Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Outside, Paul said, “Ms. Freya, I need to speak with Mr. Carl.”
“Do you have an appointment?” she asked pointedly.
Carl’s voice rang out from inside. “Let him in.”
Paul gave Freya a brief glance before stepping in. “Mr. Carl.”
Carl nodded. “Sit.”
Paul did so, then glanced meaningfully at Freya. Carl signaled to her. She left the room.
Paul leaned in. “I’m not here on business-this is personal.” His brows were furrowed. He was clearly serious. “There’s something off about Yunice’s death.”
“She’s gone,” Carl replied. “You still can’t let it go?”
“I may have broken off the engagement,” Paul said, “but I never stopped caring about her. I will get justice for her.”
Carl raised his eyes. “Who do you suspect?”
“Wyatt,” Paul said firmly. “I’m not trying to slander him-Oscar and Owen both said the same.”
Carl didn’t respond, so Paul grew more impassioned. “Mr. Carl, my grandfather told me you turned him down several times. It’s pretty clear you’re planning to work with Wyatt. I didn’t come here to recruit you-I came to ask you to reconsider. Do you really want to side with the enemy, build your legacy over Yunice’s corpse?”
Carl’s eyes snapped up, cold enough to make Paul instinctively recoil. Without another word, Paul stood. “That’s all I came to say. I’ll take my leave.”
Once he left, Yunice stepped out from behind the screen, eyes cold as she stared in the direction Paul had gone. “They really are good at shifting blame.”
How would Paul explain this slander when she showed up alive at the wedding?
Oscar finally spotted Wyatt-walking just behind a girl in a princess dress. She had long, curled hair that hid her face when she looked down. She got into a car, and Wyatt followed her inside.
He slowly hit the brakes and came to a stop, just as Owen and Elsie ran up behind him. They pulled his car door open in a panic. “Oscar, don’t do this! You can’t win against Wyatt-don’t throw your life away!”
Oscar said nothing for a long time. Owen leaned in and saw-Oscar was crying.
“I don’t have a sister anymore…” Oscar said quietly.
Owen’s heart sank. The crushing guilt nearly brought him to his knees. Elsie grabbed his arm from behind, shaking her head frantically.
Don’t go soft now.
Owen’s voice was hoarse. “Oscar, if it’s too much for you, let’s go drink. Get wasted, and the pain will pass.”
Oscar didn’t respond, so Owen took the lead and dragged him to a restaurant. Oscar downed half a bottle of liquor, one slam after another, his eyes bloodshot.
Then Owen brought someone in. “Oscar, Paul came to see you…”
Oscar turned-just in time to see Paul’s face-and launched to his feet, punching him hard enough to send his jaw sideways. “You promised me you’d take care of Yunice! Why are you still alive while she’s dead?! Where were you when she got in that car crash?!”
Paul hissed, wiping the blood from his mouth. Annoyed, he glanced at Elsie, who quickly lowered her head.
So Oscar still didn’t know Yunice had broken off the engagement with the Powell family. He’d spent ten years in the lab, completely cut off from the outside world. He knew nothing about what had happened in the Saunders family.
Paul frowned. “Yunice was supposed to marry Wyatt.”
Slouching into a seat with casual arrogance, he said, “She begged for it. What were we supposed to do, get on our knees and plead with her?”
Oscar snapped, “And what about you?! You’re marrying the Kendall girl now! Don’t think I didn’t know-you were never faithful in school. Yunice must’ve given up on you, that’s why she ran off and agreed to marry Wyatt out of spite!”
“Yeah, I fooled around. I slept around. But Yunice never kicked up a fuss. She kept her mouth shut. I think she just saw Wyatt’s status and got greedy!”
Oscar’s eyes turned murderous. Elsie quickly stepped in, trying to smooth things over. “Yunice is gone now. Who’s to say what really happened between them?”
Owen nodded. “She’s right. You’ve been away for years, Oscar. You don’t know what’s been going on at home. Paul wasn’t blameless, sure-but Yunice wasn’t perfect either. The breakup wasn’t all his fault. Otherwise, I would’ve punched him too.”
Oscar narrowed his eyes, sizing up Owen. As a child, Owen had loved Yunice the most. If even he was saying this… maybe there really was more to the story.
Once Oscar finally sat back down, Owen changed the subject. “Oscar, we can’t just wallow in grief. How’s your research coming?”
Oscar clenched his fist. “I’ve been at it ten years. I wouldn’t have come back if I failed.”
Owen’s eyes lit up. “If you invest, we might have a real shot at taking Wyatt on!”
But Oscar covered his face, his voice breaking. “Stop talking business. I just want Yunice back.”
He knew that was impossible. He took a long breath as tears slid down his cheeks. Then he stood. “You all keep drinking. I’m going home-to see Yunice’s things.”
Elsie panicked. There was nothing left of Yunice at home. If Oscar found out they’d kept her in the maid’s quarters all this time, he’d explode.
Everyone scrambled to hold him back, distracting him with more booze and chatter.
Later, after a few rounds, Paul left to use the restroom. Just as he fastened his belt and reached to open the stall door, a hand pressed it shut from the outside, leaving only a crack. A mocking voice slipped through the gap. “Yunice isn’t dead. You’ve all been played.”
Paul flared with anger, ready to yell-until a small ring was passed through the opening. It was a raffia ring. The straw was yellowing with age.
“She threw it out. Right in front of Wyatt.”
Paul stared, stunned, then snatched the ring. The moment the pressure on the door released, he kicked it open-but there was no one there. Not even a shadow. He looked back down at the ring in his hand. It was hers. The same raffia ring he’d once returned to Yunice.
Could she really be alive? Had she faked her death-just to mess with them? The guilt he’d been drowning in these past few days… the endless remorse…
Fury surged through him. His grip tightened until the ring crumpled.
Without telling Owen or the others, Paul stormed off. While driving, he called around to dig up Wyatt’s schedule. What he found made his blood run cold. He gripped the steering wheel so hard it creaked under his hands. Wyatt was at a jewelry store.
Without a second thought, Paul headed straight for the biggest store in Silverburgh. He brushed past the staff trying to stop him from entering the VIP room and stormed inside-and there they were. Wyatt, his back turned. And Yunice-alive. She sat on a high stool under the boutique’s elegant lighting, her legs long and graceful beneath layers of sheer fabric, glowing with a soft, ethereal shimmer.
, A Mask, A Game
Yunice sat sideways on the stool as Wyatt, seated across from her, reached out to take the wedding ring offered by the sales associate. The diamond was massive-dazzling, overwhelming, practically blinding.
With practiced ease, Wyatt lifted Yunice’s hand and slid the ring onto her fourth finger. “What do you think?”
Yunice moved her hand slightly. “Too big.”
It was so heavy, it hurt. Wyatt plucked the giant stone off her hand and tossed it casually onto the tray, then picked a slightly smaller pink diamond and slipped it on for her. “How about this?”
Yunice replied, “It’s fine.”
Wyatt leaned an elbow on the crystal display, his gaze oppressive as he looked at the saleswoman. “‘Fine’ means she doesn’t like any of them.”
The woman’s face turned pale. She panicked, afraid Wyatt would think they weren’t putting in enough effort to satisfy the bride.
Flustered, she turned to Yunice, her voice both cautious and eager. “Miss, is there a particular style you prefer? Could you describe it for us?”
Yunice felt awkward. She knew Wyatt didn’t care about money-whatever he picked was guaranteed to be top-of-the-line. And honestly, to her, they were all fine. They were just props for the wedding day, after all. She hadn’t expected a throwaway comment to make things difficult for the staff. But she understood-Wyatt wasn’t really scolding the saleswoman; he was warning her to take this seriously.
This time, she didn’t brush it off. She thought carefully. “I want something subtle, something I can wear on regular days.”
Wyatt raised an eyebrow and smirked. “If we’re getting a ring, it should be huge. If it’s not flashy, people will say I’m stingy.”
“I want it loud.”