Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Alan asked, “Ms. Taylor, how do you want to handle this?”
Jensen was already half a ruined man. Even under the influence of drugs, there was no real threat. But with his pride shattered, Jensen would naturally vent his rage on Linda in other ways.
Taylor said coldly, “Originally, I thought about throwing the doors open and letting everyone see. But then I figured… why make things harder for another woman?”
After all, in situations like this, it was always the woman’s reputation that was ruined, while men somehow got a free pass.
Even though Taylor despised Linda for drugging her, as a woman, she refused to humiliate her that way.
Standing at the door, Taylor ordered, “Just say the father-in-law and daughter-in-law are fighting in the dining room. Don’t let the servants interfere.”
Linda just needed to learn a lesson. There was no need to make it uglier than it already was.
Alan nodded and hurried off to keep the curious servants at bay.
But just as things were settling down, Paul came hobbling up furiously on his cane. When Alan tried to block him, Paul didn’t even ask questions; he simply shoved Alan aside. “Get out of the way!”
Paul stormed over to Taylor, yelling, “You’re really something! Just standing here while the father-in-law and daughter-in-law fight!”
Taylor gave him a look like he was an idiot and was about to say something, but Paul didn’t even give her a chance. He barged forward and threw open the dining room door.
Taylor lifted her hand halfway to stop him, then let it fall.
Forget it. If he wanted to dig his own grave, that wasn’t her problem.
The moment Paul shoved open the door, a panicked voice cried out from inside – Linda, shrieking, “Don’t come in!”
But it was too late. Paul pushed the door wide open.
Linda let out a piercing scream.
Paul froze in the doorway like he had turned to stone.
The dining room was a wreck. Shredded clothes were scattered everywhere.
Jensen, shirtless, had his back to Paul, while Linda desperately buried her upper body against his chest in a hopeless attempt to hide.
But her long, exposed legs left no doubt about what they had been doing on the floor.
Seeing Paul standing there gaping, Jensen, who had finally regained some sense, roared, “What are you looking at?! Get out!”
Paul, shaken and furious, quickly slammed the door shut behind him, trying to pretend nothing had happened.
But when he turned around, the pallor of his face betrayed his shock and embarrassment.
He looked up only to meet Taylor’s mocking gaze.
Paul had well and truly humiliated himself this time. His face twisted in anger as he stomped up to Taylor and snarled, “If you dare breathe a word about today, I’ll make sure you’re ruined in the city!”
Taylor smiled sweetly. “I never wanted to see it in the first place. You were the one who couldn’t control your curiosity.”
She had thought the situation with Jensen and Linda was already ridiculous. But it wasn’t over yet.
The servants who had been sent away earlier came running back in a panic, only to be stopped by Alan before they could rush into the dining room.
Paul glanced at Taylor and, for once, thought she had done something right.
The fewer people who knew about the Powell family’s scandals, the better. This couldn’t be allowed to spread.
But the servant, unable to get closer, shouted from a distance.
“What?” Paul glanced back at the dining room. Inside, the sounds of rustling and movement were finally dying down.
He frowned slightly and then looked at Taylor, warning her, “Stay here and keep watch. If any rumors spread, you’ll be the first one I deal with!”
Taylor lowered her gaze slightly, clearly annoyed by his tone. “Who do you think you are?”
She couldn’t care less about the Powell family’s reputation – and now he was even trying to threaten her?
Taylor turned and headed toward the old man’s courtyard. Paul, unwilling to fall behind, quickly hobbled after her, ignoring the chaos back in the dining room.
The two of them arrived at the courtyard to find the old man lying collapsed in the living room, half-unconscious. Spring was crying beside him, biting down on her sleeve in panic.
Paul rushed in and checked for breathing. Thankfully, it was steady – the old man was just knocked out.
The emergency call had already been made, but Paul couldn’t hold back his anger. He snapped at Spring, “How were you taking care of him? How does someone just fall while walking?!”
Spring, face full of sorrow, hadn’t even opened her mouth yet when another servant blurted out, “Spring pushed him! I saw it!”
Spring immediately protested, “That’s because he tried to touch me! He tried to assault me! I panicked and pushed him away!”
The moment Paul heard her accusation, he exploded. “Injuring him and now making excuses? He’s an old man – what’s wrong with you? You think he’d try to touch you? Stop dreaming!”
Paul barked out orders. “Men! Fire Spring immediately! And press charges against her, too!”
One headache after another – Paul had completely lost patience, and his words were cutting.
Spring, hearing that she was being fired, shouted back in fury, “Fine, fire me! But if you want to sue me, I’ll sue you too! He did try to touch me! Just because he’s old, that doesn’t mean he gets a free pass! As long as men are alive, none of them are innocent, especially Powell men! From old to young, not a single one is decent!”
Paul’s face turned ashen with rage. The servant who had tattled earlier jumped in, yelling, “You’re just being dramatic! So what if he touched you? Look at who you are and who he is! If he touched you, it was looking up to you! You think you’re something special now? You think getting touched means you’ve climbed up in the world? Do you all forget how young Mr. Wyatt and his mother grew up? A bunch of idiots!”
Spring shook off the butler trying to block her and stormed out of the courtyard.
Taylor watched quietly from the side, thinking Spring was impressive – clear-headed and courageous.
She exchanged a glance with Alan, silently telling him: I want her.
Alan nodded and followed after Spring.
Paul tried to lift the old man up, but his own injured leg made it impossible.
Looking at Taylor standing there like a statue, he barked, “What are you standing there for? Come help!”
Taylor didn’t want to be accused of standing by while someone was hurt, so she stepped forward and helped move the old man. Together, they rushed him to the hospital.
The old man was getting on in years. No one could be sure whether a fall like this might be the end.
Taylor crossed her arms, pacing slowly outside the emergency room.
Paul sat stiffly on a bench, eyes full of anxiety. Dark thoughts raced through his mind.
The old man might have been tough once, but now, at his age, even drinking water or eating could be fatal.
If the old man died, then the Powell family….
Paul sank into deep panic.
Just then, footsteps echoed down the hallway.
The sound of leather shoes striking the floor made Paul tense immediately.
He was so on edge about Wyatt lately that he could recognize him by his footsteps alone.