Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Wyatt motioned for him to step aside so they could speak in private. They walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Joe glanced back toward the exam room and spoke quietly. “Ms. Yunice is fine. She’s just been through long-term injury and recovery cycles. Her vitality is weak-when she’s overworked, her body reacts.”
Wyatt lit a cigarette, brows knotted with irritation. “So sex is off-limits too?”
Joe hesitated. “Not completely. Just… the first time can be more intense.”
The cigarette burned halfway down. Wyatt exhaled heavily. “She’s turning into a porcelain doll.”
He gave Joe a sidelong look. “Can she have children?”
Joe winced. From Wyatt’s expression, he could tell this wasn’t just curiosity-Wyatt wanted Yunice to bear his child.
Which made the answer harder to say.
Wyatt’s gaze darkened. “She can’t, can she?”
Joe struggled to respond before finally blurting out, “It’s not that she can’t-it’s just riskier for her than for others.”
“And… with your build, sir, and her narrow pelvis, she’s not suited to carry a large child. It increases the chances of… complications.”
Wyatt’s lips pressed into a tight line, his expression unreadable. “So basically, we’re not compatible.”
Joe wiped sweat from his forehead.
Wyatt didn’t speak again. He drew the cigarette to the filter, then crushed it against the smooth stone rim of the trash bin.
“So what if she can’t? With modern science, you think I’m worried about having kids?”
Joe wisely chose silence.
Just then, Yunice stepped out of the exam room. After doing moxibustion, her fever had broken. Wyatt had insisted on the checkup just to be safe.
Seeing her come out, Wyatt walked straight to her and handed her the phone.
Back at Oscar’s lab, Owen was still pacing with frustration, not daring to call Yunice again for fear that Wyatt might answer.
Oscar eyed him coldly. “Wyatt just gave you a second chance. And you’re still wasting it?”
Owen snapped, “I already burned bridges with Paul! How am I supposed to ask him about Yunice?”
He turned on Oscar with irritation. “Easy for you to talk. You don’t know how many times the Powell family has humiliated our family with Yunice’s reputation!”
“Her reputation was ruined by her own doing. Why do you think only the Johnson family was willing to take her in? No decent family wanted her!”
“If you’re so brave, you go ask him! You’ll see for yourself.”
Oscar didn’t flinch. Tossing off his white coat, he said coldly, “Fine. I’ll go. I don’t believe Wyatt would’ve said all that for no reason.”
Seeing him actually leave, Owen hesitated-then quickly followed.
To his surprise, Oscar received an address from Wyatt. Paul’s current location.
And when the two arrived, the guards simply let them in without question.
Owen’s heart sank. If Wyatt already had this much control, did the Powell family even stand a chance against him?
Inside, Paul lay in bed, encased in plaster, his face bandaged.
When he saw Oscar and Owen enter, he struggled upright, eyes filled with suspicion and hostility.
Owen stared in shock, barely recognizing the man under all those injuries. How did he end up like this?
Paul’s voice was hoarse with fury “Who let you in?”
This was supposed to be his private recovery location. He hadn’t told anyone-no one should’ve known.
Except, of course, Wyatt.
The moment Paul realized Wyatt had already told the Saunders family about Yunice, his gut reaction was that Oscar and Owen were here for revenge.
But his aggressive tone immediately rubbed Owen the wrong way. “You’ve wronged both of my sisters, and I haven’t even held you accountable yet. You got the nerve to act like a victim?”
Paul froze for a second, then suddenly shouted toward the hallway behind them. “Someone! Get in here!”
He even reached for the call button with his bandaged hand, slamming it as hard as he could.
Oscar and Owen glanced back reflexively, tension on their faces-but nothing happened.
No one came.
Owen rolled his eyes. “What are you screaming for? Lost your mind?”
Oscar, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and studied Paul. “What’s with the panic? Guilty of something?”
“Did Wyatt do this to you?”
In all of Silverburgh, Wyatt was probably the only person who could-and would-put Paul in a hospital this way.
And considering why Wyatt had sent them here, Oscar was beginning to see his intention.
Owen, more straightforward, blurted, “Wyatt called us and said to ask you about Yunice. What the hell happened between you two?”
Oscar shot Owen a look, annoyed by his bluntness.
Did he really think Paul would just blurt out something that could incriminate him?
As expected, Paul sneered, “What could have happened? We were engaged once, that’s all.”
Oscar cut in before Owen could speak again. “Then why did Wyatt beat you like this?”
Paul’s face twitched. After a pause, he grinned smugly. “Because he’s jealous. His wife gave it up to the guy he hates the most. Who could swallow that?”
Owen’s face flushed red. He shot to his feet in shame and rage, storming toward the door.
Oscar followed quickly and grabbed his arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m leaving!” Owen snapped, humiliated. “Can’t you see what Wyatt’s doing? He’s disgusted that he married Yunice, so now he’s using us to make her look worse-trying to humiliate us along with her!”
Oscar’s voice turned sharp. “Humiliate who? No one’s humiliating you. If you feel humiliated, it’s because you’re guilty!”
“Guilty of what?”
Oscar’s eyes narrowed. “Yunice’s not the only one Paul slept with. Your precious other sister did too. Isn’t that more of a disgrace?”
Owen went silent.
After a long pause, he finally grumbled, “I wasn’t talking about Yunice. I meant Wyatt’s using Mom’s sentence to corner us-turn us into weapons to get back at Paul.”
Oscar let out a cold snort. “You think too highly of yourself. And you clearly underestimate Wyatt.”
If all Wyatt wanted was revenge, there were better ways. Petty humiliation wasn’t his style.