Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
His mind finally began to settle. No, he couldn’t give Wyatt the chance to kill him. He had to strike first.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Paul couldn’t sit still any longer; he broke into a jog, rushing off to find Jensen.
Meanwhile, Owen brought a fresh change of clothes to the bathroom and helped Elsie out. But when he returned to look for Paul, the guy had already vanished. Calls went unanswered, and Carl was too high up the Powell chain for Owen to bother without permission. For now, he was stuck outside, seething and helpless.
Inside Carl’s private lounge, Yunice sipped her tea in peace. Carl lounged in a wicker chair across from her and said, “You hesitated when I asked you that question the other day. That’s how I knew-you want to be with that kid.”
He flipped through the file in his hands, his tone suddenly unreadable. “So you’re here now, asking me to back him?”
Yunice replied, “Mr. Carl, Wyatt’s offering thirty percent profit cuts. That’s something the Powell family will never give.”
Carl furrowed his brow, his thoughts still a mystery. “In this world, there’s no shortage of tailwinds to ride. The trick is knowing which is a spring breeze…and which is a death chill.”
Pick the wrong one, and not only do your investments vanish-you might go down with them. Wyatt was young, untested by time. Meanwhile, the Powell empire was old money: even dying, it was still stronger than most.
Carl set the document Yunice had brought down on the desk. Her heart sank. She was probably about to lose the negotiation. Sure enough, Carl gave a heavy sigh and asked, “Yunny, if I don’t sign this today, do you lose all your worth in Wyatt’s eyes?”
The question caught Yunice off guard. “I haven’t thought about that.”
Carl continued, “We businessmen…we’re all paranoid by nature. And I’ve got this nagging feeling-he brought you to the billiards hall that day on purpose.” He was starting to believe Wyatt was using Yunice.
Yunice chuckled. “That was probably just coincidence. Wyatt built everything from the ground up. I’ve never once heard of him leaning on a woman to make it.” Then she joked, “Mr. Carl, I swear he didn’t force me to bother you. You’re my uncle. You taught me how to play pool, remember? You and my father always stood on equal ground in my heart.”
‘s Not Yours Unless Carl Says So
Karl sat down. After a while, he ran a hand back through his hair in frustration. “You treat me like a stranger now,” he muttered.
Yunice paused quickly. “That’s not what I mean.”
Cat and Theatre were backing Wyari. “You want to see it? I’ll help, right?”
“It’s been years; you’ve changed,” he said. “I’ve been lost, tossed about with business these past few years and haven’t stayed grounded. You’ve lost that confidence-but I want to revive it.”
She wouldn’t take that gamble-not on human nature, on family ties, or on personal instinct. The power had already set itself to use her. How could she trust anyone else?
It had been a long time.
When Yunice walked out of the lounge, oblivious to the site, her eyes were not the same.
Owen, having been paid in advance, spotted her immediately and rushed over. “Yanny, did you see-?”
No babble. No doubt.
Ever since Owen’s father passed away, he hadn’t kept in touch. And yet the distant still cared about old bonds.
“What do you want? Me? Carl will be out. Ask yourself.”
The speech he gave sounded as though it had been prepared beforehand.
What he was rehearsing was his bond-the base. He moved the file into Vance’s hands and waited.
Now the tone had shifted.
She pulled back the door and walked over quietly to greet Carl.
The bokeh blurred the background. The wind whined as the sun faded.
The will was signed.
Blunime sat with Cat. Selimut stood nearby, silent.
Chatis said, “You know we’re not done. I’m happy for you now.”
Thumbie hesitated. Owen swallowed hard.
She smiled at him. “I’m glad you made it.”
Catenatium daffed. “A real man grows after what he wants. Lives it, Mom.” He used to hesitate. Not anymore.
, Sweetheart
Wyatt raised an eyebrow. Instead of seeing it as a challenge, he found it amusing.
Yunice set the file down and said, “Mr. Carl is very likely to work with you; otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to meet you. I think he’s waiting on a show of intent.”
Wyatt smiled. “That’s enough business talk for now. Weren’t you planning to stir the pot a little?”
He pondered. Your turn to shine.
Yunice replied, “I don’t need to lift a finger. Her vanity will ruin her all by itself.”
Both Yunice and Wyatt had a knack for drawing trouble; they knew better than to mingle at the main event. Wyatt took Yunice upstairs, where they found a perfect spot with a full view of the room below.
Yunice sat with her back straight, facing the railing, watching the guests in the hall as if searching for someone. Wyatt, on the other hand, lounged comfortably in a rosewood chair, seemingly indifferent to everything around him. From time to time, he’d glance up-always toward Yunice. If she wasn’t looking, he’d let his gaze linger a little longer. She was wearing the dress he’d picked out. He liked seeing her in a princess dress.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Wyatt asked, “What are you looking at?”
Yunice said, “I haven’t seen Paul or Jensen anywhere.”
The smile on Wyatt’s lips dimmed slightly; his gaze fell on the delicate curve of Yunice’s neck, and Paul’s words echoed in his mind. Sensing a sudden chill, Yunice turned to find Wyatt watching her with a sharp, unreadable look. She had no idea what triggered it and observed him cautiously.
It took a few seconds before Wyatt pulled himself together and casually said, “Maybe he ran home crying to his daddy.”
Yunice looked back down at the crowd below, though her thoughts drifted. She remembered what Carl had said to her earlier in the lounge.
Carl had asked, “Do you know why Wyatt suddenly lashed out that day at the pool hall?”
She’d said she didn’t.
Carl told her, “I said I’d do business with him-if he handed you over to me. And then he hit me.”
Her eyes had gone wide when he said that. Hyatt had thrown a punch… for her.
Now, thinking back to that flash of coldness in Wyatt’s eyes, Yunice picked up on a pattern: every time she brought up Paul in front of him, he seemed unhappy. A new idea began to take shape in her mind.
“Mr. Jackson’s looking sharp as ever!”
“With a promising younger generation and the Powell family thriving, no wonder Mr. Jackson’s in such high spirits!”
“Mr. Jackson’s granddaughter-in-law is quite impressive too-I heard she prepared a very special birthday gift. We’re all just dying to take a peek!”
Down in the grand hall, a wave of flattery followed Jackson’s arrival. Of course, with compliments came snide remarks too. “Most everyone’s here by now-funny we haven’t seen your second son and his wife.”
“I heard he never shows up to Mr. Jackson’s birthday parties. But then again, what do you expect from someone raised with no manners? Born with a mother, raised like he didn’t have one.”
“His wife isn’t much better. Doesn’t even try to talk sense into him…”
Before the words could even settle, a dark shadow shot down from above. The man who’d just spoken instinctively jumped to the side, and a teapot exploded at his feet.
“Who the heck?” he shouted.
Everyone looked up toward the second floor, but the railing was empty-not a soul in sight. Someone tugged at the speaker’s sleeve, whispering a reminder that the old man was still present, and it wasn’t the time to make a scene.