Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Owen genuinely didn’t know what to do anymore. All he could do was try his best to protect his family.
He couldn’t hit Yunice again.
“Owen, what the hell are you doing? Hit her! She hit your mom and your sister! You’re just gonna stand there and take it?!”
Mr. Terrance’s sons were still egging him on.
They were desperate to see a brawl.
Yunice watched Owen stay frozen and let out a cold laugh.
Did he think Owen had suddenly grown a conscience?
No. He was just scared. Too scared to raise a hand.
After that trip to the Crawford family’s, he’d seen Carl and Wyant’s ruthlessness firsthand. Even Paul had been put on trial by those two-what was the Saunders family compared to that?
As the Moore brothers kept provoking him, Yunice walked past Owen and stood before Lily.
Didn’t she think those emotional words of hers had landed a serious blow!
Yunice slowly crouched in front of her. Yunice was calm, collected, clean. The rest of them, in contrast, were a mess-tattered, hesitant, afraid.
Yunice locked eyes with Lily and watched her look away. Then she calmly smiled. “So, the people who tormented me for years… you’re really not that scary after all. You cursed me to live a life with no love or family, but you’re too selfish to understand that there’s more to this world than blood ties. There’s loyalty, righteousness, bravery, and integrity. I have a best friend like Sister Gill, a father like Mr. Carl, a husband like Wyatt, a brother like Victor, and a friend like Freya. I have so many people who genuinely care about me. Do you really think I have any emotions left to waste on you? You said you’d do anything for Elsie, right? Then I’ll just keep making life hard for her. I’ll give you every chance to selflessly sacrifice for that beloved mother role of yours.”
Yunice stood up. “I’m tired. I’ll come back to play next time.”
Gill quickly followed her, and the two of them strolled out casually. Mr. Terrance waited for Owen to stop them-but no one moved. His sons quickly stepped in to block Yunice’s path. “You think you can just leave after all that? Who do you think you are?”
Yunice smirked. “And what is this place again!”
“It’s-” One of the sons started, but Mr. Terrance cut him off. He looked at Owen, pressing him. “You’re just gonna let her walk away?”
Owen looked elsewhere, avoiding everyone’s gaze. He said wearily, “Let her go.”
The two Moore brothers instantly jeered. “Coward! Letting a woman walk all over you. No wonder the Saunders family is going downhill. Even the dividends you’ve sent these past two years have dropped! Owen, I’m telling you-if you can’t run things, then step down from Cloud Hospital and let me do it. Better than watching you drive it into the ground like the pathetic wimp you are!”
Yunice turned her head slightly, glancing coldly at the Moore brother who spoke. She didn’t stop. She walked out.
Gill walked beside her and said, “Half of Cloud Hospital’s shares are in Mr. Terrance’s hands. Every year, Owen has to hand over dividends to the Moore family. That’s why they butt into everything the Saunders family does.”
And the Saunders family elders who originally ran Cloud Hospital? All squeezed out. Turning over your own family’s business to a bunch of parasites to suck dry… Owen really was a brain-dead moron stuffed full of crap.
The Saunders family still hadn’t dispersed.
Owen lifted Elsie off the ground with one hand, grimacing as the wound pulled at him. Then he gritted his teeth and moved to help Lily up.
Peggy frowned and stepped in to help. But as she helped lift Lily, Peggy gave Elsie a sharp, calculating look out of the corner of her eye.
Back when Yunice had been whipping people, Owen hadn’t reacted when Lily was hit-but the moment Elsie got struck, he exploded.
Even just now, when helping people up, he had supported Elsie first, then Lily.
It was clear that, in Owen’s heart, Elsie had long since surpassed Lily.
For Peggy to gain an advantage in the Saunders family, Elsie was a serious rival. She’d have to find a way to split them up.
Elsie’s arm throbbed with pain. She belatedly noticed the look in Peggy’s eyes and glared back.
But Peggy simply held Lily’s other arm and gave Owen a sweet, understanding smile.
Owen said nothing.
Mr. Terrance, however, walked up and patted Owen’s shoulder. “Come with me. I have something to ask you.”
Peggy swatted his hand away, “Can’t you see my man’s injured? His back’s still bleeding! I don’t care how important it is, you can just sit here and wait your turn!”
She hooked her arm under Owen’s. “Come on, I’ll help you put medicine on. You’re bleeding so much…”
Elsie rushed forward too, grabbing Owen’s other arm, her voice choked with concern. “Owen, let me help you with your wound!”
Owen’s expression shifted. Seeing her injured arm as well, he said, “You’re hurt too. I should take care of you first-“
Before he could finish, Peggy blurted out. “Alright, enough with the polite back-and-forth. You two are siblings, not animals. How’s a little sister supposed to help her brother take off his shirt and bandage him?”
Crude as Peggy’s words were, Elsie flushed bright red. She had just been about to act innocent when Peggy cut her off again. “Take a look at your mom. She got hurt protecting you. Has either of you thought about her at all?”
Elsie and Owen were both stunned. They suddenly remembered Lily, who’d been left aside all this time. The three of them hadn’t minded until now. In the Saunders family, the sibling bond had always been stronger. Lily had always felt comforted by that.
But somehow, when Peggy said it out loud, that dynamic became twisted.
Now, feeling the room’s eyes on them, Elsie had no choice but to release Owen’s arm and, blushing, go to help Lily.
Because that was what made sense to the outside world: Owen and his wife should take care of each other, and Elsie, as the daughter, should look after her mom.
, Wife, Enemy
Otherwise, things would just start to look… wrong.
Elsie grudgingly watched Peggy beam as she helped Owen away.
Left with no choice, she and Lily returned to their room.
Lily sat dazed on the bed, letting Elsie tend to her wounds.
Was there really nothing they could do about Yunice?
Lily looked at Elsie and sighed, “Why didn’t you let me confront her earlier? She’s got money to throw at some servant, but won’t give us a cent. Doesn’t that bother you?”
Elsie said, “It’s not that I didn’t want to say anything. It’s just that saying it wouldn’t help.”
“Those Moore relatives are greedy and selfish. If we accuse Yunice of spending too much on a servant, they’ll just start wondering where all her money came from. And if they find out she married into power, do you think they’ll still take our side?”
Lily frowned and said nothing.
Elsie added quietly. “The game’s changed. Playing the pity card doesn’t work on capital.”
Lily clutched Elsie’s bandaged hand like a drowning person clutching a rope. “That day you jumped into the water to save Paul… was he grateful?”
At the mention of him, Elsie grew impatient. “He’s just a dying fly at the end of autumn. He won’t last long-he’s got words carved into his face-what can he even do now?”
In high society, reputation was everything. Children born with health issues were usually disqualified from inheritance the moment they were born.
Wyatt had been mocked for a leg condition-what chance did Paul have, with literal words carved into his face?
Just one look at Elsie’s expression, and Lily knew Paul hadn’t paid her any attention.
Elsie tugged at the gauze in frustration. “Whatever. Morgan’s still flirting with me; I’m not completely out of options.”
Over an hour later, Owen had finished getting bandaged up. He signaled to Peggy with his eyes, suggesting she go check things downstairs.
But Peggy said, “No need. That whole gang of troublemakers is still there.”