Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Once he left, Peggy quickly latched onto Yunice’s arm. “Come on, take me to the Saunders family home! Give me the grand tour.” She still had no idea where the Saunders residence even was. She’d tried asking Owen earlier, but he refused to tell her.
Yunice said, “Let’s head outside first.”
Peggy, eager to please her new sister-in-law, followed along without complaint.
Out in the courtyard, Yunice finally stopped and turned to her with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Congratulations. You got what you wanted.”
Peggy, sensing something off, giggled. “What do you mean?”
Yunice adjusted her sleeve where Peggy had wrinkled it. “You pulled off the con. Congratulations.”
Peggy’s expression stiffened. Just as she was about to blow up, Yunice calmly cut her off. “You studied medicine, didn’t you? You should know that a drunk man physically can’t get an erection.”
Peggy panicked. “There are exceptions! Medical journals say it’s possible-maybe Owen’s just… gifted!”
Yunice said coolly, “I’ve studied a bit of traditional diagnostics. I can tell a man’s physical state from his face. Owen’s never had any sexual experience.” Yunice added, “If Owen and Elsie had insisted on going to court today, your fabricated evidence would’ve fallen apart. You wouldn’t just lose the case-you’d be liable for damages.”
Peggy choked on her next breath, but then crossed her arms and scoffed. “What does it matter now? You signed the agreement, the license is stamped. There’s no going back!”
“Exactly,” Yunice said with a smirk. “That’s why now is the perfect time to expose you.”
Peggy blinked. She didn’t understand. Things were going exactly the way she’d planned. She was officially part of the Saunders family. Yunice was even paying for her wedding. What was there to go back from?
Sensing her tension, Yunice smiled. “Relax. I won’t out you. But remember this: you married into the Saunders family, not into me. So whatever you do from here on, stay out of my way.” Then she leaned in and whispered into Peggy’s ear. “Because if you don’t, I’ll show you what a real shameless person looks like.”
Peggy’s stomach dropped. She stared warily after Yunice as she walked away. The joy of just getting married vanished into thin air.
A moment later, Peggy’s phone pinged. She looked down-it was a message from Yunice: An address. The Saunders family’s address. Just like that, all her nerves were forgotten. Excited, Peggy hailed a cab and rushed off toward her new home.
In Yunice’s car, the butler caught her smiling faintly in the rearview mirror. She looked out the window, her expression one of complete satisfaction. There was no revenge more satisfying than lived experience. Now Owen would finally understand what it felt like. But it would be even more interesting if things got messier.
Yunice asked, “Did Wyatt say what time he’s coming back?”
The butler replied, “He called earlier. Said he has a meeting and told you not to wait up.”
So he wouldn’t be home anytime soon.
Yunice had nothing better to do, so she said, “Take me to the office.”
The butler turned the car around and headed for Huaxin Pharma. At the company, Yunice changed into protective gear and joined Laurie in the lab to learn some technical procedures.
After running a few reaction experiments, someone came in to speak with Laurie. “Ms. Laurie, we’ve verified the data from this trial. Once Mr. Wyatt signs it, it’s ready for archiving.”
Normally, anything time-sensitive like this would be handled immediately. But Laurie barely glanced at it and waved it off. “Leave it with me. Mr. Wyatt’s not in today.”
Yunice’s hand, mid-stirring, froze. By the time she moved again, she’d missed the optimal reaction window. The experiment was ruined.
Laurie glanced at her but didn’t notice anything off. Yunice calmly disposed of the failed mixture and started over, her movements unhurried and composed. Laurie never noticed a thing.
After finishing in the lab, Yunice returned to Pavilion Hall.
As she changed her shoes at the entrance, she noticed that the pair Wyatt had worn that morning was missing from the rack-he hadn’t come home.
“Mr. Wyatt has a meeting at the office-he won’t be home early…”
“Mr. Wyatt isn’t at the office today…”
The two conflicting statements echoed in Yunice’s mind. She knew Wyatt had lied.
Logic told her not to care. She’d never expected fidelity from him anyway. But her chest felt heavy, like someone had stuffed a cotton ball into her lungs.
She picked up her slippers but didn’t put them on. After hesitating for a few seconds, she set them back down on the rack and turned to leave Pavilion Hall.
I need to know for sure.
She went to the underground garage, picked a car, and drove off without informing anyone. Her destination: Gardison Residence.
Kingsley had once helped her track Wyatt before-he knew exactly where that woman lived.
Yunice had a feeling that Wyatt’s lie had to do with Nora.
Once she arrived near the area, she ditched the car and proceeded on foot.
After walking a few rounds, Yunice realized the villa was heavily guarded and equipped with high-tech surveillance. Cameras would catch anyone approaching.
She didn’t want Wyatt to know she’d come, so she returned to her car.
The sky was glowing with streaks of sunset.
Then she saw it-the villa gate opened, and a familiar car pulled out.
It was Wyatt’s. No doubt about it.
Yunice’s heart dropped.
So it’s true…
After his car had fully driven off, she took a long detour on foot, just in case they crossed paths and he suspected something.
Because of the roundabout route, she ended up getting home later than Wyatt.
As she opened the front door, she didn’t even have to lift her head-she first saw a pair of leather shoes by the entrance.
Looking up, she found Wyatt waiting there.
His brow was furrowed. “Where did you go by yourself? Why are you back so late?”
Normally, the butler would accompany her on outings.
She was too delicate-what if someone tried to snatch her off the street?
Yunice stared at him. Her first instinct was to snap back that he hadn’t come home any earlier.
But she decided it wasn’t worth it.
“I went to visit Melina at the mental hospital,” she said evenly. “On the way back I got turned around-took a few wrong turns.”
Wyatt asked, “Which car did you take?”
Yunice gave him a flat look. “The Alfa Romeo. The one collecting dust.”
Maybe sensing her irritation, Wyatt didn’t press further. He stepped aside to let her pass.
After dinner, Yunice stood to go for a walk in the garden. Wyatt said, “I’ll come with you.”
Pavilion Hall’s gardens were softly lit with ambient lighting-it looked the same day or night. Yunice strolled slowly. “Can you pull some strings to get my mom released?”
Wyatt glanced over. “Feeling sentimental?”
She nodded faintly. “He has always been good to me. I can’t treat my mother too coldly in front of him. I don’t want to disappoint him.”
Wyatt said, “That’s not hard.”