Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
“So what?”
Lily’s tears pattered down on her lap, soaking her clothes. It took her a while to force out something coherent through the sobs. “Yunny, please… I’m begging you. Just show your face, and we can talk about your and Elsie’s identities, okay?”
Just then, a car window rolled down, and Gill waved excitedly at Yunice-she’d been waiting to take her back to Virtue Hall.
On the other end, Lily exhaled sharply with relief, then gave her an address. Yunice hung up and stared at the floor, her face a closed book. But only she knew how much it burned beneath her lashes, how badly she wanted to cry.
Owen was her real brother. Lily was her real mother. Yet when it came to choosing sides, their love for Elsie was so blatant, so obvious. Even after seeing the truth over and over again, she still couldn’t stop the sting in her chest. She popped a pill from her purse. Her heart stopped aching, her mood leveled out-but the tears still slid silently down her cheeks. She got into the car like nothing had happened, but Gill reached out and gently wiped her face.
“Ms. Saunders, why are you crying?”
“You got bullied, didn’t you!” Gill’s eyes burned with fire as she raised her sleeves, as if ready for a fight.
Yunice wiped at her cheek, a little confused. It really was wet.
“Maybe it’s just the wind making my eyes water.”
Gill paused, seeing Yunice’s face looked perfectly normal, so she didn’t press the issue. But Yunice kept rubbing the dampness on her fingers, her expression distant and quiet. The damage from her family… it never truly faded.
After giving Gill a brief account of what happened, Yunice asked her to drop her off at Aurora Bend to meet Owen.
Gill was clearly unhappy. “Lily’s obviously lying to you! Unless she puts out a public statement right now admitting Elsie’s her illegitimate daughter, I’m not buying it!”
“I know,” Yunice said. “But I still want to see the drama unfold at the Powell family home.”
That snapped Gill out of it; she smacked her thigh. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Owen was clearly going there to beg for Elsie. It was the perfect chance for Yunice to watch him eat his words. How could she miss it?
Gill drove her to Aurora Bend. From a distance, they could already see Owen and Lily standing out in the cold wind, anxiously checking their watches repeatedly. Elsie had been tied up and dragged to the Powell mansion. There was no way she’d be treated kindly. Every second they were late, Elsie would suffer that much longer.
Gill stopped the car and told Yunice not to get out just yet. When Owen and Lily walked over, bracing against the cold, Yunice finally rolled down the window.
Owen wasn’t thrilled with her attitude, but now wasn’t the time to argue. He reached in through the window to open the door and drag her out, but Gill quickly rolled the window back up. Owen yelped, nearly getting his fingers caught. He frowned and barked at Yunice, “Quit wasting time. Get in the car.”
Vunice gave a cold smile. “Get in… only the one at the wheel gets to call the shots.” Owen glanced at the cramped little car and hesitated. But Lily didn’t even think twice – she opened the door and climbed right in.
Left with no choice, Owen squeezed in too, his long legs bunched up like he’d been wrapped in twine, with nowhere to stretch.
“Go to the Powell mansion!” Lily ordered urgently.
Once Gill turned the wheel and got them going, Lily finally looked at Yunice’s profile, her eyes swollen from crying. “Yunny, you have to save your sister this time!”
Owen patted Lily’s back, trying to calm her down while scolding Yunice at the same time. “Mom’s crying her eyes out here – can’t you at least nod or something?”
Yunice didn’t even want to argue. So the entire ride was filled with nothing but Lily’s near-fainting sobs and the sound of Owen softly patting her back.
When they arrived at the Powell mansion, Gill was about to get out too, but Owen stopped her. “The Powell family is all about pedigree. It’s one thing to bring Yunice in, but you’re just a servant – how could you go in?”
Gill knew even if Owen hadn’t said anything, the Powell family would have blocked her at the door anyway. But she had to make sure Yunice was safe.
Yunice walked over and whispered something to Gill. Only then did she relax and wait in the car. Yunice gave her a thankful look as Owen pulled her into the Powell mansion.
They headed to Jackson’s Shoukang Courtyard. The moment they stepped inside, Owen saw Elsie; she was lying on the ground, bound hand and foot like a twisted bowstring. Her mouth was stuffed with a dirty rag, so she couldn’t make a sound. Whether it was from crying or from struggling too much, her hair was damp with sweat and stuck to her face. Maybe she’d run out of strength – or maybe she’d just given up hope. When she saw her family walk in, she didn’t even try to scream for help. She just lay there, silently crying.
That broken image shattered Owen and Lily’s hearts. Lily wailed, her face contorting in grief. She rushed forward to untie Elsie, but was stopped by the Powell family’s people.
Owen’s eyes turned blood-red as he locked eyes with Paul, who sat nearby. Rage surged through him; how could he just sit there?
Paul could feel Owen’s burning glare like knives on his skin. His face was burning with shame. Sitting down felt like being perched on blades. But he had no choice. His grandfather and father were ruthless men. The more he showed he cared about Elsie, the harsher they’d punish her. Not to mention, the Kendall family was sitting right there, watching. All he could do was pretend he didn’t care.
In the back of the crowd, someone noticed Yunice. She locked eyes with Taylor, who was seated in a place of honor. Taylor lifted her chin slightly, then looked away.
Taylor had no idea Yunice and Rylie were the same person. From her perspective, Yunice was a discarded fianc?e-rejected by the Powell family, then handed off to their illegitimate son as some kind of emotional dumping ground. She’d been through so much that Taylor couldn’t help but take a bit of interest in her.
Now that everyone had arrived, Jackson-seated in the highest seat-finally gave his verdict with a grim face.
“Mr. Owen, by rights, the trouble your sister stirred up should be yours to take care of. But her mistake lies in poisoning the Powell family’s future granddaughter-in-law. As the wronged party, the Powell family will be the one to handle this matter.”
Owen and Lily both looked up. “The Powell family’s future granddaughter-in-law?”
Wasn’t that supposed to be Elsie?
Owen argued, “Elsie is Paul’s fianc?e! Your family has known this from the start!”
How could they let their own future granddaughter-in-law be tied up and humiliated like that?
Linda smiled politely. “Mr. Jackson and Mr. Gerardo are both present. Let’s not make wild accusations, Mr. Owen. The Powell family has never formally agreed to a marriage with the Saunders family.”
What do you mean never agreed? Elsie and Paul’s relationship was practically common knowledge!
Owen was about to speak again when Linda went on, “But with the Kendall family, we did send a matchmaker and write a formal betrothal letter two months ago. Would you care to take a look?”
Owen froze. The implication was clear. Paul and the Kendall family had followed a traditional, proper engagement process-matchmaker, gifts, everything official. But Elsie had only given herself away, with no promises exchanged in return.
Owen’s mouth went dry. He couldn’t let Elsie be cast aside like this. The Saunders family couldn’t afford that kind of disgrace!
He spoke coldly. “If you’re determined to twist the truth and deny Elsie’s relationship with Paul, then we’ll accuse Paul of assault.”
Everyone in the room turned to look at Owen. Owen grabbed Yunice and shoved her forward. “Elsie’s the victim. My sister is the witness!”
Yunice suddenly found herself the center of attention, every eye falling on her like a floodlight. In that instant, she was dragged back to years ago-when her relationship with Paul had been exposed at a banquet.
The following text is unintelligible and has been omitted.
Yunice, meanwhile, noticed Lily staring at her. Her mother’s eyes were bloodshot, but that look-full of resentment and indignation-wasn’t aimed at the Powell family. It was aimed squarely at Yunice.
She actually believed Linda’s twisted logic. She blamed Yunice for all of this. If Yunice hadn’t dragged the family name through the mud with her scandal, Elsie would’ve never ended up being misunderstood like this.
Yunice and Lily locked eyes for a long moment. The more Yunice saw the blame burning in Lily’s gaze, the stiffer her body became. She wanted to look away, to escape those eyes filled with displaced anger, but her muscles refused to move, frozen in place.
“Have you sorted out your mess? Or is it my turn to speak now?” Taylor’s voice cut through the silence.
She could no longer stomach the Powell family’s twisted narratives. She didn’t know Elsie or Yunice well, but she knew one thing for certain… Paul was far from the innocent man they painted him to be. Still, she was younger. The Powell family’s actions were not for her to question, so she stood her ground, speaking only from her own position.
No one objected. Taylor gave a discreet signal to someone behind her. At once, her trusted aide stepped forward and handed a stack of A4 papers to Owen.
“Here is all the evidence proving Elsie deliberately poisoned Ms. Taylor. Mr. Owen, please review it.”
Owen took the documents, and Lily quickly broke free from those restraining her to read them with him. It was a thick file, more than twenty pages, detailing the altered medication’s composition and the potential damage it could cause. There were surveillance images showing Elsie accompanying Taylor to the Virtue Hall, and even a statement from the pharmacy runner who had been caught. Owen’s expression shifted to one of utter shock. For a moment, he could not accept that Elsie could do such a thing. But no matter what she had done, as her brother, he had to protect her.
Leaning on the goodwill he still held with Taylor, he began, “Ms. Taylor, there has to be some misunderstanding. Please give me some time to investigate this properly. I swear on my integrity. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”
Taylor frowned slightly. She had once admired Owen, maybe even liked him a little. Sensing her hesitation, he pushed further. “Elsie didn’t even know about your relationship with Paul before this. She had no motive to hurt you! Ms. Taylor, surely you wouldn’t want to wrong the innocent and let the true villain walk free?”
Even Gerardo and Kyla began to furrow their brows. His words made sense. They were not fools. The Powell family had hidden the truth from both women. If Elsie didn’t even know who Taylor was, why would she try to hurt her?
Just as the tide began to shift, Yunice let out a quiet, derisive laugh. Or… is it possible that Elsie didn’t need a motive? That she was simply rotten to the core, that she was unable…
The room’s mood shifted again. Linda exchanged a glance with Jackson beside her, as if receiving silent permission. Her eyes glinted as she spoke. “I think Mr. Owen raises a fair point. Compared to Ms. Elsie, perhaps the one with the real motive here… is Ms. Saunders.”
“It’s no secret that Ms. Saunders and Paul were once engaged. She probably heard about his engagement to Ms. Taylor through Wyatt and grew bitter. What if, out of jealousy, she lashed out at Ms. Taylor?” She turned her eyes on Yunice, her gaze sharp and probing, like she truly believed she had found the culprit.