Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
The fury in Yunice’s eyes faded, slowly cooling into a sharp chill.
She finally understood-Paul didn’t feel guilty. He didn’t feel any remorse for how he’d treated her all those years.
Owen shot Yunice a glance. At first, he’d thought she was here to help. Now, he was convinced she’d only come to stir up trouble.
Owen turned to Paul. “Fine. If you’re giving the gifts willingly, then put it in writing. Say you’ll never come after Elsie over this again, and we’ll leave it alone.”
In other words, they’d take the money-but also make sure the relationship was finished for good.
Yunice watched them deliberate. She had wanted to cut off Elsie’s access to money, but clearly, that wasn’t going to happen.
Paul was a jerk, sure-but he cared too much about appearances. In front of an audience, he’d never take back a gift. He had to maintain his image as a romantic and generous man.
Just as she expected, Paul pulled out his phone and said, “I’ll have my lawyer draft up a contract. That good enough?”
Owen and Elsie both looked relieved.
Elsie was glad she’d saved her assets.
Owen too. He wasn’t some saint who saw money as dirt. He just wanted to keep it with dignity.
Paul agreeing to make it official was perfect. If they took nothing, it would’ve felt like Elsie had suffered for nothing all these years.
Only Oscar stood coldly to the side, his glare so sharp it looked like he wanted to strangle Paul with his bare hands.
Oscar watched as Paul handed out generosity to Elsie, and he couldn’t help but think of Yunice.
Yunice had followed Paul around since they were kids – eighteen years of loyalty, of putting up with him taking advantage of her, of swallowing bitterness.
And what had she ended up with?
A ruined reputation, years of suppressed emotions, being discarded, and total neglect after he broke off the engagement.
What had Paul ever done for her?
And now, he was standing right in front of her, giving compensation to the mistress who replaced her.
Oscar imagined if it were him, and he nearly couldn’t stop himself from walking up and choking Paul to death.
How was it that someone like this still hadn’t been struck down?
By this point, Paul had already had someone print out the agreement.
Tears still clinging to her lashes, Elsie smugly glanced at Yunice – as if silently laughing at how useless she was.
So what if she was indignant?
Paul still doted on her, still indulged her, still gave her everything.
If not for the audience, she would’ve leaned over and whispered in Yunice’s ear: “You’re just a cheap castoff. No one ever loved you.”
Elsie looked at Paul with satisfaction, just as he was about to sign.
That was when a voice cut through the crowd.
“Paul!”
Taylor’s voice rang out, clear and sharp.
She strode through the people without hesitation, her regal, dominant presence parting the crowd instinctively.
When she reached Paul’s side, she grabbed the unsigned contract right out of his hand. She glanced at it briefly, then her cold eyes fixed on Elsie and Owen.
“I was wondering what kind of shameless woman the Saunders family could raise,” she said, biting each word with venom. “Turns out shamelessness is just part of your family’s tradition, huh?”
Yunice replied calmly, “Ms. Taylor, maybe check the facts before you speak. We came here to make a clean break with Mr. Paul. We intended to return the gifts and end things. It was Mr. Paul who insisted on making a voluntary offering to Ms. Elsie out of a sense of guilt. How is that shameless on our part?”
Owen glanced at Yunice again. He was more confused than ever.
Was she helping Elsie or not?
One moment she was tearing into her, the next she was defending her.
Taylor let out a sharp laugh and held up the contract pages – over a dozen of them, just listing the assets.
“Six hundred million in three years. That’s your guilt? Quite the generous debt repayment, huh?”
Elsie’s face twitched with guilt.
Taylor waved the list with a cold smile, “And I bet that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What you spent over the past three years…”
Her voice went soft, delicate – painting Taylor as loud and aggressive by contrast.
Elsie continued, “Paul loved me. That’s why he gave it to me. Ms. Taylor, if you haven’t received the same, maybe you should reflect on whether you’ve fulfilled your duties as a wife, whether you’ve kept your husband happy. If you haven’t, what right do you have to compare yourself to me?”
Taylor snapped.
She swore under her breath and slapped Elsie across the face.
“Taylor, you crazy woman – can you only hit Elsie?” Paul barked, stepping forward.
Before he could say more, Taylor whipped around and slapped him too.
“What, thought I forgot to hit you?”
Paul’s face flushed red, and in the next instant, he raised his hand high – ready to strike back.
Yunice instinctively stepped forward, but she didn’t grab him in time. Paul swung hard – his motion yanked Yunice down with him, and the force of the slap still landed square on Taylor’s cheek.
Taylor stood frozen, cradling her face in disbelief. She stared at Paul, wide-eyed.
Even her father had never laid a hand on her.
And now Paul had hit her?
“Yunice,” Oscar rushed forward to help her up, while Owen muttered beside them, “You shouldn’t have meddled. It’s their fight – why get involved?”
Yunice gave Owen a long look.
That’s who you are, huh?
Taylor had once had feelings for this man. And now here he was, thinking Paul was justified. Maybe he even felt a little pleased, thinking Paul had slapped Taylor on behalf of Elsie.
Yunice laughed coldly in her mind.
What they didn’t know was that this slap – this moment – had just shattered the Saunders family’s good fortune.
Paul had a flicker of guilt, but he quickly straightened his back.
Taylor hit him first. Why shouldn’t he hit back?
This was the Powell family, not some fairytale house of rules.