Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
That man was counting on it, standing boldly right in front of him.
Once the firefighters left, Peggy started yelling, panic giving way to rage. “You son of a bitch! You were gonna let this guy kill me, weren’t you? Just so you could be rid of me!”
Owen shot her a glare. “Shut up, idiot.”
Then he turned to the man, face grim. “Come inside. We’ll talk.”
He locked Peggy in a room before returning to face the man, his expression furious.
“Timothy. You dare show your face at the Saunders house? Are you looking to die?”
Timothy-the man Lily once sold Elsie to-was her biological father.
Back when Lily was rescued, Elsie hadn’t come with her. Owen had gone into the mountains himself and bought Elsie back for 200,000 dollars.
At the time, Timothy had called her a worthless burden and promised never to show up again.
But now here he was, breaking his word.
Unbothered by Owen’s fury, Timothy sat on the couch like he owned the place. He picked up an apple, bit into it with his rotting teeth, and said lazily, “Didn’t Elsie die? Why so cautious?”
Owen snapped, “She may be dead, but her name lives on. If people find out she was the daughter of a human trafficker, and that she lived under someone else’s identity…”
But Timothy only smiled oddly, sending a chill down Owen’s spine.
“What are you smiling at?” Owen asked warily.
Timothy raised his hands in mock surrender. “Relax. I just didn’t expect you to still care about that worthless girl. But now that I know you do, I’m relieved.”
Owen’s brow furrowed deeper. “What are you so relieved about?”
Timothy wiped his grimy hands casually across the leather couch. “Elsie had a 10% stake in Saunders Hospital. I did my homework before I came. Even if you sold it cheap, that 10% would fetch at least 200 million. As her biological father, I’m entitled to inherit her assets. Nothing wrong with that, is there?”
Owen’s eyes bulged. The sheer audacity stunned him.
“That’s the Saunders family’s property! You have no right to inherit any of it!”
Timothy chuckled lazily. “Watch your mouth, Owen. You know better than anyone where Elsie really came from. There are still people alive who know the truth.”
This wasn’t just about Elsie’s reputation anymore-it could implicate Owen in serious crimes.
Owen gritted his teeth. He could see exactly what Timothy was after. “Elsie’s dead. Her body was cremated. What proof do you have she wasn’t a Saunders? The real daughter’s still alive, and you, me, and Oscar are all alive too. You really think she won’t come out and tell the truth?”
His face went pale.
Timothy continued, calm and unbothered. “Be smart. I’m only asking for 10%. I’m not trying to take everything. That portion was rightfully Elsie’s anyway.”
“It had nothing to do with Elsie! That was my dad’s inheritance to Yunice!” Owen snapped, only to realize too late that he’d said too much. His face flushed green with regret.
Timothy sprawled out on the couch, glancing around. “Nice house. If you can’t give me the shares, I’ll take this place instead. It’s a fair trade. Don’t worry-you two can keep living here even after it’s mine.”
Then he laughed. “Where’s your mom? Haven’t seen her in years. Is she still playing the lady of the house? Bet she’s even prettier now.”
“You son of a-” Owen couldn’t take it anymore. He lunged, grabbed Timothy by the collar, and yanked him up.
Timothy sneered, completely unfazed. “Don’t get any ideas. I’ve got a house here in Silverburgh. I’m not some backwoods nobody anymore. If anything happens to me-if I vanish or die-you’re going down for it.”
He was ready for this. He came prepared.
Owen’s jaw clenched so tight his bones cracked. In the end, he let go. Left with no other option, he made a call to Yunice.
She had just received full ownership of Saunders Hospital and the Saunders estate.
She had been the true buyer behind the scenes.
More than a year ago, when the hospital’s profits began to slide, Yunice had used intermediaries to approach Owen about acquiring it, always offering generous terms. She’d laid the trap slowly, carefully, weakening Owen’s support, isolating him bit by bit until he had nowhere else to turn.
Like a slippery loach forced to burrow into chilled tofu-stuck between discomfort and desperation.
Her trap gave him no real choice. It offered temporary relief while ensuring a longer, more painful fall. There was no way back.
Owen thought he had scored a great deal by selling for 30 billion, not realizing he had fallen right into Yunice’s hands. She had just swindled 100 billion from Paul. She didn’t care about money at all. Her bait had paid off far beyond expectation.
When her phone rang and she saw Owen’s name, Yunice already knew what he was calling about.
She answered slowly, her voice cool. “Hello?”
Owen lowered his voice, frustrated and agitated. “Nuonuo, could you do me a favor?”
“Go ahead,” Yunice replied flatly.
Owen froze. His brows twitched with surprise and-somehow-hope.
He had expected Yunice to snap at him like before, to argue. But instead, she sounded calm. Cooperative.
He started to wonder if she was softening. Maybe now that Elsie was gone, with the obstacle between them out of the way, she wanted to come home again.
People were like fallen leaves, after all-always returning to their roots.
And with a family like theirs, no matter how bad the fights got… didn’t they always end up back together in the end?
‘s Problem but Yours
Owen said, “Yunice, Timothy came to the house and won’t leave. Can you figure out a way to get rid of him?”
Worried Yunice might not remember who Timothy was, he added quickly, “You know, that guy.”
Yunice asked curiously, “What’s he here for?”
Owen replied vaguely, “Trying to extort some money, of course.”
Yunice let out a soft “oh” and said lightly, “Just a hundred, maybe two hundred grand, right? Treat it like giving to a beggar… If it’s a big deal, I can even pay it for you.”
Owen’s teeth clenched. Timothy wasn’t asking for pocket change-he wanted 10% of the hospital. That was two hundred million.
Yunice tossing out twenty grand like spare change made it clear: there was no way she’d give him two hundred million.
Frustrated, Owen grumbled, “You know how greedy that guy is. If we give him anything, he’ll come back again and again. It’ll never end.”
Yunice nodded. “True. So what do you want to do?”
Owen said, “He claims to have a home here in Silverburgh. Can you look into his background, see if there’s a weak spot? Maybe even get him sent back to the mountains where he came from!”
He lowered his voice and added, “Even better if you could trick him into some black mine, or sneak him onto a smuggling ship. Let him spend his life as a slave somewhere. I can’t stand the sight of him living well!”
In Owen’s mind, if not for Timothy, their father would still be alive, and the Saunders family wouldn’t have fallen apart like this.
But Yunice replied with a slow drawl, “You should be thanking Timothy. If not for him, wouldn’t you have ended up running the family, or had such a considerate little sister like Elsie? If he hadn’t taken our mom away…”
If it weren’t for him, Yunice wouldn’t have suffered so terribly either.
Owen choked on her sarcasm, assuming she was just talking nonsense again. “When are you going to grow up? You’re not a kid anymore. Can’t you learn some tact? No one wants to hear you talk like this.”