Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Wyatt glanced up and down Victor with a smirk. “You really know how to make an insult sound polite. So I’m late, and that means I don’t care enough? Is that it?”
The air between them grew sharp.
Yunice quickly stepped in. “Enough. Rhino horn isn’t easy to come by-I know that better than anyone. Thank you both for going through so much trouble for me.”
“If there’s ever anything you need from me, just ask.”
Wyatt scoffed. “What are you talking about? You’re my wife. Helping you doesn’t count as ‘trouble’.”
Clearly directed at Victor-a dig for trying to score points.
Victor didn’t react, only smiled and said, “Then I’ll remember that and ask you for help next time.”
Yunice nodded with a polite smile.
Victor added, “Now that I have the rhino horn, keeping it does me no good. I’ll leave it with you-for future needs.”
He looked at Wyatt calmly, then turned and walked away without a fuss.
Back in the car, Freya was sitting in the driver’s seat playing a mobile game. She didn’t even look at Victor as she asked, “What took you so long? Weren’t you afraid Wyatt would throw a jealous fit?”
Victor fastened his seatbelt. “It’s because I ran into Wyatt that it took so long.”
Freya looked over, interested. “Don’t tell me he brought Yunice a rhino horn too?”
“He did,” Victor said evenly.
Freya didn’t seem surprised. “Well, that’s not shocking. Rhino horn isn’t some cheap, common item. If Yunice needed it, of course she asked around. Wyatt getting one too makes sense.”
Victor nodded. “When she first came to me for help, I thought Wyatt was indifferent to her. But now, it seems I misjudged him.”
Freya raised an eyebrow. “That’s rich coming from you. Weren’t you the one who can’t stand his arrogant capitalist attitude?”
Victor let out a soft laugh. “Because I know exactly how hard it is to get rhino horn.”
“You forgot?” he added, his voice thoughtful. “The one I found this time was originally part of a matched set, same root, same origin. I thought it would be more stable medicinally, so I tried to get both.”
Freya’s eyes lit up. “Oh right. But wasn’t there another buyer who kept competing with us for the pair? Some mystery client. We almost lost both horns to them. We only got one in the end thanks to decades-old ties with the supplier.”
Victor’s tone was cool. “That mystery client… was Wyatt. His horn was the other from the same batch.”
Freya whistled. “No wonder it was so damn hard. We were butting heads with each other and didn’t even know it.”
Both chasing the same goal for Yunice. And it cost them weeks of effort-all because neither knew what the other was doing.
But in the end, it all worked out.
And for that, no one had anything left to say.
At the hospital, Yunice held both wooden boxes in her arms while Wyatt stood beside her, hands stuffed in his pockets, face still cold.
Yunice waited for him to speak.
Wyatt waited for her to speak first.
A full few minutes passed – until Wyatt, impatient as always, broke the silence first, grumbling, “You wanted rhino horn. Why didn’t you just ask me? Why go to Victor?”
Yunice replied quietly, “I did ask you…”
He’d said he didn’t have any, hadn’t he?
Wyatt snapped, “Yeah, you asked. Did I ever say I wouldn’t get it for you?”
Yunice frowned. “When someone’s sick, every second counts. I didn’t have time to sit around waiting for some surprise.”
Sure, he hadn’t said no, but he hadn’t said yes either. So how was she supposed to sit there and wait on a promise that never existed?
Wyatt paused, momentum lost.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to get one,” he muttered. “So I didn’t promise. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t trying.”
Yunice blinked in confusion. That rhino horn – hadn’t he gotten it at the charity auction?
He wasn’t lacking money. For him, it should’ve been as easy as raising a hand.
And he’d had it for a while.
Victor, on the other hand, must’ve gone through far more effort.
She glanced up, catching a flicker of Wyatt’s expression.
They had both gone out of their way to bring her the same rare gift.
If she kept sulking, it would seem ungrateful.
So Yunice softened her tone, offering a way to ease the tension. “Could you carry one of the boxes for me? My wrist really hurts… I think I sprained it in the crash.”
At her words, a flicker of guilt flashed across Wyatt’s eyes. He took both boxes from her arms, tucked them under one arm, and gently cradled her wrist with his other hand, rubbing it softly. “Does it still hurt? Maybe you should have it checked again.”
Yunice shook her head slightly. “It doesn’t hurt… not if you stop scolding me.”
Wyatt froze. He looked up at her slowly – clearly caught off guard by the line. They locked eyes for a few seconds, and he seemed… awkward. Even his stance grew stiff.
Hearing her speak so gently made him feel like a complete jerk.
He looked away and said stiffly, “I wasn’t scolding you. What I mean is, if anything comes up, I’ll handle it for you. But when you ask Victor for help, no matter what it is, if he helps you, you’ll owe him a favor, right?”
“You’re such a simple person. If you owe someone, you’ll definitely pay it back. And how could I be okay with that?”
Yunice murmured, “But… if I ask you for help… don’t I owe you a favor too?”
Wyatt lifted his brows, chest puffing up slightly. “How can I be the same as anyone else? I’m your husband. Between us, there’s no such thing as favors.”
Yunice looked up, uncertain. “So I don’t have to repay you?”
He looked left and right, rubbed the back of his neck, then muttered, “Mm.”
She couldn’t help but smile – and with that, the fight melted away. They turned and walked back together.
Midway, Yunice asked, “Can I see Nora again?”
She glanced at the two boxes in his arms. Now that she had two horns, one would be enough to cure Yuanbao.
Nora had the same symptoms. Rhino horn would work on her, too.
Yunice and Wyatt weren’t going to last. If she could wake Nora up, maybe it would be her parting gift to him.
Wyatt was silent for a good ten seconds before responding. “Isn’t your brother’s case more urgent?”
Talk about striking a nerve. The mention of Oscar instantly reminded Yunice of Morgan.
She had no idea how deep Wyatt’s hand ran in that whole case. But she wasn’t planning on confronting him outright – not when she’d lose without a doubt.