Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
She rattled the radio in her hand, her meaning unmistakable.
Owen’s face darkened. Remembering Wyatt’s earlier threat, his stomach turned.
“It’s all Wyatt’s fault-you’ve become just as vicious,” he said bitterly. “You’re both monsters. How could you, as a woman, be okay with what he threatened to do to Elsie?”
Yunice wagged her finger at Owen, smirking proudly. “When did I ever say I wasn’t vicious? I am vicious. And I want Elsie to get exactly what she deserves. What? You got a problem with that?”
Owen was so angry he couldn’t speak-but he didn’t dare try to take the radio from her. He knew the moment Wyatt lost contact with Yunice, the one to suffer would be Elsie. Once someone has a weakness, it becomes the easiest thing to exploit.
With Owen handled, Yunice began focusing on how to get out. She needed access to the pathogen’s firsthand data-only then could she help guide the research lab toward a viable treatment. Maybe there was still hope for Mr. Gerardo. She didn’t have to wait long.
A new infection case had just appeared. Saunders Hospital had been a mess from the start. Even before Yunice came into contact with Mr. Gerardo, multiple staff members had already treated his assistant-and then helped with Mr. Gerardo himself. Without proper precautions in place, many had been exposed.
Now, with the hospital sealed and medical staff running dangerously low, administrators were forced to start recruiting internal volunteers to keep things running. Volunteers were asked to step forward from among the remaining hospital personnel-especially those with medical experience. Eventually, the search reached the director’s office. A man in full protective gear was at the door explaining the situation to Owen. According to policy, male volunteers were prioritized.
Owen hesitated. “I… I have a sister to take care of…” The doctor outside replied, “Volunteers are strictly voluntary. No one will be forced.”
In the break room, Yunice heard the man’s voice-it sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. Then she heard Owen using her as an excuse to stay out of it, and she stepped out, saying firmly, “I’ll volunteer on behalf of my brother.” “I’ve competed in medical contests and even won awards. I have basic emergency care knowledge.”
As soon as she spoke, the man outside gave her a once-over and exclaimed, “It’s you?” Yunice blinked. That voice… “Tommy?” He nodded, grinning. “Didn’t expect to see you here!”
Realizing how awkward that sounded, he added quickly, “Well-I mean, it’s unfortunate, obviously.” He wasn’t alone-two other doctors were with him. When they saw Yunice, delicate and petite, they looked uneasy. Volunteer work was grueling and thankless. People were scared, angry, and often took it out on the volunteers. Yunice didn’t look like someone who could handle it.
But she stood her ground. “I can do this. Please give me a chance!”
Owen yanked her behind him. “What can you do? You don’t know anything. You’re not strong. What good are you? This isn’t a game-it’s not for you to mess around with!” “Stay inside!” he barked, eyes signaling wildly for her to back off. Now was the time to stay alive-not play the hero.
Yunice ignored him. “I can help.”
Tommy paused, then turned to his colleagues. “She’s my junior from med school. I can vouch for her medical background.”
Very few people were willing to step up. Most tried to stay as far away as possible. Someone like Yunice-volunteering on her own-was a rarity. So they made an exception. She was issued protective gear and accepted into the volunteer team.
Owen’s expression darkened as Yunice prepared to leave. Then he blurted, “I want to volunteer too! I want to be with my sister!” “I want to protect her!” he declared firmly.
Yunice turned back, her face calm-but her eyes carried a flicker of cold sarcasm. Protect her? No. He was still trying to protect Elsie. But at this point, there wasn’t time to argue. Once they left this office, it would be every man for himself. Survival would depend on skill-not loyalty.
The volunteers were quickly grouped into pairs. They tried assigning Owen and Yunice together. Yunice spoke up immediately. “I’ll partner with Tommy.”
Owen shot her a flurry of pleading glances. Tommy glanced between them, noting the strange tension, then said, “I’m happy to partner with Yunice.”
A willing pair was better than a forced one. With that, the groupings were finalized. Owen was left fuming-but powerless-as he was assigned to a different partner.
As Yunice and Tommy made their way toward the patient wards, Tommy glanced at her with confusion. “Why’d you insist on being paired with me? Your brother seemed pretty worried about you.”
“I had a few questions to ask,” Yunice replied. “Didn’t want to bring them up earlier with so many people around.”
Now that it was just the two of them, the timing was perfect.
She looked at him directly. “Why did you vouch for me?”
Yes, she was technically a med student-but she had never attended a single class. Tommy had every reason to doubt her skills.
“I’m curious about what you’re actually capable of,” he said with a shrug. “So I figured I’d see for myself.”
Yunice raised an eyebrow. “And what are you doing here as a volunteer?”
She hadn’t expected to run into anyone familiar in a place like this.
Tommy let out a sigh. “You think I wanted this? Bad luck. After I got turned down at the Cooper family, I came here to interview at Saunders Hospital. The place got sealed off the same day-trapped me inside.”
“Interview?” Yunice echoed, genuinely surprised.
Saunders Hospital was barely staying afloat, while the Cooper family was one of Silverburgh’s top medical employers-comparing the two was like comparing the sky to the dirt. Most people would aim for a second-tier institution after a rejection-not a forgotten little hospital like Saunders.
“I’ve had enough rejections,” Tommy admitted. “Thought I’d take a breather somewhere smaller. And who says small hospitals can’t be good? Saunders Hospital has a deep history-used to be pretty prestigious.”
“They specialized in rare and complex diseases,” he went on. “They only declined because of mismanagement. If I can help restore that reputation… it’d be something to be proud of.”
Yunice gave him a few seconds of silent appraisal. “You’ve got some ambition.”
Then she shifted the topic. “How long have you been volunteering? Do you know anything about the infection? Any deaths?”
Tommy shook his head. “No deaths so far. And the patient… his family’s got deep pockets. I heard they’ve funneled a huge amount of money into the hospital. They said no matter the cost, he has to be saved.”
Yunice silently thought, Taylor’s probably losing her mind out there.
And indeed-Taylor was not doing well.
Her father’s condition was critical. His assistant was dead. The Kendall family had been gutted of its core leadership. Her mother had returned to the company, trying to steady the ship while publicly denying that anything was wrong with Mr. Gerardo.
Taylor, meanwhile, was scrambling to coordinate resources, looking for ways to support her father’s treatment. She’d even reached out to Wyatt-they were on the same side now, both with loved ones trapped inside.
In stark contrast, the Powell family was perfectly calm.
In fact, they’d chosen this exact moment to summon both Wyatt and Taylor to the Powell estate.
Paul lounged comfortably with other Powell elders, exuding detachment. Wyatt and Taylor, sitting stiffly across from them, were clearly the outsiders in the room.
Noticing Taylor’s pale face, Paul smiled with feigned concern. “Didn’t you run crying back to Daddy, demanding he back you up? Funny… it’s been so long, and yet here you are, all alone. What’s wrong? Daddy not showing up to protect his little girl?”
“Or maybe,” he added, “he’s so embarrassed by you that he’s hiding.”
Taylor’s fists clenched so hard her nails dug into her palms.
She wanted to lunge at him-but she couldn’t.
The Kendall family was already on the brink. Her mother was barely holding the company together. She couldn’t afford to make another enemy-not now.
She had to endure. At least until her father stabilized.
Across from her, Wyatt lifted his gaze and looked directly at Paul. “Do you know where Mr. Gerardo is?”
Paul, caught in the crosshairs of that piercing stare, stiffened slightly-just enough to betray his nerves. Wyatt leaned back lazily in his chair, the corners of his mouth twitching into a cold smile.
Paul hated that look on him-so calm, so controlled, like everything was already in his hands. Wyatt didn’t blink. His stare zeroed in on the flickers in Paul’s expression, reading every detail. “You do know where he is,” Wyatt said flatly.
Taylor turned sharply toward him.
They had kept Mr. Gerardo’s condition a tightly guarded secret. Why was Wyatt saying this now?
Then came the real accusation.
“Mr. Gerardo’s infection was part of your plan, wasn’t it?”
Taylor turned to Paul in shock.
She had always known Paul was up to no good-but she’d never dared imagine this.
Wyatt continued, voice sharp and deliberate. “The original outbreak was in the remote north. Mr. Gerardo was working in the south. So how did he become the first infected?”
Taylor shot to her feet, her face pale with shock. “You mean to say… my father was deliberately infected?”