Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
The Kendall family members looked toward Yunice as well, some of them clearly considering the logic in Linda’s accusation. But the Kendall family had never been hasty in judgment. Without solid proof…
“It was her! It was her!”
Suddenly, Lily, who had been all but invisible in the commotion, screamed and sprang to life, gripping the evidence papers in one hand and shoving Yunice forward with the other. Her voice was shrill and furious. “You did it! You tried to frame your sister for your own crime!”
Yunice stumbled, completely unprepared, and fell hard to the ground. Her palm flared with pain. She turned it over to see streaks of blood where her skin had been scraped. But she did not immediately speak. Maybe it was all too sudden, too surreal. She did not rush to defend herself. Instead, she sat there in silence, brows faintly furrowed, eyes fixed on the blood in her palm.
The Kendall family and Owen stared at Lily in shock, unable to comprehend her sudden outburst. Even Owen was dumbfounded. “Mom… you…” Why had she pushed Yunice out like that? He could not understand, but the Powell family could.
Someone had to take the fall for the poisoning. That was already a certainty. And the Powell family, who had dealt with the Saunders family for years, knew exactly how this would go. Yunice would be the sacrificial pawn. The Saunders family would shield Elsie no matter what. Pushing Yunice forward now was a tactical move. Normally, she meant nothing. But now she was tied to Wyatt. Her fall would drag him into the fire too. Diverting the disaster, they would turn the Kendall family against Wyatt, and the Powell family could wash their hands clean.
Owen leaned close to his mother and whispered, “Mom, Yunice’s here to help us. Don’t you think you’re breaking her heart? And besides… this won’t work.” Taylor’s evidence was too solid. No amount of denial would undo it.
“I have proof,” Lily declared, turning to face the crowd. Yunice looked at her, curious to see how far she would go to twist the truth.
Lily unfolded the stack of evidence and held up a page. “This fingerprint-this is the key flaw!” She looked between Elsie and Yunice, her voice unwavering. “They are both my daughters. I know their fingerprints like I know my own. Elsie is gentle and composed; her fingerprints are smooth and clear. But Yunny is lively and mischievous. She once injured her finger, and her prints have a visible break.”
She raised the paper. “Look closely. This is Yunny’s fingerprint.”
Yunice glanced up. Sure enough, on the magnified fingerprint, there was a thin, dark streak extending from the center like an old scar. She shifted her gaze away almost immediately, then looked at Lily with a bitter smile. “So you do remember I have a scar on my hand. I thought you never paid attention to me.”
A flicker passed through Lily’s eyes. Her heart twisted, and she couldn’t quite meet Yunice’s gaze. Her feelings for Yunice had always been complicated. She didn’t want her to suffer, but she also didn’t want her to be too happy. If it hadn’t been Elsie caught up in this today, she wouldn’t have forced Yunice to take the fall. But… wasn’t it the elder sister’s job to protect the younger one? Was it really wrong to expect that?
Suppressing the guilt in her chest, Lily softened her tone. “You’re my daughter. Of course, I care about you.” She said it for the Kendall family to hear, to prove she was being fair and not shielding Elsie out of favoritism. Then, her voice trembled with emotion as she added, “I don’t believe you did this of your own will. Someone must’ve forced you. Tell us who it was. All these elders are here; they’ll stand by your side.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Yunice, but behind that watery gaze was something else-something sharper. She was giving Yunice a way out, a script, a ladder to climb down from. All she had to do was follow the plan, and the Saunders family would walk away unscathed. Pass the blame. Blame Wyatt. Say it was Wyatt who manipulated you. Say he couldn’t stand to see Paul happy, so he targeted his fianc?e out of spite. The reasoning had already been prepared; Lily had even rehearsed it in her mind.
Owen’s eyes were locked on Yunice too, his concern etched deeply in his face. Do it. Say it. Push the blame, and you’ll be safe. This was exactly what the Powell family wanted. As long as Yunice played along, no one would come after her. But as everyone waited, Yunice simply looked at their faces, one by one. Finally, she let out a cold laugh.
“What are you trying to suggest? You’re going to be disappointed,” she said flatly. “No one ordered me to do anything.”
Owen’s and Lily’s expressions darkened instantly, their eyes full of disappointment and disapproval. They thought they were helping her, offering her a way out. But they had forgotten that this entire mess wasn’t Yunice’s fault to begin with. They were the ones trying to pin this disaster on her. And now they expected her to be grateful?
Linda, who hadn’t heard the answer she wanted, grew impatient. She needed to redirect the Kendall family’s focus to keep the heat off the Powell family. But Yunice, in her eyes, was too stupid to catch the hint.
Linda pressed harder. “Yunice, think carefully. Intentional harm leads to prison. Are you really going to keep hiding the truth?” A second chance, dangled in front of her again.
Even Paul spoke up, blunt and urgent: “Was it Wyatt who forced you?” The Kendall family turned toward him immediately, considering a new possibility. Paul and Wyatt were rivals. It wasn’t impossible…
Yunice let her gaze sweep across the room. A cold smile curled on her lips. Only after they had all jumped in did she finally speak, “So you’ve all decided I’m guilty, just with words alone?”
The sentence rang through the room like a slap. The Kendall family snapped out of it. She was right. Nothing had been confirmed. How had we started accusing someone else already?
Lily clutched the fingerprint sheet like it was an imperial decree. “This is evidence! What more do you need?”
“If fingerprints are the issue, why not test them here and now?” Taylor’s voice was sharp. She hated being manipulated. She wanted clarity, and she wanted it now. She stood and strode over to Yunice and Elsie, instructing her people to bring the ink pad.
It was clear who she was criticizing. Everyone felt the sting, but no one dared reply. The room fell into a heavy silence. Taylor, however, glanced at Yunice again, her eyes lingering. She had not been mistaken. There was something in this girl-a quiet defiance, a strength that refused to be broken.
The ink pad was brought over quickly. Taylor personally pressed Elsie’s fingers onto the sheet of white paper, one by one. Elsie’s face twisted with stubborn tears, as if Taylor were hurting her deliberately. When all ten prints were done, she collapsed onto the ground dramatically, as if she’d been shoved.
Taylor glanced at her coldly. “I’m not a man. Save the damsel act.”
Paul turned his head and muttered under his breath, “Crazy woman…”
Taylor picked up Elsie’s fingerprints and carefully compared them to the ones on the report. Elsie’s prints were indeed clear and smooth. It was completely different from the flawed one on the original sheet.
She glanced sideways at Elsie. Could I have wrongly accused her? If so, the Kendall family had made a big scene over nothing.
Lily noticed her hesitation and pressed the advantage. “Ms. Taylor, there’s no need to continue the investigation. Fingerprint scars like this can’t be faked, especially not in such a short time.”
Paul saw an opportunity and pounced. “Taylor, you’ve slandered someone’s name, taken justice into your own hands, and deliberately humiliated her. You owe Elsie an apology and compensation.”
Elsie, with a rag in her mouth, looked up at Paul with emotion sparkling in her eyes. Paul pursed his lips. He knew Elsie had been wronged. Now was the time to fight for her justice.
Taylor was in an awkward position, but before she could speak, Yunice interrupted, “Mr. Paul, aren’t you a little too eager to play the hero?”
Hero? Both Gerardi and Kyla frowned, their gazes turning icy as they looked at Paul. Just who exactly are you trying to defend? Even Jensen and Jackson gave Paul a cold stare as a silent warning. Say one more word for Elsie, and we won’t let it slide.
Paul flushed with embarrassment and quickly returned to his seat, not daring to speak again. Yunice reached out her hand. “You haven’t tested mine yet.”
Ms. Taylor raised her voice, cutting her off. “Madam Lily, you seem very eager for her to be guilty.”
Lily instantly looked awkward. “I…”
Taylor did not bother listening to her excuses. Without delay, she had Yunice leave her fingerprints on a fresh sheet of paper. Seconds later, Taylor lifted the paper, glanced at it, and stood up. “It wasn’t her.”
Owen and Lily looked at her in disbelief. But Yunice’s finger is injured. How could it not be her?
“Ms. Taylor, are you sure you looked carefully?” Owen pressed. As he reached forward, Taylor deliberately pulled the paper back. “So you’d rather doubt my eyes than trust your own sister?”
Owen was momentarily speechless, then quickly backtracked. “Of course I hope it wasn’t her.” Only then did Taylor hand the sheet to him.
Owen took it and looked. His brow furrowed. Lily peeked over his shoulder, and her eyes went wide. …How is that possible?
The fingerprints were clearly visible. Smooth and unbroken. Not a single flaw. Instead, there was a faint smear of fresh blood, likely from a scratch. A scratch caused by Lily earlier.
Yunice said calmly, “I did have a scar, but that was three years ago. My fingerprints have long since regenerated. You just never noticed.”
Three years ago, when something fell from above and nearly struck Lily, Yunice had reacted quickly and shielded her. Her finger had taken the brunt of it. Lily remembered the incident, but not that the injury had long since healed.
When the evidence did not match her expectations, Lily knew her plan had failed. She turned her blame on Yunice. “If it wasn’t you, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Yunice raised her eyebrows. “If I’d spoken up too soon, wouldn’t I have missed your spectacular little performance?”
Faces from both the Powell and Saunders families turned grim. They had all gone along with trying to pin this on Wyatt. The elder members of the Kendall family said nothing, but their minds were clear. The Powell family really doesn’t want us getting close to Wyatt, do they?
Jensen rushed over to help him out.
Once they were alone, Jackson’s face turned cold. His voice dropped low. “That girl, Yunice… she’s tough. Three years in a psych ward and still didn’t break. Must have some real luck in her fate.”
Jensen, however, was worried about something else. “Dad, what about Paul and the Kendall family alliance…?”
It might be over. The Kendall family had only one daughter, Taylor. And with all this drama over Elsie, the Powell family’s true colors had been exposed. Gerardo probably would not risk an alliance now.
Jackson bellowed, “It’s all because of that brainless son you raised!”
Jensen lowered his head, then quickly tried to salvage the situation. “Marriage alliances were never about love. As long as Paul gives the Kendall family an explanation, they’ll still consider the benefits.”
Jackson snorted coldly and stormed off.
Back in the hall, Linda was still smoothing things over on behalf of the hosts. “If neither Ms. Elsie nor Ms. Saunders poisoned the tea, then the Saunders family must be uninvolved,” he said smoothly. “Ms. Taylor and Mr. Owen are acquainted. Why not let this matter go?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Yunice held up the pile of evidence, lightly brushing her fingers against it before turning to Taylor. “Ms. Taylor, do you happen to have a digital copy of this document?”
“The ink on this one’s been smudged,” Taylor replied.
With a loud bang, Lily, having her trick exposed, lost control and snapped at Yunice, “How can you be so scheming?!”
Taylor shot her a cold look. Lily didn’t even have time to retract the venom in her eyes.
A new copy of the digital file was brought over. The fingerprints on it were perfectly clear and matched Elsie’s.