Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Elianna suddenly looked up. “What hotel did you stay at that night?”
“Silverburgh.”
“Isn’t there a barbecue shop near the Silverburgh Hotel?”
“There is.”
“You’re saying… that really was my dad?” She frowned. “He came home really late that night. I had already fallen asleep, but he brought me some barbecue. It was cold by morning, totally gross.”
Yunice looked down, eyes resting on the small remarks Elianna had written beneath each message. She must’ve loved her father very much to remember things so clearly after so many years-and even write down notes like this every day.
When she looked up again, Yunice’s eyes were rimmed red.
Elianna looked annoyed. “My dad saved a lot of people. You’re not special.”
Yunice nodded faintly, but inside she thought- I’ll never make things hard for Elianna again. She had a good father.
That afternoon, Quinton arrived to collect the medicine for Yuanbao, nearly bowing in thanks. “Ms. Yunice, if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have gotten that prescription together.”
Yunice said calmly, “It’s all thanks to the help of friends.”
“I owe you big for this!” Quinton said.
More favors stacking up.
A maid came in to serve tea. Quinton looked around-seeing that Wyatt wasn’t home, he stayed a bit longer.
“How’s your brother’s situation?” he asked in a lower voice.
Yunice shook her head. Her resources were limited right now. She couldn’t do much from the outside. Even if Owen’s family testified, they didn’t have any real evidence to back it up.
Quinton leaned in and said quietly, “Hire a scapegoat. A few million, and people are lining up for that kind of deal. Plenty of…”
Yunice knew that trick. In upper circles, this kind of backdoor arrangement was nothing new. And she could do that-but it came with the risk of being exposed.
Oscar was innocent, not a real criminal. If she used this kind of shortcut, the waters would only get muddier. The one who really deserved to be on the hook was Morgan.
She didn’t care what Morgan’s relationship was with Nora, or how much Wyatt doted on Nora. If Morgan dared to cross her, she would never let it go. Call it… taking out the trash for society.
After tea, Yunice headed upstairs to the vault room and selected a few collectibles to pack into her bag. Then she left the house.
Since being frightened last night, Elianna no longer followed her around, which was actually convenient. The only nuisance was the two bodyguards always trailing her. But Yunice had her ways.
She stopped by a women’s spa, parked her car out front, threw on an oversized coat, and slipped out the back. A biker was waiting and whisked her away.
Her destination: the asylum. She was going to see Kingsley. She brought the usual tea and cigarettes.
“Kingsley, I need everything you’ve got on Morgan-his whereabouts, his crimes. Best case, someone close enough to get him talking.”
“When my brother’s case is cleared, and the Powell family is dealt with, I’ll leave with the rest of you.”
Kingsley tapped the rim of his pipe. “You’ve decided, then?”
Yunice nodded. “I stayed before… because of Madam Melina.”
“But now, her time’s nearly up. She might not make it through next summer.”
“She can’t be saved?”
Yunice’s eyes dimmed. “Her spirit’s broken. No matter how well we hide things, as her grandmother, she still senses our lies.”
When someone’s will to live is gone, no medicine can bring them back. And Yunice had no power to bring Lauren back from the dead-so she had no way to revive Madam Melina’s heart either. It was a dead end.
Kingsley let out a long sigh. “Just my luck, wrong place, wrong time…”
He meant Lauren. Lauren had died unjustly. Yunice had taken the fall unjustly. Fate…
If Yunice hadn’t left the asylum with Kingsley that day, Lauren might be alive.
Kingsley asked, “And Wyatt? You can leave him behind?”
Yunice said lightly. “There’s no kid. What is there to hang onto?”
From the start, she’d never imagined things would work out with Wyatt. They weren’t from the same world. Their hearts had never been in the same place.
Kingsley agreed to help extract evidence from Morgan. Once the target was locked in, gathering proof would be much easier.
That night, Yunice appeared at the Silverburgh Club.
Morgan was there too-wasted, not even noticing who was around him. He swaggered down the hall, an arm around each of his companions: a woman on one side, a pretty boy on the other, laughing like a fool.
Yunice’s brows drew tight. Disgusting.
Just as she set down her wine glass, Morgan entered a private room.
Yunice slipped in a wireless earpiece and began real-time monitoring. Someone inside the room had been planted by Kingsley.
The headset crackled with the sounds of chaos-mixed with a woman’s teasing voice. “Mr. Morgan. I only want to be with you. I get all shy when there are others around…”
“Shy my ass, you old whore,” Morgan sneered. “What are you giggling at? You think the two of us came here to serve you? With a cigarette clenched between his teeth, Morgan grinned like a thug. Tonight, you both better get on your knees and stick your asses up.”
The woman blinked at that, her expression turning awkward as she glanced toward the other man. If Morgan was this filthy, what kind of man would hang out with him? A sick feeling rose in her gut, and she began to hesitate.
Morgan noticed immediately. He grabbed a fistful of her long hair and yanked her head toward him. The burning tip of his cigarette hovered dangerously close to her heavily made-up face, as if it might sear a black hole into her smooth skin at any moment.
“Mr. Morgan…” the woman trembled, pleading.
Morgan tilted his head. “Go clean yourself up.”
She stumbled to her feet and rushed into the bathroom.
Morgan then turned his attention to the simp. He didn’t say a word-just gave a look and tilted his gaze toward his crotch. The message was crystal clear.
The simp didn’t flinch. “Mr. Morgan, your idea of fun is too tame. I’m bored.”
Morgan’s eyes darkened. Looked down on him? Was there anyone in Silverburgh City who played dirtier than he did?
The simp pulled out a small object, pinching it between two fingers. Morgan scoffed at the brightly colored pill. “That’s it? I thought it was something rare. Amateur.”
The simp said, “This one’s not like the stuff you find on the street. Just one and it’ll blow your mind. Guaranteed.”
Morgan’s interest was piqued. He took the pill and rolled it between his fingers. Then he smirked. “Give it to that dumb woman. I want to see if it works.”
Outside, Yunice was listening in. Morgan was scum, sure-but not stupid. It wasn’t going to be easy to bait him.
“Wyatt, the neurosurgeon’s been waiting a while. He needs to discuss Ms. Nora’s condition with us in person,” Jordan said as he walked alongside Wyatt.
With one hand in his pocket, Wyatt didn’t stop walking. After rounding the corner of the hallway, he suddenly paused and glanced in a specific direction. From his spot upstairs, he could see a woman sitting alone in a booth on the ground floor.
He said, “Tell the neurosurgeon to wait a bit longer.”
Jordan blinked. “He’s already been waiting a long time… and he’s nearly impossible to book.”