Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Oscar’s words went nowhere. Neither Lily nor Owen took him seriously. They always stuck together, acting like Oscar was too uptight, too soft. Anything he said, they either ignored or brushed off. Oscar could feel it. His expression darkened, but there wasn’t much he could do.
By now, hotel staff had searched every inch of the dressing and changing rooms. And yet, somehow, a three-year-old child had seemingly vanished into thin air. With nowhere else to look, everyone turned their attention to the one person who’d been in the room the entire time-Yunice.
“I didn’t see any kid,” Yunice said calmly. Then, after a beat, she added, “Unless he came in while I was in the changing room and left before I got back?”
The boy’s mother stormed up to her. “Security shows he never left. Don’t lie-you must’ve seen him. Did you hide my son on purpose?”
Yunice raised an eyebrow. “Hide him? You just said he came in and never left. I haven’t left either. You already searched the whole place-there’s no one else here. What do you think I did, make him vanish into thin air?”
If something had really happened to the boy, there would’ve been signs-blood, a body, something. She casually spun a small trinket on the vanity and said, “Why are you all still standing here? If your kid’s missing, shouldn’t someone have called the cops by now?”
The woman dropped to her knees in front of her. “What’s the point of calling the police?” she cried. “You’re part of the Cooper family! I know who you are-Mrs. Cooper. My husband… offended your husband, and now you’re taking it out on me-on my child. Please, if you’re angry, punish me. Just don’t hurt him. He didn’t do anything. Just please, let my baby go!”
Yunice adjusted her seat, looking utterly unbothered.
Owen grew impatient. “Can you just answer the question? Did you take the kid or not?”
Oscar cut in sharply. “Come on. The room’s not even big enough to hide a child. And doesn’t anyone else think it’s strange she didn’t even consider calling the front desk? She jumped straight to blaming Yunice.” He turned to her, suspicious. “Even your husband might not know the full story between Yunice and Wyatt. So how do you know?”
The woman stiffened. “Word gets around. Someone told me.”
Yunice glanced at her coldly. “Let me guess-Elsie?”
Owen looked like he was about to jump in to defend Elsie, but Yunice cut him off. “Save it. Don’t. He’s the one who loaned Elsie seven hundred grand in the VIP room-and signed a written IOU. Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”
Owen froze. He genuinely didn’t know-he’d been too drunk that night.
Yunice wasn’t surprised. She pulled out her phone and opened a video clip. In the video, the man was slumped over the table, signing the IOU that Elsie had written. Then he handed her a check for seven hundred thousand. At least ten mutual friends were there that night-any one of them could back it up.
Yunice held up the screen. “That’s your husband, right?”
The woman looked stunned. Completely blindsided. She had no idea her husband had given Elsie that kind of money. Seven hundred thousand. She spent weeks agonizing over a fourteen-thousand-dollar purse-and when she finally bought it, he tore into her for being irresponsible. But he handed Elsie 700 grand? Just like that? Sure, he said it was a loan-but who knows if he ever got that money back? Or if he even could?
Just minutes ago, the boy’s mother had been in tears-now, all that emotion turned into fury. She jumped to her feet, stormed over to Owen, and grabbed his arm.
“Where’s that manipulative brat Elsie? Get her out here! How dare she take advantage of a struggling mom and kid like us?”
Lily stepped forward, trying to calm things down. “Ma’am, please don’t-“
But before she could finish, the woman shoved her aside, shouting, “Oh, now it makes sense. She wasn’t being helpful-she set me up! She told me who Wyatt’s wife was. Told me to bring my son and start a scene, said if I caused enough chaos, Wyatt would feel pressured to let my husband… go!”
Yunice raised her eyebrows, startled. “Elsie actually said that?”
The woman snapped, “Why else would I be here looking for you?”
Yunice leaned back, her voice suddenly cool. “So let me get this straight. Now your kid’s missing…. and so is Elsie. You don’t think she took him? Set this whole thing up so I’d get blamed and have no way to defend myself?”
Owen had been in complete shock. He had no idea there was any connection between this woman and Elsie. But the second Yunice started pointing the blame at Elsie, he snapped. “Yunice, that’s enough. Shut up.”
Yunice gave a dry laugh. “What, struck a nerve? You weren’t in a rush to speak up when I was the…”
The boy’s mother glanced between Yunice and Owen, trying to determine who was telling the truth. It didn’t take long. She instantly sided with Yunice and snapped at Owen. “Where’s Elsie? Get her out here! If she doesn’t show up, I’m calling the cops!”
Earlier, she’d remained silent because she knew she was making a false accusation and feared Wyatt’s reaction. But now that her son was actually missing, and all signs pointed to Elsie, she had no reason to hesitate.
Ironically, Owen intervened. “This is Yunice’s birthday dinner. If you call the cops now and create a scene, do you have any idea the mess that will create? We don’t even know the full story yet. Stop pointing fingers.”
The woman retorted, “Then go find Elsie! Bring her out here and let her explain herself!”
Owen was at a loss. Frustrated, he snapped and sent everyone to search for Elsie.
Once Owen and Lily stormed off, only Oscar and Yunice remained backstage. Yunice looked over, calm as ever. “Oscar, you should go too. I just need a minute to put on some lipstick. I’ll be right behind you.”
Eager to end the chaos, Oscar nodded and left. Yunice pulled a lipstick from her bag and leaned toward the mirror, carefully applying it. The hallway outside had finally fallen silent. No footsteps. No voices.
Only then did she lift the skirt of her gown and reveal the three-year-old boy fast asleep beneath her makeup chair. No one had found him because Yunice had hidden him under her dress. As long as she stayed seated, who would even think to look there?
She looked down at his hand, still clenched around a military-grade pocketknife, and felt a quiet, heavy sadness. If a three-year-old was already carrying this much anger, it probably meant he was the one hurting most in the entire family.
Just three years old, and he’d come after her with a knife. Someone had filled his head with lies, making him believe Yunice was the villain behind everything that had happened to his family. He was too young to question any of it. He just wanted to protect his parents. He thought hurting her would make everything right-never realizing he was being used.
They were counting on Yunice defending herself-overreacting-so they could turn the whole thing around and pin it on her. So she played it differently. She stayed quiet. Hid him. Let them panic.
Meanwhile, the hotel staff joined the search for Elsie, covering far more ground-and with more care-than Owen or Lily ever could. Even guests from the banquet hall got involved. “Elsie’s such a sweet girl,” someone said. “She wouldn’t just vanish like this. Something’s off-we should all help find her.”
Someone near the elevator control room heard a strange noise. At first, they thought it might be a rat-but curiosity got the better of them. They quietly stepped forward…and yanked the door open.
A sharp scream rang out. Heads turned instantly in that direction. “Wait…isn’t that Elsie? From the Saunders family?” “We found her! Over here-Elsie’s in the control room!”
Someone who didn’t know what was going on started shouting-only to be silenced by a hand over their mouth. “Shhh! Stop yelling-do you even realize who’s in there with her?”
But it was already too late. Owen and Lily rushed over-only to freeze at the doorway. There, inside the elevator control room, stood Elsie…and Paul.
The two looked composed and fully dressed, but none of that mattered. Paul had recently thrown a lavish wedding. Everyone in the capital knew who he was-and everyone knew his wife was Taylor. That was the real problem. He was married. And yet here he was, tucked away in a private corner with Elsie. The implications were clear, and none of them were good.
Owen and Lily instinctively stepped forward, ready to defend Elsie-ready to smooth things over. But before either of them could speak, someone barreled past, knocking them aside. Owen stumbled left, Lily to the right.
No one had seen her arrive. But now that she was here, no one dared speak. She walked straight up to Paul and stopped. Her sharp gaze locked onto him first. Paul’s eyes flickered with guilt, but he held his ground, locking eyes with her as if nothing was wrong-as if he had nothing to hide.
Then Taylor’s eyes moved to Elsie. Elsie stood with her head down, looking fragile and pitiful-like she’d been the one wronged. Taylor’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile. Without a word, she raised her hand and slapped her.
The crack echoed through the hallway. Elsie’s head snapped to the side, the force of the slap leaving her stunned. Her mouth hung open, eyes wide with disbelief. She clearly hadn’t expected Taylor to hit her. Not in front of everyone. Elsie had assumed Taylor would stay quiet-that she’d hold it together to protect her pride. No wife wants to admit her husband’s cheating, especially in front of a crowd. But it was clear-Taylor hadn’t come to play nice. She came to settle the score.
Even Paul hadn’t expected Taylor to slap someone. But as a man, he felt obligated to defend his woman-especially since Elsie had sold her family’s assets to help him during his darkest days.
Paul barked, “You shrew! Ms. Elsie and I are completely innocent-what gives you the right to hit people?” He had only been lured here by someone else’s scheme. Nothing had actually happened between them.
Taylor declared loudly, “She seduced a married man with no shame!”
Paul snapped back, “Any man stuck with a woman like you would want to find someone gentler!”
So he wasn’t even trying to pretend anymore? Fine. Taylor would help him out.
“If you had real ability and actually earned your success, you could’ve married whoever you wanted. But too bad-you don’t. So you ended up with a shrew like me, and spent your life under my thumb. A simp.”
Those words hit like a sledgehammer. Paul’s face turned ghostly pale. He could feel the burning gazes of everyone around him. Finding a mistress wasn’t shameful. But finding one and still being dominated by your wife, unable to fight back? Now that was humiliating.
After today, he’d be the butt of every afternoon tea gossip in the capital-the man who lived off his wife.
Taylor made a gesture, and bodyguards led by Alan surged forward from behind her. “Take him away,” she ordered. The bodyguards moved in without question, grabbing Paul and hauling him off as he cursed and threatened to no avail. These weren’t just any bodyguards-they were from Taylor’s own family. Even the Powells would have to get her permission before dealing with them.
With Paul gone, Elsie was suddenly left all alone-and right at the center of the scandal. The stares from family and friends were enough to pin her to the spot. Back when Paul wasn’t married, they’d praised how well-matched she and Paul were.
Whether out of genuine distress or just putting on a show, Elsie’s legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed to the ground. Owen and Lily rushed to help her up and took her straight to the hospital. A woman who had come with her kids followed closely behind, demanding Elsie give her an explanation. The scene turned into a noisy, chaotic mess as the group departed.
Oscar, watching it all unfold, spat on the ground. “Absolutely disgraceful.”
He turned and was shocked to find the banquet hall guests scattering like water. He hurried up to someone, tugged their arm, and asked with a forced smile, “Hey, we haven’t even celebrated Yunice’s birthday yet-why are you leaving?”
His uncle answered awkwardly, “Your mom, your sister, and your brother already left. The birthday party’s basically over. Why would I stay?”
Oscar said, “But Yunice’s still here, I’m still here. This whole party was for Yunice…” But his uncle waved him off and left without another word.