Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
But Yunice didn’t flinch. She knew this money had absolutely nothing to do with her. She stared straight at Paul, then pushed herself up from the cash pile, stumbling as she made her way toward him.
They stood barely six feet apart. Paul’s smirk froze on his face as he met her gaze-a complicated look flickered in his eyes. Somehow, even after all this, it didn’t make him feel better. He felt unsettled, frustrated; the emotions twisted in his chest with nowhere to go. He’d dumped 4 million dollars on her-and Yunice didn’t react at all.
Why is she looking at me with those cold eyes? Why didn’t she cry? Why wasn’t she like Elsie-red-eyed and pitiful? After everything I’d…
, Please
And you couldn’t hate someone unless you’d once loved them. There had to still be something there. He’d wait and see how long she could keep up the act.
Paul taunted, “Wow, so pissed off and still not calling Wyatt to back you up? Afraid he won’t show and you’ll be on your own?”
Yunice stared at him, unmoved. She raised her voice, “Mr. Quinton, do me a favor-and I’ll owe you one, no questions asked.”
Quinton blinked. He hadn’t expected fortune to fall right in his lap. He said, “Name it.”
Yunice shouted, “Help me exchange some money. I’m working with a tight budget-only 14,000 dollars.”
Paul looked at her, confused; he had no idea what she was up to.
Quinton assumed she needed money. He immediately pulled out his checkbook-only to hear Yunice add, “Turn all dollars into coins. I want to crush him with it.”
Owen and Lily’s faces froze. Owen did some quick math-14,000 dollars in coins weighed over twelve hundred pounds! He snapped, “Yunice, are you trying to kill him?”
Yunice didn’t even glance at him. She spoke directly to Paul. “Paul, would you dare take my money?”
Paul’s eyelid twitched. He tried to cover his unease. “I’ve got more money than I can spend.”
“That’s not the same,” Yunice said coldly. “It’s only 14,000 dollars, but it’s an advance on your medical bills. You’re taking it whether you like it or not.”
Quinton already had his phone out. “It’s not easy to withdraw that many coins, but it’s not impossible. Give me ten minutes, Ms. Saunders-delivery will come in batches.”
Cash flow at banks was limited; large withdrawals had to be booked in advance.
‘s About to Drop
Paul had dragged in $4 million in cash just to show off-to prove his power in front of everyone. It was impressive; in less than an hour, he’d managed to pull together $4 million in cash. That took real muscle.
But this new demand-fourteen thousand dollars in coins-was a whole different kind of challenge. Not many people could pull that off. Only someone with Quinton’s connections could get his friends to withdraw it from different banks, little by little.
Watching Quinton make call after call, Paul’s face started to darken. Elsie noticed his expression and, always the considerate one, stepped in for him. She turned to Quinton and asked sweetly, “Mr. Quinton, are you really going to go against the Powell family just for her?”
Paul gave Elsie a grateful look. That was what he liked most about her. He cared about pride; even when he felt unsure, he couldn’t show it. But Elsie-she would say what he couldn’t.
Yunice wasn’t like that. In situations like this, she always told him not to be impulsive, laid out all the consequences, and made him feel small in front of his enemies. He was scared Yunice might actually go through with it, but he couldn’t back down-he couldn’t show weakness.
So Quinton had better understand exactly what he was stepping into. But Quinton just smiled. “Haven’t I already made it obvious whose side I’m on?”
Elsie frowned. Paul clenched his jaw.
Quinton added, “And I should really thank the both of you-for giving me this perfect opportunity.”
“You!” Paul was so angry he nearly spat blood.
Quinton might’ve been older and not particularly powerful, but he had a reputation for being a sly old fox. When it benefited him, he didn’t care about enemies or allies. Right now, he was backing Yunice-consequences be damned.
Owen looked at Paul’s pale, green-tinged face, then at Quinton, who looked ready to party. He couldn’t help falling into deep thought. What was Yunice’s leverage? Why would Quinton treat her words like gospel? Could it be Dad’s medical journals? Last time, Quinton had kidnapped Yunice over those notebooks. So now, instead of threats, he was using flattery.
Unacceptable. Those journals belonged to the Saunders family-not just Yunice. She had no right to use them for her own gain.
As tension filled the air, no one spoke. Elsie kept glancing at the time, her eyes full of anxiety. The ten minutes Yunice and Quinton had agreed on were almost up.
Is there still a way out of this?
That was when a strange noise suddenly echoed from somewhere-not clinking coins, but a clattering, mechanical rumble. Elsie and Paul stiffened like startled birds, glancing around in alarm. “What’s that sound?”
It almost sounded like construction work.
Vilnice looked at Quinton questioningly. Quinton furrowed his brow and gave a slight shake of his head-it wasn’t him.
But just his luck-he tripped on something. His knees buckled, and he hit the ground hard with a loud thud. Owen, who’d been desperate for answers, was speechless. He was about to go see for himself when Paul suddenly growled, “Wyatt…”
He said it through gritted teeth, eyes full of spite, glaring toward the Saunders mansion gate. Wyatt walked toward them, steady and unhurried, leaning on a cane.
Gill’s eyes lit up. She grabbed Yunice’s shoulders and shook her excitedly. “Ms. Saunders! It’s Mr. Cooper! You don’t have to fight this alone!”
Yunice’s vision blurred from the sudden jostling. Her head swam. By the time she looked up again, Wyatt was already close.
How’d he show up at the perfect moment…
Wyatt’s gaze swept over Paul like he didn’t exist, then passed him completely. He walked straight to Yunice-and took her hand. Yunice looked up at him, startled and unsure. But there was no warmth in his eyes-only a sharp, cold warning.
“Back home. I’ll deal with you there,” Wyatt muttered above her head. Yunice went silent. Paul stared at their joined hands, his eyes full of barely restrained rage.
Wyatt turned to Quinton next, his expression calm-but his smirk venomous. Quinton caught that look and felt a chill run down his spine. That wasn’t just a glance-it was a threat.
Wyatt, still holding Yunice’s hand, led her aside and stood with her silently. Everyone waited for him to speak-but he said nothing. Above them, the grinding, clattering sound continued. Paul finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Wyatt, is this noise your doing?”
Owen turned to Yunice, his voice full of reproach. “Yunice, what are you trying to pull now?”
That noise really did sound like multiple bulldozers. Could it be… Yunice and Wyatt were planning to demolish the home?
Owen snapped, “Whatever you’re planning, stop it right now!”
Yunice looked up at Wyatt, but all she could see was the sharp profile of his face. He was staring straight at Paul, showing no sign of explaining anything to her. She had no idea what he was trying to do. Ignoring Owen, she turned to look at the tall walls surrounding the Saunders mansion.
From behind the walls, four cranes suddenly rose into the air-one from each direction-lifting a massive net that stretched across the entire courtyard of the Saunders mansion. Lily gasped in horror, clutching Owen’s arm. “What are they doing?”
Elsie shrank into Paul’s arms, calling his name in a panic. But Paul didn’t have time to comfort her. He was staring up at the rising net overhead.
Quinton, meanwhile, looked back and forth between Yunice and Wyatt. He’d heard about their engagement, but the rumors said the Powell family had arranged it just to rein Wyatt in. Judging by the situation now, though, it didn’t seem to match those rumors. After all, Wyatt was known for keeping his distance. Quinton had seen it himself-there was that one time a woman had tried to touch him, and Wyatt had…
Quinton didn’t get to finish that thought. Out of nowhere-whack-something smacked him right in the forehead. A sharp pain made him instantly clutch his head. Instinctively, he looked up-just in time to see a backhoe arm extend over the Saunders courtyard net, carrying a full load of coins directly above his head. The bucket was overloaded, and as it moved, some coins slipped through the net. Quinton happened to be standing right beneath it.
A massive shadow passed overhead; Paul and Elsie stood frozen in its path, eyes wide. “Watch out!” Owen shouted. But it was already too late. The backhoe tilted, dumping the full load of coins onto the giant net. The net, acting like a sieve, scattered the coins evenly before they poured down like a rainstorm.
Screams rang out from every direction, voices all tangled together-no telling who was shouting what. Quinton ducked, covering his head with both arms. Through the chaos, he looked toward Wyatt and finally realized-nothing was falling in their direction.
No wonder Wyatt had led Yunice over there; he’d planned it all out. And he was on Yunice’s side-yet didn’t even give Quinton a heads-up! “That sneaky bastard,” Quinton muttered and bolted toward Wyatt and Yunice.
Paul and his group weren’t so lucky. The coins fell with serious force, like a hailstorm from the sky. They dented the cars in the courtyard; forget people-this thing was brutal.
Of course, it hurt. She didn’t love Paul anymore, but seeing this scene made her feel miserable. It was like no one had ever truly loved Ben.
Just then, she felt someone grab her arm and pull it close. Startled, she turned her head and saw Gill standing beside her, glaring at Paul with righteous anger while clinging tightly to Yunice’s arm. Noticing Yunice’s gaze, Gill leaned in and whispered, “Miss, you better not run over there. Don’t feel sorry for him-he deserves it.”
So that’s what this was-Gill was afraid she hadn’t let Paul go. Yunice looked at Gill’s serious expression and couldn’t help laughing; her eyes, though, turned red. Who said no one had coerced me? Hadn’t Gill always stayed by my side, unwavering?
She really had been foolish-feeling hurt over someone like that. What she should’ve cared about were the people who truly looked out for her. Everyone else wasn’t worth the emotional toll.
As soon as Gill saw her eyes fill with tears, she quickly turned Yunice’s face away and whispered anxiously, “Don’t cry, don’t-Mr. Cooper might see you!”