.
While Lily wept and Owen fumed, Yunice remained calm and composed. That indifference only made their rage burn hotter. Before they could explode, Yunice turned to Lily and asked, “Didn’t Dad tell you where I hid the texts when he came to you in that dream?”
Owen slammed the table again. “Watch your tone, Yunice!”
Yunice looked at him. “Dad really did leave the texts to me. But three years ago, I was dragged straight from the living room to the psych ward. I didn’t take a single thing from the house. It’s been three years-how would I know where the texts are now?”
Owen was momentarily stunned, his bluster dimming. “Then where did you put them three years ago?”
Yunice glanced at Elsie. “In my room, of course.”
That room was now Elsie’s. As everyone turned to look at her, Yunice added, “But it’s been three years. Who knows if they disappeared like my old agarwood bracelet did?”
Elsie quickly denied it, “I’ve never even seen those texts-“
Yunice cut her off with a cold laugh. “Exactly. It’s not like anyone took inventory of my room back then. Who’s to say what’s missing or added now?”
Elsie was practically sobbing, tugging on Owen’s sleeve with both hands. “Owen, you believe me, right? I didn’t steal anything!”
Yunice spoke before Owen could defend her. “There are security cameras in this house. Ever since I got back, I haven’t gone upstairs, right?”
Lily latched onto her point. “But I saw you digging something up in the yard the other day…”
Yunice replied, “You already checked that box. It was just my childhood doodles.”
Lily’s tears clung to her lashes. She paused, then sighed. “I know you can’t bear to give the texts back to me. But what about the notebook Owen mentioned-can you at least let me take a look at that?”
Her gaze landed on the crossbody bag Yunice always carried. Yunice’s fingers tightened around the strap. Faced with the three of them closing in, she forced a dry smile, swallowing her-
Just as Lily reached for it, Yunice opened it herself, showing them their father’s handwriting. “This is his collection of medical notes. He never let it out of his sight when he was alive. If he really came to you in a dream, I figure he just wants you to burn this and send it to him.”
Lily, pleased by the compromise, nodded and smiled. “I’ll offer it up to him right away so he can rest easy-” She reached for the notebook, but Yunice pulled it back slightly. Then, holding one corner of the notebook in one hand, Yunice flicked on a lighter with the other. Before anyone could react, she touched the flame to the edge of the notebook.
Elsie’s smile vanished instantly. Just a second ago, she’d been fantasizing about trading that notebook to make Quinton happy-now it was up in flames! She lunged, but Owen was even faster. Yunice let go before either of them could grab it. Flames leapt high from the notebook, burning fast and hot.
Owen tried to stomp it out, but the fire only grew wilder, nearly catching his pant leg. By the time the flames died down, Owen-pale with rage-picked up what was left of the notebook and opened it, only to be stunned. Half of it had burned. The half that remained was entirely blank-no writing at all.
He slammed the scorched remains on the table and shouted, “Who told you to burn it! Mr. Ford was really interested in Dad’s notes!”
Yunice looked innocent. “Mom said to burn it and send it to Dad. I was just doing what she said… And you never told me Mr. Ford wanted it! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have burned it….”
“What’s the point of saying that now!” Owen fumed.
Lily looked both regretful and angry. “You still shouldn’t have burned it without asking!”
Yunice replied sweetly, “I just didn’t want you to keep having headaches. I thought if I burned it early, Dad would stop bothering you.”
Lily was so furious she couldn’t speak. She turned her head away, refusing to look at Yunice.
Yunice let out a cold laugh in her heart. It’s not that I don’t know how to play innocent-they’re just not buying it. Now that they didn’t get the notebook, they probably hated her even more. But what could they really blame her for? She was doing it for Lily’s own good. No one had told her they were planning to trade the notebook for Quinton’s favor. Their suspicion and hostility toward her only weakened their argument.
Elsie glared at Yunice from behind Owen, fuming. She was sure now-Yunice had gotten smarter. She’d done it on purpose. At the same time, Elsie realized she’d underestimated her. She’d assumed Yunice wouldn’t have the heart to destroy something that had belonged to her dead father. But it turned out Yunice was so jealous, she’d rather burn it than give it up.
Elsie wasn’t ready to give up. “Yunice, Quinton really cares about that notebook. Why don’t you just write it out from memory? You don’t want Owen to lose face, do you?”
Owen looked at Yunice again, clearly thinking that if she was willing to make up for it, he might let it slide. But Yunice looked troubled. “I’m not well-educated-I only finished high school. Dad’s notes were really dense. I couldn’t even understand half of it, let alone memorize or rewrite it…”
Hearing that, Owen pushed Elsie aside and faced Yunice head-on, full of anger. “You’re doing this on purpose. You’re mad… just because I didn’t introduce you to Quinton today!”
“I never said you weren’t my sister. At home, you get everything you’re supposed to. But why do you insist on dragging your condition-and my identity-into public conversations?”
“I kept my distance outside to protect your dignity!”
“So what are you angry about now? You’re my sister-you should support me, think about me! If it were Elsie, she’d never put me in this kind of spot!”
But wasn’t it Owen who had exposed her condition and humiliated her in the first place?
Yunice stared at him coldly. “Then next time, just pretend you don’t know me. That way, you won’t be embarrassed, and I’ll make sure not to acknowledge any of you either.”
Owen’s heart skipped a beat. He stared at Yunice in disbelief. She was really cutting ties with him?
Ignoring his stunned expression, Yunice continued, “Other than that notebook, I don’t have a single thing from the Saunders family. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and search.”
She turned toward the door. “I’m leaving.”
The more she ignored him, the angrier Owen got. “Don’t you have any manners? No one else has left yet, but you think you’re special?”
Yunice acted like she didn’t hear a thing and closed the door behind her.
Elsie stepped in to calm Owen. “Don’t let her get to you, Owen. With her around, you and Mom can’t even eat in peace.”
He sighed again. “If Yunice could just get the Johnson family to help clear your bad press, we wouldn’t have to keep sucking up to Quinton.”
Elsie was skeptical. “You really think she’d help me?”
“I saw her go to the Johnsons myself,” Owen said. “She’s just too jealous to offer help. But I know she still cares about this family. She won’t sit back and watch the hospital’s reputation go down the drain.”
Elsie scoffed inwardly. What can Yunice possibly do to get the Johnsons involved? Still, she had to admit-Yunice wasn’t as easy to deal with as she had been three years ago.
The next morning, before heading to work, Owen handed Yunice a phone. “Next time you go to the Johnsons, don’t call a cab. Just ring Bobby and have him drive you.”