Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
But the moment she stepped into the courtyard-
A massive porcelain vase shattered at her feet.
Shards flew everywhere. One even cut her face.
Lily froze, stunned by the sudden sting and the sheer shock of it.
Owen and Elsie came running out, clearly heartbroken-not for her, but for the broken vase.
“That was an antique!” Owen wailed. “I spent a fortune on that at auction! How could you smash it like that?! Do you have any idea how much that’s worth?!”
Elsie looked up and finally noticed Lily standing there, wide-eyed. “Mom?”
Owen turned too, just as stunned. “Mom? You’re back?”
Before Lily could respond, a young woman strolled casually out of the house.
Her tone was smug and playful. “This is Owen’s house. And Owen’s house is my house. That means everything here belongs to both of us. If I want to break something, I will. If I want to spend money, I will. You, as an outsider, have no say.”
Peggy stood with arms folded, oblivious to Lily’s presence.
She fanned herself with a marriage certificate and added proudly, “I’m married to your brother now. From now on, all you outsiders can get your names off his household registry.”
Elsie glared at her, then turned and ran into Lily’s arms, clinging to her like a child and sobbing. “Mom! Thank God you’re back! You have to do something about this crazy woman! While you were gone, she’s been making our lives miserable!”
Lily blinked in confusion, completely lost. She turned to look past Elsie-just in time to lock eyes with Peggy, who also looked completely thrown.
For a second, neither of them said anything.
Then Peggy’s eyes lit up. She suddenly bolted forward and grabbed Lily’s other arm, yanking it toward herself with way too much enthusiasm. “Mom! You’re my mom, right?!”
“I saw your pictures with Oscar at home. Now that I’ve met you in person, you really are as young and beautiful as the photos. No wonder Oscar got your good genes.”
She turned and fluttered her lashes at Owen. “So handsome-“
+5 Free Coins
Lily stared in disbelief at Peggy, who was even sturdier than she was. Peggy’s arms were like iron clamps-once she latched on, there was no pulling free.
Disgusted, Lily shot Peggy a look, then quickly turned to Elsie and changed her tone. “Elsie, who… who is she?”
Elsie’s eyes turned red as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Mom, something terrible has happened to our family…”
Before Lily could ask for more details, Peggy wrapped herself around Lily’s arm and started dragging her toward the house. “Mom, it’s so rude to just stand around outside. Come in and have a seat. I have to show you how well I treat my elders.”
Lily’s entire body stiffened as Peggy dragged her into the Saunders family home like a chick in a hawk’s talons.
Peggy turned back and glared at Elsie, snapping, “Hurry up and clean up that mess! If even one shard cuts my mom, you’re not eating dinner tonight!”
Tears welled up in Elsie’s eyes as she looked miserably at Owen.
But Owen was still in shock that Lily had actually been released. Eager to get the full story, he didn’t spare Elsie a second glance.
“Just clean it up first,” he said, then walked straight into the house without looking back.
Elsie stood frozen, staring at the broken pieces of porcelain on the floor. She couldn’t believe Owen had actually told her to back down.
He didn’t even like Peggy-why was he indulging her?
When Owen entered the living room, Lily was already forced onto the couch by Peggy.
She looked around at the drastically changed Saunders family home, her eyes about to pop out of their sockets.
Peggy beamed. “Mom, do you like how I redecorated? I designed everything to my taste. You guys used to live like monks-look how lively my style is!”
Lily’s face turned bright red. Her favorite chandelier had been replaced with a tacky butterfly-shaped crystal one. Her beloved lotus paintings had been swapped out for roses!
Without saying a word, she stood up furiously and stomped upstairs to her room, rummaging through drawers.
A few minutes later, she burst out of her room and shouted down the stairs, her voice cracking, “My agarwood! My jewelry! Where are my designer watches, my bracelets, my necklaces?!”
Owen turned angrily to Peggy. A flicker of guilt crossed her face before she quickly brushed it off and smiled at Lily. “Mom, those things aren’t good for the baby, so I put them away for you. Don’t worry-once I give birth, I’ll return everything just the way it was.”
Lily stormed downstairs, face-to-face with Peggy, rage practically pouring off her. “Who gave you permission to touch my things?! This is my house! Owen! Call the police! Say she stole from me! Those things are worth tens of millions!”
Owen looked at Lily in disbelief. “Mom, didn’t you say those were just cheap fakes you kept for fun?”
There had been times when the family desperately needed money and Owen had to bite the bullet and ask Lily for help.
Back then, Lily told him she didn’t have any money. All those trinkets were fake-worthless junk.
But now she was saying they were worth tens of millions?
Lily’s expression faltered as she struggled to explain. She quickly moved closer to Owen, raising her eyebrows in a meaningful way. “I was just trying to scare her.”
Owen’s face darkened with disappointment and frustration. If the stuff was real, he’d make Peggy give it all back-no matter what.
But if it was fake… it was worthless.
Peggy, on the other hand, lit up when she heard how much the items were worth.
So the Saunders family really was loaded!
She’d actually felt duped when she first showed up yesterday. The Saunders family house looked old and rundown. She thought she’d been scammed.
But after she ransacked the rooms, especially Lily and Elsie’s, and found so many treasures, her doubts were gone.
Seeing that Lily wanted to call the cops, Peggy draped her arm around her shoulder again and smiled sweetly. “Mom, I was just trying to help you keep them safe. I never said I was taking them. And besides, aren’t all those things going to your grandson one day anyway?”
As she spoke, she patted her own belly on purpose.
Lily stared at Peggy’s stomach in horror and clutched Owen’s arm, panic rising. “What does she mean? What grandson? What ‘Mom’? You still haven’t told me-who is she?!”
Owen was too embarrassed to speak.
Peggy, on the other hand, proudly pulled out a marriage certificate. “Mom, this is our marriage certificate. It’s still hot off the press. Owen and I fell in love at first sight. We couldn’t help ourselves. And now, I’m carrying the next generation of the Saunders family.”
The more Lily heard, the harder it was to process. It was like her brain short-circuited. She’d only been detained for a few days-not years!
And this is the welcome home I get?!
Lily shook Owen’s arm like mad, completely losing it. “Why is this lunatic in my house?! Why haven’t you kicked her out yet?!”
Flushed with shame and frustration, Owen turned to Peggy and snapped, “Stop talking nonsense! It’s only been three days-how could you possibly be pregnant already?!”
As soon as Owen spoke, Lily’s eyes flew wide open. He hadn’t denied his relationship with Peggy-instead, he stressed that she couldn’t possibly be pregnant.
Which meant… they’d already…
Lily let out a loud groan and slapped her leg. “What is wrong with your judgment?! Have you lost your mind, bringing a lunatic like her into this house?!”
She grabbed Owen and dragged him upstairs, sobbing.