Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Yunice lay still on the bed, staring at the ceiling. This was the second time Wyatt had rejected her.
When Wyatt came out of his room fully dressed, Yunice was in the dining room. Wyatt was in a bit of a rush and planning to leave immediately, but when his eyes caught sight of the container in front of Yunice, he walked over and asked, “What’s this?”
Yunice replied, “I was just bored, so I made some snacks.”
Wyatt casually took the container, raised his hand, and said, “I’ll take it and eat it on the way.”
Yunice didn’t refuse.
Once in the car, Jordan had his hands on the wheel, glancing up at the rearview mirror. Wyatt leaned back in the backseat. He never really ate snacks, but he opened the lunch box and took a piece of green cake. He took a bite, studying it as he chewed, and then took a second bite. After finishing the entire piece, he closed the box and set it aside.
Jordan, doing his job, reminded him, “Wyatt, I found out that Yunice’s birthday is on May 28. Do you want me to prepare anything in advance?”
Wyatt responded, “No need.”
Jordan scratched his nose, the first time he couldn’t figure out Wyatt’s intentions. It seems like Wyatt really cares about Yunice, but why does he never want to show any effort openly?
A couple of days passed, and Yunice and Wyatt were both busy with their own affairs, rarely seeing each other. Yunice and Victor had already finalized the design plans, and the construction department was about to begin the foundation ceremony. Hearing there was an argument on the construction site, Yunice and Victor came out of their temporary office to see what was going on.
The crowd had gathered in layers, and it was difficult to see what was happening, but from the noise, Yunice gathered that the argument was about a partner involved in the Northvale project who had been caught leaking project secrets. The project partner had already been taken by the police. Now, causing a scene were his wife and child.
Yunice stood on tiptoe to get a better view. But with so many people around, all she could see were the backs of men’s heads. At that moment, someone gently tapped her on the back. Yunice turned around to find Victor standing behind her, offering her a stool. He gestured for her to stand on it.
Yunice quickly stepped up on the stool. Now elevated above the crowd, she had a clear view ahead. She saw a young woman kneeling on the ground, crying bitterly. Next to her was a child, probably about three or four years old, also kneeling beside her. The child seemed to understand the woman was crying out, claiming that her husband had been framed and pleading for the Cooper family to step forward and retract the arrest. She threatened that if they didn’t, she and her child would jump from the construction site, letting the public stir up more trouble.
The Cooper family hadn’t paid much attention to her, sending only a lackey to deal with her. The woman’s patience wore thin, and she stood up, cursing loudly. “Wyatt, you have a wife, you’ll have children one day. Today you’re driving us to the edge-your wife and children will suffer the same fate in the future!”
Her insults were so harsh that the crowd hurriedly dragged her away. She kept yelling, “Wyatt, you’ve ruined families. You’ll get your karma! You won’t have a good end!”
The child cried loudly, trying to save his mother, but he couldn’t break free from the adults pulling him away. The scene was quite moving to those watching. Soon, the woman’s voice faded away as the crowd dispersed.
Victor said, “Words like that aren’t worth taking to heart.” Such scandals and lawsuits happened everywhere. Who was right and who was wrong couldn’t be determined by curses alone. However, the woman’s insults directed at Wyatt’s wife and child had essentially included Yunice in her accusations. Honestly, when Yunice was insulted, she was genuinely shocked. After the woman was dragged away, she didn’t appear again.
Before the end of the workday, the project department notified everyone involved that the Cooper family would be hosting a dinner at the Millennium Hotel, and all participants were required to attend. Yunice and Victor changed into formal clothes and took the same car to the Millennium Hotel. At this event, they would meet colleagues they would be working with in the future, which would be beneficial for future negotiations.
Yunice worked in the basic division, while Victor was in charge of the design department, so they sat at different tables. However, Victor didn’t have many acquaintances and was more reserved, so he ended up sitting with Yunice. As everyone engaged in small talk, Yunice used the opportunity to work on a physics problem. She had been so busy lately that she hadn’t had time to study. With the college entrance exams coming up, she needed to push herself harder. Victor glanced at the tablet in front of Yunice. He leaned over and studied the problem she was working on. “I think you made a mistake on this one.”
Jordan’s gaze scanned the room without hesitation as he navigated the banquet, passing groups of people who greeted him in hushed voices.
“Mr. Cooper.” “Hello, Mr. Cooper.”
Jordan finally found his target and quietly whispered, “Wyatt, your wife is here.”
Wyatt happened to pass by Yunice, and as she looked up, their eyes met. She gave him a slight smile. The exchange was brief, and Wyatt turned away, walking out of the banquet hall in a good mood. As soon as he left, the chatter in the hall grew louder.
The men were busy flattering each other, talking about where they had met Wyatt before and how they had exchanged a few words with him. The women, on the other hand, focused on relationships, imagining when they might catch Wyatt’s eye.
Victor, who had been sitting close to Yunice, thought Wyatt would be upset seeing them so close. To his surprise, Wyatt didn’t seem to mind at all. This was beyond his understanding.
Victor turned his attention back to Yunice’s paper and was surprised to realize that Yunice hadn’t made a mistake on the problem. Her approach to solving it was unconventional, which was why he hadn’t noticed at first. He awkwardly said, “You have some interesting ideas.”
Jordan followed Wyatt, still thinking about the scene he had just witnessed-Yunice and Victor sitting together, heads close, talking.
“Wyatt, do you think it’s too much for Mrs. Cooper to work and study at the same time? Isn’t she getting too tired?”
Wyatt asked, “What are you trying to say?”
Jordan replied, “As your wife, shouldn’t her focus be on ensuring the quality of your life? She can’t keep working and studying like this… At her age, it would be better if she had children, right?”
Wyatt shot him a glance. “Are you trying to get me to say something?”
Isn’t it the best time for Yunice to do whatever she wants, regardless of her age?
Jordan laughed awkwardly. “I’m just trying to help you out. You’re not exactly highly educated, so you can’t help her with her studies, and someone else might take the opportunity to win her favor.”
A hint of romantic interest. This was a problem. He lowered his voice and added, “Victor may be like an older brother to her, but he’s still a man.”
Jordan thought he was being clear enough, but Wyatt didn’t seem to care at all. Wyatt adjusted his cufflinks, then mocked, “Do you think if she doesn’t like me, she’ll suddenly like Victor?”
Jordan had no words for Wyatt’s narcissism. He’d already given his warning, but Wyatt didn’t take it seriously. If someone else came along to steal his woman, he couldn’t complain.
Wyatt then asked, “Did you find the people I asked you to?”
Jordan responded, “They’re all in the banquet hall. As soon as they hear it’s an invitation from the Cooper family, they’ll come running.”
In the banquet hall, someone whispered, “Isn’t that Yunice? What’s she doing here at the Cooper family’s event?”
Yunice, with her keen hearing, caught the conversation and looked over. The two men didn’t bother to hide their gaze and looked down at her from their elevated position. Yunice frowned. It was really unfortunate to run into people she disliked in a professional setting.
The two men walked over with their glasses in hand. After seeing the table’s sign and realizing Yunice didn’t hold a high position, they straightened up even more.
“Ms. Saunders is really lucky to have gotten into the Cooper family’s project,” one of them said, raising his glass, signaling Yunice to drink.
Yunice raised an eyebrow, straightened her back, and gave them a defiant look.
Sure enough, the man was provoked by her boldness and was about to say something cold. But before he could, his companion grabbed him and whispered, “Don’t argue with her. This is a Cooper family event. If we cause trouble, we’ll be kicked out.”
They’d worked hard to get here, so it wasn’t worth ruining things over something small.
The man glared at Yunice angrily, then returned to his seat. With that disruption, Yunice lost interest in studying. She put away her iPad and started observing the other guests.
It was when she looked around that she realized just how many familiar faces were present. There were about seven or eight people who were mutual friends with Elsie, including some who had made things difficult for her the last time they were in the private room.
Is this a coincidence? Yunice felt a sense of unease, but considering how vast the Northvale project was and how many people were attending the banquet, running into a few familiar faces wasn’t that strange.
“Have you all heard about Henry?”
Yunice paid extra attention to them, so even though they were trying to keep their voices low, she could hear them clearly.
“Henry was bragging to me just a week ago about getting the Cooper family project. I was thinking of joining him, but now I’m glad I didn’t. If I had, I’d probably be sitting in prison with him right now.”
“Hmph, I knew Henry was shady from the start. Acts all proper, but he’s the worst of the bunch,” Yunice said.
“His wife and kid showed up at my place the other day-crying, full-on begging me to save him. I mean, seriously? That clueless woman really thought I’d go head-to-head with the Cooper Group for her man?”
“And then what happened?”
“I told her to go make a scene at the construction site. Stir up public opinion, and someone’s bound to step in.”
The group laughed and pointed at her. “Man, that’s cold. You really told her that? But seriously, you think Wyatt gives a damn about public pressure? I was wondering why we hadn’t heard a word from that mother and son… Wyatt probably already shut them down.”
Yunice wasn’t the only one listening-Victor was too. His expression darkened as the conversation went on. He took a sip of juice. Sensing the shift in his mood, Yunice leaned in and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Victor hadn’t planned to say anything, but he couldn’t hold back. “Yunice, don’t you think Mr. Cooper went too far? Sure, the adults might’ve screwed up, but the kid didn’t do anything.”
Yunice paused, caught off guard. She managed a response. “Look… that’s on the parents. They dragged their kid into it. If you’re going to make a scene with a child in tow, you’ve gotta be ready for whatever comes with it. You can’t expect Wyatt to go easy on them just because there’s a kid involved.”
Victor stared at her, clearly shocked. He hadn’t expected Yunice to take Wyatt’s side.
“Judging people behind their backs-does that make you any better, Mr. Victor?” Wyatt’s voice came out of nowhere. He had walked up just in time to catch what they were saying.
Victor frowned but didn’t respond. Yunice was about to speak up and explain, but Wyatt didn’t linger. Victor stood there with a stiff expression, clearly bothered. Not long after, he made an excuse and slipped out of the ballroom.