Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Yunice tried to stretch one out. To her surprise, Wyatt crouched slightly, slipping his shoulder under her arm. “Hold on to me.”
Feeling his arm curve under the bend of her knee, Yunice instinctively tightened her grip around his shoulder. A second later, Wyatt effortlessly lifted her with one arm. The entire room froze, stunned.
They had all assumed Wyatt was just some cripple who couldn’t do anything-but none of them had expected him to pick her up like that, so calm and strong. Paul felt like something sharp had pierced his chest. His eyes flicked to Wyatt, then to Yunice, who didn’t resist. Finally, he dropped his gaze in silence.
Wyatt hadn’t come just to visit. He had come to take Yunice away.
Luke moved to stop him. “Mr. Cooper, there’s no rush. Let Ms. Saunders get her measurements first so we can get started on the wedding gown.”
Wyatt shot him a mocking look. “I know exactly who belongs to me. I’ll protect her myself-you don’t need to meddle.”
My person. The weight of those two words darkened every face in the room. Owen and Lily couldn’t quite read Wyatt’s intentions. Elsie and Paul, meanwhile, looked downright miserable-probably out of jealousy.
After Wyatt left, Luke followed with the tailor. Only then did Owen turn to Paul, worried, “What were you trying to say about Wyatt earlier?”
Owen still hoped that if Yunice had to marry Wyatt, maybe she could at least be happy. Then he wouldn’t feel so guilty. But from Paul’s earlier tone, it sounded like there was something seriously wrong with Wyatt-something hidden. Only those inside the Powell family would really know the truth.
Surrounded by everyone, Paul looked uncomfortable. He didn’t want to say it out loud. “He’s… he’s a psychopath.”
Owen waited, but Paul stopped there. He pressed, “And?” Owen’s frown deepened. He didn’t quite get what Paul was implying. Maybe it involved secrets within the Powell family. If Paul wouldn’t spell it out, Owen didn’t feel right pushing further.
Elsie watched Paul closely. Seeing how tense he looked, she figured something really was off about Wyatt. If Yunice married him, she definitely wouldn’t have a good time. That thought alone was enough to dull Elsie’s jealousy.
At Silverburgh Hospital, Joe stood by the bed, adjusting the IV drip. “Ms. Saunders,” he said lightly, “even if you love medicine, you can’t keep running back to the hospital like this.”
She’d just left the night before and was already back again. It was the third time she’d been admitted in a week. Yunice gave a sheepish smile. Honestly, if Wyatt hadn’t taken her seriously, she wouldn’t even have made it past the front desk. Without an ID, she couldn’t even register.
After checking the IV, Joe added, “Since you’re here, stay and rest properly. You’re young-don’t end up with lifelong complications.”
Once he left, only a young nurse remained in the room to care for her. Wyatt had dropped her off and hadn’t returned since. Rumor had it Wyatt hadn’t even known about the wedding. He was probably off confronting Mr. Jackson.
She hadn’t wanted this marriage-and Wyatt would want it even less. He was at the height of his career, with every wealthy family’s daughter waiting for his attention. Marrying her would be seen as a joke, a stain on his reputation. But Yunice figured Wyatt, like her, had no real choice in the matter. She’d grown up around the Powell family and had seen firsthand how Mr. Jackson operated. Unless he was absolutely certain, he’d never force someone’s hand. But once he made a move, it was already too late to resist.
Lily had been right about one thing. Even if the Saunders family refused the marriage, the Powell family wouldn’t let her go. Even Wyatt had been pulled into it. What chance did she have? That was why she had ultimately agreed.
When she first heard about the engagement, Yunice wondered-why her? Luke had told her this was Mr. Jackson repaying an old debt. She should be grateful. Yunice figured it had something to do with that day-when she picked up Wyatt’s cane and offended Mr. Jackson in the process. Maybe this marriage was his twisted version of “repayment.”
With the knife already at her throat, Yunice no longer had the strength to question if she’d acted recklessly that day. She could only take it one step at a time.
As she stared off in thought, noise stirred outside the room. It sounded like people were chasing someone down the hallway. The young nurse couldn’t help but peek outside.
Yunice asked, “What’s going on?”
“Not sure,” the nurse replied. “Looked like some big shot showed up-everyone’s rushing to get a glimpse.”
Hospitals were filled with all kinds of people-VIPs, celebrities. It wasn’t unusual for someone to attract attention. Yunice didn’t think much of it. What she didn’t know was that the person being swarmed by admirers just outside was none other than Elsie.
Wearing a white coat, hands tucked neatly into her pockets, Elsie walked calmly at the front of the group. A crowd of nurses and medical interns followed close behind.
“Dr. Elsie, is it true? Are you really Mr. Paul from the Powell family’s girlfriend?” someone asked, barely able to contain their excitement.
Elsie gave a dazzling smile, not slowing her stride. “It’s just a rumor. Don’t take it seriously.”
“But we saw Mr. Paul in the car with you when you were dropped off! That ride was gorgeous.”
“That was a blue Bagatti, right? Only 200 made in the world. Of course, it’s gorgeous.”
“Dr. Elsie, isn’t your hair clip from Balenciaga? It’s going for $140,000 on the official site!”
“God, she’s wearing an apartment on her head and still says she’s not dating Mr. Paul?”
Elsie stopped in front of Deputy Director Xavier’s office, turned back, and playfully winked. She made a finger-gun gesture and said with a gleam in her eye, “Spread one more rumor, and I’ll sue you.”
The girl she pointed at immediately clutched her chest like she’d been struck by Cupid’s arrow. Laughter echoed through the hallway.
That cheeky way of “denying” the rumors only made everyone believe it more. Clearly, she was Mr. Paul’s girlfriend-just choosing to stay low-key.
Elsie stepped into Mr. Xavier’s office. He had clearly been waiting, because the second the door opened, he practically leapt to his feet. Grinning from ear to ear, he hurried over to greet her. “Dr. Elsie, such an honor to finally meet you!”
Elsie responded politely. “Mr. Xavier, I’ll be counting on your support from now on.”
“Of course, of course. Mr. Paul already gave me the heads-up. I’ll give you my full support. Silverburgh Hospital was partially funded by the Powell Corporation. Mr. Xavier was one of Powell’s men. Everyone in Silverburgh knew Paul was the Powell family’s sole heir. That made Elsie-the woman publicly linked to him-the future lady of the house. Who wouldn’t want to curry favor?”
Elsie was pleased with their reaction. If she’d known Paul’s identity was this useful, she wouldn’t have wasted so much time at Saunders Hospital.
Still, things had taken a turn for the better. The family he had once injured and crippled would be furious.
Once the small talk was over, Mr. Xavier moved behind his desk and slid a form toward her.
“Dr. Elsie, just fill this out and you’ll officially be on the team. Don’t worry about your graduate certificate; we’ll make sure it looks perfect.”
Elsie was currently a grad student, with plans to go straight into a PhD after finishing her master’s. When she was done, her resume would be the Saunders family’s most impressive. Even Oscar couldn’t compete. And Yunice? She didn’t even have a college degree.
A cold smirk touched her lips as she picked up the pen and wrote her name.
Mr. Xavier blinked when he saw it. “Yunice? So you’re the one who used that special technique to save Madam Johnson?”
Elsie’s smile vanished. What Madam Johnson? What special technique?
The moment Mr. Xavier saw her expression change, he remembered Dr. Joe’s warning that the incident with Madam Johnson wasn’t to be discussed. He hadn’t been in the room during the treatment, but he’d heard the name “Yunice” shouted during the chaos. He’d assumed it had been Elsie.
He scrambled to smooth things over. “Please don’t worry, Dr. Elsie. I won’t breathe a word about the Johnson case.”
Internally, he was thrilled. He’d assumed Paul’s girlfriend was here just to collect a fancy title-but it looked like he’d struck gold. Now, whenever a difficult surgery came up, he finally had someone he could count on.
Elsie finished the paperwork. Mr. Xavier quickly had her processed as a medical intern, assigned to assist supervising physicians in patient exams, diagnosis, and treatments-including writing orders, filling out charts, and submitting test requests.
When she walked out of the office, her new staff badge hanging from her chest, the waiting crowd of nurses and interns took one look and instantly got the message.
With backing from above, it didn’t take long for Elsie to dig up details about Madam Johnson’s miraculous recovery. She found out the woman had been scheduled for a highly risky operation-until some mysterious figure somehow cured her, completely unscathed.
Elsie couldn’t help but wonder. Could it have been Yunice? No worry. Yunice had only a high school diploma and had spent three years in a mental hospital. How could she possibly possess that level of skill?
Still, curiosity gnawed at her. She decided to pay Madam Johnson a visit and ask-carefully.
The Daughter in the Shadows
She made her way alone to the floor where Madam Johnson’s room was. A man with spiked red hair and a cocky swagger walked straight toward her. As they passed, Elsie’s eyes caught the rose gold Jaeger-LeCoultre spherical tourbillon on his wrist. She faltered. Only 25 of that watch existed in the world. Paul had pulled every string he could to get one. Whoever wore that kind of watch definitely wasn’t ordinary.
She was still thinking when they brushed shoulders. The red-haired man deliberately leaned in and took a deep sniff of her. Elsie saw it but pretended not to. Hugging her clipboard, she walked into Madam Johnson’s room. But no matter how carefully she pried, Madam Johnson didn’t give her anything. In fact, she seemed suspicious, even asking for Elsie’s employee ID. Cursing the old woman in her head, Elsie left, frustrated.
Back in her hospital room, Yunice had balanced a tray across her lap and was working through a stack of SAT prep books. She was determined to retake the test, rebuild her academic credentials. Even without an ID right now, nothing could stop her from preparing. “You’re actually here,” a brash voice cut in just as the door banged open.
Morgan stepped into the room wearing sneakers and a designer tee, his entire vibe screaming hostility. He glared at the young nurse. “Get out.” His expression was aggressive, the kind that made people think he’d snap at any second. The nurse was clearly terrified. But Dr. Joe had told her not to leave Yunice alone-still, she didn’t dare stay. Yunice stepped in calmly. “It’s okay. Go.” Only then did the nurse bolt, scared out of her mind.
Morgan shoved his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants and kicked the door shut with a lazy circle of his foot, radiating that delinquent energy like he owned the place. Yunice didn’t even look up. She just kept working through her physics problems. Morgan slouched his way toward her, leaned in close, and sneered, “Ugly freak. You really think you can ignore me? Don’t want your eyes anymore?”
She looked up at him. “Are you satisfied now?” Yunice lowered her gaze again-and noticed the Jaeger-LeCoultre watch on his wrist. The Johnsons had money, sure, but not that kind of money. Not this kind of watch. Even Paul had struggled to get one. So either Morgan was hiding something-or someone with serious power was backing him.
And when she thought about who might have that kind of reach, only one name came to mind. But after all this time with Wyatt, Yunice still hadn’t figured out what his connection to Madam Johnson really was. The man she was about to marry-she barely knew him. Everything she understood came from secondhand accounts. Her future felt like a black hole. A Pandora’s box waiting to be opened-and who knew what kind of nightmare would come crawling out.
She returned to her notes in silence. Morgan reached over and yanked the tray off her lap. “Don’t pretend you’re some hardworking genius. You think any man would bother looking past that face of yours to admire your inner beauty?” Then he laughed. “Oh wait-Wyatt would!” He grabbed her chin, forcing her face up to him.