Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Wyatt continued, “But since I am in a good mood today, I wish you two never get divorced.”
Both Paul and Taylor frowned. “Such filthy curses,” they thought.
Wyatt lifted the car window as he turned and held Yunice’s hand. The wedding convoy then drove out of Paul’s sight. Yunice lifted her head, looking at his expression through the bridal veil. Wyatt was indeed in a good mood; delight lingered at the corners of his eyes and brows. On the other hand, Yunice didn’t particularly feel anything. Having lived through so much turmoil, she had learned to remain calm wherever she ended up.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Yunice waited backstage. Freya and Jordan were by her side.
Jordan said, “Even though it’s the final step, Wyatt is still worried, fearing someone might come and abduct Mrs. Cooper.”
Freya leaned over the makeup mirror and said, in a mocking tone, “I never knew he was this obsessed with Mrs. Cooper.” Upon speaking, Freya lifted Yunice’s chin and said, “Let me see how the makeup turned out.” She gazed for a long time, then asked, “Has anybody ever told you that you are such a beauty?” There was no trace left of the injury Paul had caused on her face. After spending a few days with Wyatt, her face had started to look plumper. Without noticing, the once dull and lifeless Yunice had now become a luminous beauty with sparkling eyes.
Yunice wasn’t the type with striking facial features. Instead, her charm unfolded like a gentle drizzle-the more you looked at her, the more you found her gorgeous.
Freya then reacted, “No wonder Wyatt is so obsessed with you. It turns out he is attracted to your beauty.”
“Mrs. Cooper, it is about time you get on stage. Would you mind moving to the fitting room now? We would like to do a second check on the wedding suit.” A staff member approached, gave a polite bow, and asked.
Yunice was startled when the staff member called her “Mrs. Cooper,” but then she thought she was making a fuss over it. Thus, she stood up and walked towards the fitting room. The staff member locked the door after she entered, and she turned…
Yunice glanced back, and an instant cold flickered in her eyes. Just as the staff member was about to speak again, Yunice took a step forward. With a swift motion, she pierced a fine silver needle into the highest point of her head.
Feeling an instant numbness, the staff member was stunned as she tried to grab onto something for support. But unconsciousness soon took over as she collapsed onto the floor. Yunice stayed in her place, expressionless.
Melina is blind, and she’s always by herself. How could she possibly know about my wedding today? Unless someone is trying to stir up trouble using her. Carl made up my death, and only those of my close acquaintances knew I was still alive. Who is trying to set me up? Yunice thought.
Yunice made a phone call: “Kingsley, are you at my wedding already?” Her gaze shifted slightly as she continued in a low voice, “There is a woman who has fainted in the fitting room backstage. Can you take care of her for me? I don’t want any unexpected occurrences during my wedding today.”
After hanging up the call, Yunice walked out of the fitting room as if nothing had happened. Neither Freya nor Jordan realized. With one on each side, they escorted her to the main doors behind the banquet hall.
As Owen and his group came to the banquet hall, the bride and groom hadn’t come in yet. They looked around and spotted a few people featured in the financial publications among the guests. A gleam of envy dazzled in her eyes as Elsie said, “I know that Mr. Carl is capable, but I don’t know that he has such a vast network.” Carl’s fame and status were definitely on par with the Powell family.
It was at this moment that Owen spotted a figure, and he pointed towards it, saying, “It’s Oscar.” Lily and Elsie looked over as they saw Oscar mingling among the crowd alone, his eyes roaming across the area.
Owen said, clearly annoyed, “Oscar gets mad and refuses to visit the Powell family; instead, he secretly attends this banquet held by the Crawford family. Don’t tell me he also wants Mr. Carl to acknowledge him as his honorary son.” The fact that Oscar had been eyeing Saunders Hospital bothered him, as he scoffed, “What a schemer.”
“…hasn’t gotten over Yunice’s death and intends on ruining his wedding out of spite?”
Startled, Owen widened his eyes and said, “How could that not be possible? It is very likely to happen!”
“Isn’t he digging his own grave! You two stay here; I’ll go get Oscar!” Owen said as he rushed through the crowd and searched for Oscar. Deep down, Owen knew the reason behind Yunice’s death. If Oscar falsely accused that jinx out of impulse, things were going to get out of hand.
Owen grabbed him at once and shouted, “Oscar, follow me!” Oscar gave Owen a once-over and, without moving, asked, “What are you doing here?”
Owen roared in his low voice, “Obviously, I’m here to stop you from committing something stupid! Do you know what kind of person Wyatt is? Trust me, before you rush onto the stage, you will be dragged out and beaten to death by his bodyguard!”
Oscar frowned. When he was about to say something, the emcee’s voice resonated in the air. Owen looked over the stage as well. Startled, he asked, “Why is Wyatt the groom?”
Owen then thought, did he come to the wrong banquet hall? Isn’t this Mr. Carl’s daughter’s wedding? It was then that the spotlight lit up the aisle, its beam landing straight on the main door behind it.
The bride, in her veil, held onto her family member’s arm as they walked up the aisle. Step by step, they walked towards the stage, capturing the attention of every guest in the hall. Owen subconsciously held tight to Oscar, fearing he would charge in and interrupt the ceremony. However, Oscar did not struggle at all. His eyes widened as he kept his gaze on the bride, who was walking steadily towards the stage without looking away.
Beneath the bridal veil, as light as a cicada’s wing, the bride’s face was finally visible – a gorgeous and poised young lady came into sight, her skin giving off a porcelain-like radiance under the spotlight.
Oscar subconsciously gripped Owen’s arms tightly, causing him pain. In a trembling voice, he asked, “Owen, do you mind taking a look for me? Is that Yunice?” Owen was entirely focused on stopping Oscar; he didn’t even spare a look at the bride.
Seeing Oscar frozen in place with a dumbfounded look, as if possessed, Owen grew frustrated. He tried to push Oscar away, saying, “When are you going to accept reality? Hurry up and go!”
Owen wasn’t paying attention to the bride. On the other hand, Lily and Elsie were staring at the stage. As they saw Wyatt, they thought they had gone to the wrong banquet hall. But out of curiosity, they wanted to know who the bride was to Wyatt.
Yunice clung to Wyatt’s arm with steady steps. She put on a distant smile. As her gaze wandered, she kept an eye on the people and occurrences down the aisle. She noticed someone at the far end of the crowd – a dark and thin figure waving at her. Before Yunice could react, the figure was lost in the crowd. However, Yunice recognized that figure – it was Kingsley.
Kingsley must have already taken care of the fainted staff member for her, and she need not worry about Melina’s safety as well. As Yunice was about to look away, her eyes met Lily’s.
The instant Lily saw Yunice, she subconsciously squeezed forward through the crowd, trying to take a closer look. However, Lily simply thought she was just a noble young lady who resembled Yunice; she never thought she was Yunice! What attracted Lily to walk forward was the person beside the bride.
Of consensus, in wedding ceremonies, the fathers are the ones handing their daughters to the groom. Thus, the ones who will walk the bride down the aisle are usually the fathers. But how could Carl be the one the bride is holding onto? Lily was shocked.
The same went for Elsie as she asked, “Mum, how is this possible? Is she Mr. Carl’s honorary daughter?” Is Carl marrying her daughter off to Wyatt? Lily thought. A cold chill crept through Lily. She never imagined that someone else had seized the opportunity she had been setting up for Elsie.
Elsie felt even more unsettled as she started to make a fuss. “Mum, if Mr. Carl were to help her honorary daughter, he wouldn’t help me! How am I supposed to gain attention from Paul?” Lily’s mind was in chaos – she couldn’t bring herself to talk to Elsie.
It wasn’t until Yunice walked to Wyatt’s side and he lifted her bridal veil that Lily took a step backward in shock, stammering, “It-It can’t…”
“It can’t be Yunice, right?” Freya’s mocking sound echoed from behind her as she turned her head, flabbergasted. Then she noticed Freya wearing a corsage on her chest that marked her as a member of the bride’s family. Feeling rage, she yelled, “What exactly is going on!”
With her arms crossed, Freya said in a flippant tone, “Madam Lily, if you are to cause a scene, you’ll end up being thrown out of the banquet hall.” With her eyes staring at Freya, Lily played smart and kept quiet.
Lily wasn’t the only one who felt shocked. Elsie watched Yunice on stage as she radiated, enveloped in Wyatt’s adoring gaze. Her jealousy of Yunice surged through her so that she nearly bit through her lips.
Why isn’t Yunice dead? Why is Carl marrying her off to Wyatt? Why, even after the wasted three years, is she…
With her eyes red, Elsie stared at the stage for so long. Then it hit her – since the news about Yunice’s death spread, no one ever went to check the corpse beneath the white cloth. After all, they believed that Carl had confirmed it by himself, and how could he be mistaken?
Elsie looked towards Freya. With her teary eyes, she asked in doubt, “Freya, may I ask if this is some kind of trap set by Mr. Carl to punish us?”
Lifting her brows, Freya asked with a wide smile, “Why do you see it as a punishment?”
Elsie could not further contain her tears, and she answered. “Because none of us went to confirm Yunice’s death. Thinking that we were cold-blooded, Mr. Carl chose to keep the news from us. Plus, he didn’t allow us to attend her wedding ceremony.”
Lily looked at Freya with a grim expression. If that is the case, doesn’t that mean Carl has long felt dissatisfied with them? Lily thought.
As she recalled the schemes she had planned, it felt like a slap in the face-her cheek burned with humiliation.
Instead, Elsie said sincerely, “You’ve got the wrong idea about us if you think so. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to witness her corpse. We wish to hold onto the best side of her in our memory.”
In a sarcastic tone, Freya said, “But instead of happiness, what I see on your faces is downright jealousy.”
Lily averted her gaze from the stage. She had been so focused on Yunice that she didn’t catch what Freya said.
In a frown, Lily asked, “Freya, please take out the corsages you’ve prepared for us. Yunice is getting married. How could we, as her family, not send her off?”
Freya replied, “Shouldn’t the bride’s family be preparing the corsages?”
“That’s because you purposely kept Yunny’s situation from us, causing us to delay our preparations,” Lily said in controlled anger. “Freya, you better know when to stop. I’m not holding this against you, and don’t you pick on us anymore!”
Elsie turned to look at Lily, and she knew what she meant. Yunice looked so glorious. With so many business tycoons around, if the Saunders family could step onto the stage, at least they could get themselves known.
Besides, they needed to show Carl how much they cared about Yunice so that the misunderstanding could be cleared up between them.
Freya saw them through as she said, “Until now, you are still seeing Yunice as your pawn to latch onto power. But now, Yunice is the daughter of Mr. Carl, and she naturally belongs to the Crawfords. I’m afraid that Madam Lily is in no position to get on stage.”
With her lips caught between her teeth, a mix of pale and bluish tones was imprinted on her face. The mockery from Freya was like a flame igniting the anger within her.
She turned her head, trying to get on stage as she said, “I am the one who gave birth to her; how could she possibly not accept me as her mother? Marriage is no child’s play; none of you have the right to stop me from going up on the stage.”
Lily could feel the annoyance piling up within her. She wasn’t angry at Yunice for still being alive. Instead, just because Yunice was still alive, the guilt accumulated within her turned into resentment in an instant.
Now you are telling me that you are still living in such grace and even acknowledged a wealthy man as your father, who is marrying you off in grand fashion. Then what does all the care and nurturing the Saunders family gave you over the years amount to? The Saunders family spent so much time and money on you, and now Carl is taking all that away without having done anything? Lily thought.
Lily wasn’t going to take this loss without speaking up.
Little did she know, when she was about to step onto the stage, someone wrapped arms around her from behind, another hand covering her mouth as she was dragged out of the banquet hall with ease.