Filed to story: The Daughter in the Shadows (Yunice) Book by Una Norris
Owen’s jaw clenched, his teeth grinding audibly. “How could you make Mom and Elsie kneel for you?! They didn’t owe you anything!”
Yunice struggled against his grip, trying to pry his fingers loose, but he refused to let her speak.
Paul finally stepped in, peeling Owen’s hand away. “Let go. Are you trying to strangle her?”
With a forceful shove, Owen flung Yunice onto the couch. She hit hard, her body jolting with pain so intense it felt like her insides were being torn apart. She clutched at her chest, gasping for air.
Owen hesitated when he saw how pale she had turned, but before he could react, Paul had already moved to help Elsie and Lily. Seeing Lily crying too hard to stand, Owen had no choice but to focus on comforting her instead.
Yunice pushed herself up, her expression cold as she stared at them. Her voice was eerily calm. “Fine. Take the medicine. But I suggest you have it tested first. If anything goes wrong, don’t blame me for poisoning her.”
Elsie rolled her eyes but said nothing. Owen ignored the jab. He had gotten what he wanted.
Yunice was in too much pain to care anymore. No one would protect her, so she swallowed down the blood rising in her throat, steadied herself, and forced her aching body toward her room. She did not want to show weakness. Tears were only useful when shed for those who truly cared. As for them? Even if she cried, they would only call her tears fake.
She tilted her head back, staring at the ceiling, the curve of her lips cold and empty. Everyone was celebrating Elsie’s recovery, but only Paul spared her a glance. Watching her frail figure retreat, a strange feeling tightened in his chest. Almost instinctively, he called out, “Yunice?”
She paused. Without knowing why, he blurted out, “When I manage to get the medicine, I’ll replace the one Elsie took.”
Yunice walked away. If he could get the medicine, he wouldn’t have taken mine to begin with. Did he even believe his own words? But they all loved to make promises. Tomorrow, someday, in the future…
Good thing Elsie had helped her see clearly. Otherwise, she might have wasted her whole life giving to the Saunders family. Fortunately, she now saw everything clearly. Completely and utterly. Any lingering ties to the Saunders family were severed in her heart.
Siblinghood: Shared burdens! Mutual interests? Supporting each other? Those lofty principles their father had always preached to the three siblings, she would no longer abide by. She would still bear the surname Saunders, but she would no longer be the same Saunders as them.
.
The living room was filled with laughter and joy. Owen went to pour himself a glass of water while Lily opened the medicine box. As she picked up a pill, she frowned. “Why are there two missing?”
Paul’s gaze flickered. Had Yunice taken them? Lily, however, didn’t overthink it. She only felt a pang of pain in her heart for the missing pills. “I just hope this little bit of medicine is enough to cure your illness…. Never mind. I’ll go beg Yunice later and ask her to get you two more boxes.”
Owen scoffed. “As a member of the Saunders family, Yunice is supposed to contribute. Mom, don’t spoil her.”
Watching Elsie swallow the pill, Owen turned back, only to catch Paul heading toward Yunice’s room. His hand shot out, gripping Paul’s shoulder in warning. “You still owe Elsie an explanation.”
Was the Powell family going to go through with their marriage alliance with the Saunders family or not? And if so, which sister? The thought of Paul’s lingering glances at Yunice made Owen’s voice drop to a low warning. “If you dare betray Elsie, I won’t forgive you!”
Elsie cast a sorrowful glance at Paul before lowering her head. Paul could never stand seeing her like this. Every time she acted this way, he felt like a complete scumbag.
Compared to that, Yunice had always been easier to handle. Whenever she showed even a hint of dissatisfaction or tried to give him the cold shoulder, he could preemptively scold her, then pacify her with a few sweet words. Every single time, she would fall in line. But Elsie, he could not bear to speak harshly to her…
A few murmured reassurances, and soon enough, Elsie was leaning sweetly into his embrace, the two of them slipping back into their affectionate charade. But through the reflection on her phone screen, Elsie caught sight of Paul’s gaze drifting toward Yunice’s room.
An uneasy feeling crept into her chest. She had brought Yunice back from the asylum to secure her own high-status marriage, not to let her seduce her man.
“Paul, I’m worried that my sister may have done something she shouldn’t have.” Elsie furrowed her brows, her face filled with concern for Yunice. “Even you struggled to get the Alphasirox pills. If my sister, an ordinary woman, managed to acquire them, she must have paid a steep price. If that’s the case, I’d rather not take them.”
For a woman with no advantages, obtaining something completely out of her reach, there was only one conceivable way she could have done it. The thought that Yunice might have traded her body for the pills made Paul’s stomach churn with disgust. His tone turned cold. “Once I get my hands on a new batch, don’t take these anymore.”
Elie obediently nodded. At the same time, Giana entered Yunice’s room with a bowl of food, only to find it empty. Yunice had already slipped away while all eyes were on Elsie. She clutched a crumpled red banknote in her hand and hailed a cab straight to the Saunders family’s private hospital.
By nightfall, the hospital lobby was sparsely populated with a few lingering patients. Yunice entered through the back door and took the elevator up. She knew the hospital inside and out. Its equipment and its vulnerabilities….
At first, Yunice didn’t understand, but then she recalled the discarded medication bottles in Owen’s desk drawer. By hospital regulations, all used medication vials required thorough documentation and disposal. The fact that Owen hadn’t done so meant those drugs were obtained through improper channels. Owen prided himself on his principles, except when it came to Elsie. Those discarded bottles had to be connected to her.
“Here you go with the Epinerate,” the pharmacist said, handing over the medication. “Make sure to test for allergies first. We don’t want another near-accident like last time with the Pentopex shot.”
Yunice’s eyes darkened slightly. She accepted the package with a soft hum and carried the Epinerate back to Owen’s office. Now she understood why it had been so easy to get the prescription filled. And she also understood why the Saunders family hospital had been plagued by so many scandals in recent years. It all traced back to Owen’s indulgence of Elsie.
Elsie had entered the Saunders family at fourteen, illiterate and uneducated. Oscar and Owen, full of guilt and affection, had arranged a place for her in school and forced Yunice to tutor her. But Elsie’s foundation was too weak, and every exam she took was a disaster. Eventually, she started resenting school. To keep her motivated, Oscar and Owen forced Yunice to sign Elsie’s name on her own test papers. Elsie’s stellar grades were praised by the entire school, while Yunice, taking the fall for her, was publicly shamed for failing. But the brothers never once noticed Yunice’s humiliation. They only felt that it was a great idea. They went on to make her publish medical papers under Elsie’s name and forced her to let Elsie accept her competition awards.
All this while, they had been telling her that Elsie had no citizenship, no official student status, and that Yunice needed to let go of her vanity for the sake of her sister’s happiness.
Looking back now, Yunice realized Elsie had never actually cared about learning. Even after three years of university under Yunice’s stolen identity, there was no way she had passed her courses. Oscar and Owen must have pulled strings to fabricate her academic success. Now, Elsie was both a postgraduate student and a hospital intern, and Owen was surely still covering for her. Those empty vials were proof that she had been practicing on real patients. And clearly, violating medical regulations was nothing new. It was practically common knowledge among the hospital staff.
No wonder the Saunders family hospital’s reputation had plummeted. It had been bled dry by Elsie. Before this, Yunice had assumed Elsie’s actions stemmed from insecurity or jealousy. Now she saw the truth. Elsie was merely a parasite, a bloodsucking leech, feeding off the Saunders family to fatten herself. If this continued, Oscar and Owen would be dragged into prison along with her.
Yunice injected herself with Epinerate. As the cold liquid seeped into her veins, she thought to herself. She did not care what happened to Oscar and Owen. But her father’s legacy? She would not let Elsie sink her fangs into that any longer.
To seize power, she needed leverage. After dropping out of school, Yunice had wasted three years. Her future was ruined. But she refused to despair. Her father once said, “The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago. The second best time is…”
Elie wanted to destroy me? Fine. Then I would rise beyond her reach. Yunice clenched the pill in her palm, her expression unreadable. If she wanted to escape the Saunders family’s grip, she needed a ladder.
The next morning, she finally returned home. Owen was already fuming. The moment he saw her strolling leisurely through the door, he stormed toward her. “Yunice, you really think you’re something, huh? Didn’t come home all night? I almost thought you were dead!”
Yunice knew she was about to be scolded. Lowering her tone, she said, “My brother, I just went out for some air.” That single “Brother” was enough to make Owen hesitate mid-kick. She had been back for so long, yet this was the first time she had called him that. But he wasn’t going to be fooled by her tricks. This was nothing more than an attempt to avoid punishment. Owen scoffed, “For some air? Nice try. Looked more like you were taking a breather on some old man’s lap.”
Seeing Yunice’s stunned expression, he sneered. “What? Gonna claim I’m falsely accusing you? Then tell me, where did you get the Alphasirox pills? Did you steal them, or did you pick them up off the ground?”
“Even the Powell family couldn’t get their hands on them, yet you could? Must be a pretty powerful sugar daddy you’ve got. Maybe one day, even my reputation will benefit from your connections!” His words were dripping with sarcasm. Yunice simply repeated, “I didn’t.”
“Oh! Then where were you last night? As far as I know, you don’t have any friends willing to take you in. You’ve got no money and no ID. Where exactly did you stay?”
So he knew. Knew that she had no friends, no identity, no money. And because he was so certain she had nowhere to go, he felt entitled to bully her. Yunice replied evenly, “The streets. Under a bridge. Plenty of places can shelter someone for a night. They’re just a bit cold.” She then added, “As for the pills, they were given to me by Wyatt.”
That caught Owen off guard. But he recalled seeing her speaking with Wyatt the day before. If it was him, then yes, he could get the medicine. Owen’s eyes scrutinized her, scanning her up and down. She looked completely ordinary. “Why would he give them to you?”
“Tie mistook me for Paul’s fianc?e and wanted to mess with me. Giving me the pills was his way of setting up a misunderstanding.” As Yunice spoke, she locked eyes with him. Her gaze practically said, See? You all fell for it.
Owen was speechless. He had not expected this to backfire on him. If Wyatt had planned it that way, then Yunice was nothing more than a pawn, an instrument for Wyatt to provoke Paul. Wyatt had always clashed with the Powell family; a natural-born troublemaker. This was exactly something he would do. Half-convinced, Owen pressed on, “Then why didn’t you say so yesterday?”
Yunice replied, “First, if I had told you, it would’ve stirred up a fight between Paul and Wyatt, which doesn’t benefit me. Second, Alphavirus pills are good medicine. I wanted to keep them.”
Now that sounded more like the Yunice he knew; a more self-serving person. Seeing that he was no longer pressing her, Yunice returned to her room to catch up on sleep.
Meanwhile, Owen had no intention of informing Paul about Wyatt’s involvement. Their family had no desire to provoke that mad dog. His real concern was Yunice. She was already an adult, headstrong and unpredictable. If they did not marry her off soon, who knew how much more trouble she would bring to the family?
Margaret visited from time to time, even deliberately giving Yunice nutritional supplements in front of Lily. After more than a week of this, Yunice’s complexion had significantly improved. One day, Margaret visited again, but this time, it was to say goodbye. After divorcing Jensen, she could no longer stay in the country. She was leaving for a long trip abroad.
If it were not for Yunice’s engagement issue, she would not have come back just to see the other woman flaunting her victory.
“I advised you to break off the engagement with Paul not because I look down on you,” Margaret said. “The Powell family is too complicated. Without strong backing, you’ll suffer.”
Daughter-in-law and mother-in-law were natural enemies. And now, there was a stepmother involved, making things even more precarious.
Yunice was unsure how sincere Margaret was, but she was not wrong. The Powell family was embroiled in internal strife. There was no need for Yunice to be dragged into it.
Margaret suddenly thought of something. “By the way, do you remember Gill?”
Gill had been a maid for the Saunders family. Margaret had introduced her, and when Elsie moved in, Gill had been the one who protected Yunice. But after Yunice was sent to the asylum, Gill had left the Saunders family as well.
Yunice’s eyes lit up. “Madam Margaret, do you know where Gill is?”
Margaret smiled. “She’s looking after my house in Silverburgh.” She handed Yunice an address. “This is my private residence. Not many people know about it. If you ever have nowhere to go, find Gill. She’ll take care of you.”
Tears welled in Yunice’s eyes. She wanted nothing more than to rush to Gill’s side immediately.
Seeing her reaction, Margaret subtly hinted, “Elsie and Owen are on a business trip. They won’t be back for a week.”
Was she suggesting I make a run for it?
Yunice did not respond immediately. After everything she had been through, she found it difficult to trust people. Especially since Margaret was Paul’s mother, it was even harder to simply place trust in her.