Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
“Don’t be so quick to jump in, Oscar. We’re not forcing Yunice. Owen stepped in for Elsie because of her stomach problems. Yunice isn’t in the same boat, is she? And it’s just one drink. Don’t act like we’re ganging up on her.”
One man leaned in close to Yunice, pushing the glass toward her with an oily smile. “If you won’t drink, it feels like you’re looking down on us. And if that’s the case, how are we supposed to help you, huh?”
Yunice’s lips curled slightly, her gaze locking on his face. It was a look halfway between amusement and mockery. Then she reached out and took the glass from his hand.
The man grinned wider, thinking she was warming up to him.
Everyone around the table started cheering, urging her to drink. But just then, Yunice turned her wrist. With a smooth flick, she poured the wine onto the floor.
“I offer this cup to all of you,” she said loudly.
The room fell silent.
Pouring wine on the floor? That was a toast to the dead.
Disgust and discomfort spread across the table. “What the hell do you mean by that?”
“Cursing us like that, and you still expect us to help you?”
Yunice placed the glass calmly back on the table. “I wasn’t the one who invited you. I’m not the one asking for your help. So don’t come begging for my respect.”
“You!”
Everyone turned to Elsie. Surely, she would not just sit back now?
Elsie looked helplessly to Lily and Owen.
Owen was panicking, mouthing silent words at Yunice, “Don’t you want your identity back?”
Oscar’s brow furrowed deeply, his heart racing with anxiety. He had orchestrated this entire dinner to help Yunice reclaim her rightful status. Now, with the bureaucratic hurdles involved in changing household registration, they needed signed statements and proof from these people. If they refused to cooperate, everything would fall apart.
, I Don’t Want It
Oscar wanted to persuade Yunice to bear with the situation, at least until they secured her household registration. But Yunice only smiled and said, “Isn’t Elsie desperate to squeeze her way into the Saunders family registry? Then I’ll be generous and gift it to her. I don’t want it anymore.”
Everyone froze, stunned by her words, especially Lily. “You… you don’t want it?”
“That’s right,” Yunice looked at her with a gentle smile. “I’m useless, don’t have a job, and my mental health is terrible. Having an ID is a waste on me. Why not be selfless and pave a better road for Elsie?”
Even Oscar, seated beside her, was dumbstruck. He tugged at Yunice’s sleeve under the table, trying to keep her from saying something foolish. But Yunice was not being foolish. She meant every word.
She had already applied for a new identity. Though she was no longer under the Saunders family registry, she now belonged to Carl’s family. And between the two, whose registry carried more weight? Was it not obvious?
Back then, she had no choice, so she fought. But now she had options. And who wouldn’t choose the better one?
Owen glanced at her, guilt flashing in his eyes. “You really mean that?”
He thought Yunice had finally decided to stop fighting with Elsie. Her voluntary retreat made him feel vaguely indebted.
Yunice smiled lightly. “I was foolish not to die in that car crash. If I had, Elsie could’ve gone on using my identity openly and rightfully.”
The moment she brought up the accident, Owen visibly flinched, like a cat with its tail stepped on. His face changed instantly. He did not dare meet her eyes. But Yunice’s gaze spoke volumes. She knew. She knew he was the one who hit her that day.
Overwhelmed by guilt, Owen kept his mouth shut for the rest of the meal. Lily nudged him under the table, but all he said was, “Mom, she doesn’t want the identity anymore. Isn’t that a good thing? What’s there to be upset about…”
Seeing him silent, Lily stood and pulled Yunice up by the arm. “Yunny, come with Mom for a moment.”
Outside the private dining room…
“Yunny,” Lily began earnestly, “one should always remember and appreciate their roots. You can’t just turn your back on your father because Mr. Carl has money.” She tried to sound warm and sincere. “After all, you’re only his goddaughter. Don’t let momentary riches blind you.”
Inside the room…
Elsie spotted Yunice’s purse left unattended on the seat. She reached for it, but before her hand could close around it, another palm came down hard.
Oscar stared at her coldly. “Stealing in broad daylight?”
Elsie stayed calm. “Oscar, you’ve misunderstood. There’s something of mine in Yunice’s bag. I was just retrieving what belongs to me.”
Oscar snatched the purse away. “Taking what isn’t yours without asking is stealing. Didn’t your family teach you basic manners?”
The others all looked annoyed, as though Oscar was ruining the mood. After all, they had gathered for entertainment. Everyone still remembered how they had bullied Yunice in high school.
Now years had passed, and they had each found success in their respective fields. Refined, polished, and respectable on the surface, but deep inside, those seeds of guilt had never withered. When word got out that the girl they had tormented had returned, they came together again… drawn by the same dark impulse.
“Oscar, here, let me toast you,” someone offered with a grin. “I heard you’ve been doing well with your research. I might need to pick your brain someday…”
They had a plan. Get Oscar drunk, and Yunice would be left defenseless.
Outside the room…
Yunice held up her phone calmly. “I recorded everything you just said. I’ll send it to Mr. Carl later.”
“You…!” Lily’s face turned green as she lunged for the phone, only to realize there was no recording at all.
Yunice chuckled. “So even you know you were talking nonsense.”
Since reason did not work, Lily quickly changed tactics. She launched into a lament about the family business struggling, months without income. “If you can’t help with money, can’t you at least say a good word for us?”
“Mr. Carl said, as long as you’re willing to accept Elsie, he’s happy to recognize her as his…”
Yunice’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Lily added solemnly, “Elsie is well-mannered. Mr. Carl already likes her. He’s just afraid you’ll feel slighted, so he asked me to talk to you first. If you throw a tantrum over this, don’t blame him for thinking you’re selfish.”
Yunice let out a laugh, bitter and hollow. “Lily, maybe you don’t realize. The moment you start thinking for me, I don’t feel warm. I feel a chill. When have you ever truly considered me? Every word out of your mouth is for Elsie’s benefit.”
Lily put on a wounded expression. “I just wanted you to say a few nice things about her to Mr. Carl. How does that hurt you?”
Yunice’s smile disappeared. Her voice dropped, icy and firm. “I will never let Mr. Carl take Elsie as his goddaughter.”
Lily’s face flushed red with fury.
Just then, the door to the private room opened, and someone poked their head out. “Yunice, your big brother’s drunk. Do you want to come take a look?”
Yunice glanced sideways and saw Oscar slumped over the table, completely unconscious. Oscar was a researcher, someone who normally never touched alcohol. One drink was enough to knock him out.
Her gaze swept over the roomful of ill-intentioned people, then landed on Owen. Those two had always been at odds. Owen likely wouldn’t bother helping Oscar now.
In the end, Yunice still couldn’t forget the past. She stepped back into the room, walked up to Oscar, and gently patted his shoulder. “Oscar?” she called softly, twice.
No response.
Owen caught the motion, and a flash of jealousy flickered in his eyes. If it had been him passed out at the table, Yunice would have walked right past without a second glance. That thought gnawed at him, and he took another bitter sip of wine.
“Wait, Yunice. Don’t leave just yet,” Elsie suddenly stood up. “My stuff is still in your bag.”
Yunice was certain she hadn’t taken anything of Elsie’s, but she still asked, “What stuff?”
Elsie smiled sweetly. “I gave you my ID just now. Since you don’t want it anymore, give it back to me.”
She smiled. Yunice smiled too. She picked up her bag and asked, “You’re saying it’s in here?”