Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Paul frowned. Maybe it was his imagination, but Elsie had never been this unreasonable before. Then Owen’s words flashed through his mind. His tone became stiff. “Elsie, tell me the truth. Did you tell your brother that I made you do it?”
Elsie’s cheeks burned. She hadn’t expected the question. Her eyes flickered with guilt before she quickly defended herself. “I never said that! Owen just assumed it, and no matter how much I explained, he wouldn’t listen.”
Afraid that Paul wouldn’t believe her, she added seriously. “I can confront him right now, tell him I was the one who forced you.”
“Enough.” Paul held her back, forcing her to be patient. Who would believe a girl forced a guy? Stop overthinking. I’m not running away from responsibility.
Elsie realized she’d pushed too hard and softened her voice. “I’m sorry, Paul…. I just love you so much. I couldn’t bear the thought of…”
Paul understood. In a way, her possessiveness was endearing.
Just then, Owen and Lily approached. Seeing no marriage license in their hands, they quickly learned about Paul’s age problem. Owen had planned for everything-except this. Fearing that delays would cause complications, he blurted out, “Isn’t there another way? Paul, just fake your age.”
This ignited Paul’s temper. “Owen, who do you think I am? I already stole the damn register for you, and now you want me to commit fraud? Do you really think I’m that irresponsible?”
As the tension flared, Elsie quickly stepped between them. “Owen, don’t blame Paul. It’s not his fault.”
Seeing Elsie’s subtle head shake, Owen quickly regained his composure. Asking Paul to fake his age had been impulsive; Paul was rebellious by nature: pushing him too hard would only backfire. At most, they would have to wait another six months. As Elsie’s other guardian, I can keep a closer eye on Paul until then.
Nevertheless, Paul stormed off, leaving both parties in an awkward silence. The joy with which Elsie and her family had arrived was now replaced by disappointment when they returned home. Owen, in particular, blamed himself for overlooking such a crucial detail and missing this golden opportunity.
My original plan had been simple: let Elsie and Paul register their marriage first, then reveal it to Jackson. The old man would be furious, but with Yunice’s debt of gratitude, she could plead Elsie’s case, forcing the Powells to accept the marriage. Even with this setback, the plan wasn’t completely ruined; Yunice’s favor with the Powells hadn’t expired.
As Owen drove back home, Giana rushed out, her plump body jiggling with excitement. “Madam Lily, Mr. Owen, Ms. Elsie!” she beamed. “The Powells are here! They say they have good news and insisted on waiting for you to return!”
Owen and Elsie exchanged looks. The Powells prided themselves on their elite status. Despite their involvement with the Saunders, they had never visited in person. What was going on?
As they entered the living room, the Powell family butler greeted them politely. “Mr. Owen, Madam Lily, Ms. Elsie.” The title “Ms. Elsie” soured Elsie’s mood. Even though I had taken Yunice’s place, the Powells still refused to acknowledge me as a Saunders. Owen and Lily, however, noticed the lavish gifts piled in the room, far more than was necessary.
Sitting on the sofa, Linda turned to them with a smile. “You’re back? We’ve been waiting.” Though Landa was only Jensen’s second wife, she was their elder. Owen spoke respectfully. “Madam Linda, what brings you here?” His gaze lingered on the gifts, already suspecting their purpose.
The open jewelry box on the table confirmed it: a set of bridal accessories of pure gold. Lily’s eyes sparkled with joy as she discreetly squeezed Elsie’s hand in excitement.
Sure enough, Linda smiled warmly. “Mr. Owen, I’m sure you can guess. I’m here with a proposal of marriage.” She bit her lip, her cheeks flushing with shy joy. Linda noticed her reaction and smiled knowingly.
Lily naturally assumed that the proposal was for Elsie and playfully scolded, “Why didn’t Paul mention this before? Such a tease…” Elsie sweetly defended him. “Mom, don’t blame Paul. He probably just wanted to surprise us.” Lily chuckled. “Look at you, taking his side before the wedding.”
Elsie looked shyly at Linda. “Mom, Madam Linda will laugh at me.” Linda rested her arm on the sofa and smiled without comment.
Meanwhile, Owen, after his initial excitement, adopted a stern tone. “Madam Linda, my father died early, so as Elsie’s brother, I am in charge of her marital affairs. I hope Mr. Jensen doesn’t mind?” Linda replied smoothly. “Not just Mr. Jensen; even Jackson has given his approval.”
Owen remained cautious. “Mr. Jensen was against this marriage before. Why the sudden change?” Even Elsie sensed something was wrong. Should Owen be happy about the proposal? Why was he being so confrontational?
Before she could intervene, Lily pulled her aside and whispered, “A bride’s family must hold their head high, while the groom’s family must lower theirs. Your brother is asserting dominance so the Powells won’t bully you later.” Elsie hesitated. “Our family asserting dominance over the Powells?” Wasn’t that reckless? What if the deal fell through?
Lily added, “Your brother is upset. Traditionally, the groom’s parents should come in person to show their sincerity. Even if Jackson didn’t come, at least Jensen and Paul should have. What is Linda’s status?” At best, she was a second wife; at worst, just a mistress. Sending her to propose was a slap in the face to the Saunders.
Hearing this, Elsie’s gaze turned icy on Linda.
“Her blessing would mean so much to me,” Owen sighed. “She’s not like you, kindhearted. I don’t expect her blessing. I just hope she doesn’t cause any trouble.”
Still, he added cautiously, “But we’d better find her. The last thing we need is a scandal to ruin your wedding.”
The search lasted well into the night, but Yunice was nowhere to be found. Owen finally called Paul, asking, “Hadn’t Yunice mentioned that Margaret had a friend who would take her in?”
But Paul knew there was no such friend. As he wondered where Yunice could be, Wyatt came to mind. Hyatt had just been disciplined by Jackson and hospitalized. Was Yunice looking after him?
The thought of Yunice doting on Wyatt made Paul’s stomach churn with jealousy. She wouldn’t even put ointment on me, yet she eagerly served that cripple? How pathetic.
Paul grabbed his jacket and headed out, growling into the phone, “I’ll find her myself.” After hanging up, he rushed to Silverburgh Hospital.
In Wyatt’s room, he pushed past Jordan, who tried to stop him, and kicked the door open. Wyatt sat on the bed, his gaze icy as it landed on Paul. “I’d warned him before, don’t fall into my hands again.”
Paul ignored the threat. Scanning the room and finding no one, he stormed into the bathroom and checked every possible hiding place. Still no Yunice. He marched back to Wyatt and demanded, “Where are you hiding Yunice?”
Jordan rushed in and tugged at Paul. “Yunice isn’t here!” Paul shook him off, fixating on Wyatt. “We’ve searched all of Silverburgh. If she’s not with you, where else would she be?”
Wyatt’s voice was cold. “Yunice is missing?” Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed his cane and swung his injured leg off the bed.
Jordan frowned. “Wyatt! Let me do this. You shouldn’t be moving around…”
Paul finally realized that Yunice really wasn’t there. But where else could she be? If Wyatt didn’t have her, I’d look somewhere else.
Just as he turned to leave, Wyatt’s voice cut through the air.
The Daughter in the Shadows
‘s Gambit
Paul barely had time to react before his arms were twisted behind his back, forcing him face-first to the floor. Wyatt’s cane whipped past him as Paul struggled, his face flushed with anger. “Wyatt Cooper!” The door slammed shut, trapping Paul inside.
Outside, Jordan rushed ahead, arranging transportation as he made calls. After hanging up, he reported, “Ms. Saunders isn’t at Gill’s either.”
That complicated things. Silverburgh had countless hiding places. Wyatt’s voice was icy. “Activate Skynett.”
Jordan hesitated. Skynett surveillance required approval from several high- level departments-something they avoided unless absolutely necessary. But now Wyatt was going to use it just to find a girl? I’d assumed Wyatt’s interest in Yunice was fleeting. Had that changed?
Skynett quickly retrieved data, but Jordan fell silent after reviewing it. “Wyatt, Yunice’s identity is being used by Elsie. All the travel records we’re pulling belong to Elsie…”
Wyatt’s face darkened. Even Jordan found it unbelievable. How could two persons have the same identification? But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. A new alert appeared, and Jordan’s eyes lit up. “Found her!”
Traffic cameras show Yunice leaving the Saunders mansion in an unregistered taxi at 11:00 yesterday morning. When she got out near Silverburgh Hospital, she was abducted by a van.
Wyatt stared at the screenshot on his phone-Yunice, hooded with a sack. His face was stormy. Almost two days had passed since her abduction, and no one had noticed. A young girl like Yunice in the hands of criminals-no good could come of it.
Bang!
The deafening crash of a gong jolted Yunice awake. Her eyes widened as she stared at the blank paper and pen in front of her. She was in what appeared to be a warehouse, windowless, with corrugated metal walls. The only light came from a single bulb dangling overhead. The room was empty except for the chair and table on which she sat.
She only knew that every time exhaustion caused her eyelids to droop, the man behind her would strike the gong, bringing her back to consciousness.
After more than a dozen cycles, Yunice’s head was throbbing. Irritation simmered beneath her skin. She dug her fingers into her hair, clutching her forehead in frustration. The man watching her spoke. “Ms. Saunders, as soon as you transcribe the medical records, we will release you.”
Yunice gritted her teeth. “My head hurts. I can’t write. Let me sleep.”
“Write first, then sleep.”
She glared at him, knowing Quinton was trying to break her. If this continued, she’d collapse from exhaustion. Her eyes drifted to the lone light above. Trapped here, no one would ever find her… No, that wasn’t quite right. No one would even look for me. In this world, no one cared about me except Dad. No one would notice that I’d been kidnapped. No one would come for me. I could die quietly here, my body encased in concrete, buried where no one would find me for decades. But I refused to die like that.
Swallowing her discomfort, she propped her head up with one hand and scribbled on the paper with the other. When she was done, she turned the paper over and tossed it to her captor. “Take this to your boss.”
A new guard replaced the old one as the first one left to deliver the message. Inside a Vertex, Quinton unfolded Yunice’s note. Only a few hastily scribbled words stared back at him. “Draw a tiger with a cat as a model. Live to make use of it.”
The messenger assumed Yunice was mocking Quinton and tensed. “Mr. Quinton, I will interrogate her properly this time!”
“Wait.” Quinton raised his hand, still studying the words. Why those words?
Back in the warehouse, Yunice was dozing again when footsteps approached. She forced her bloodshot eyes open as polished dress shoes stopped in front of her. Quinton placed the note in front of her. “What does this mean?”
Yunice leaned back in her chair, irritation sharpening her voice. “You want my notes. But could you even understand them? Could you use them?”
‘s Gambit