Chapter 168: No Room for Sand
Taylor laughed as if she’d just heard a joke. “You think I’m trying to win you over? Get over yourself.”
She stood up and walked off, calling Yunice along. Yunice followed without a word, passing Paul as she walked. A faint, bitter scent drifted past Paul’s nose; puzzled, he looked toward Yunice but only caught a glimpse of her profile, completely hidden beneath her cap. A flicker of her gaze met his for just a second under the brim of that baseball cap—just long enough for him to feel something strange—then it was gone.
Paul frowned and reached out as if to grab her arm, but behind him came Elsie’s frantic cry.
“Paul, help me!”
He turned around just in time to see Elsie breaking free of her restraints, trying to run toward him. Before she got far, someone stuffed the rag back into her mouth and tied her down even tighter. Once they finished, they started dragging her out right there in front of everyone. If she got dragged all the way to the Powell mansion like this, the whole city would find out. Paul rushed over to stop them, trying to wrestle her back from the Kendall family’s people.
Upstairs on the balcony, Taylor stood watching Paul struggle in the chaos. Her face twisted in disgust. Yunice stood calmly beside her, her eyes steady as she watched the scene unfold below. If this whole mess actually got back to the Powell family, what would Jackson do then—him, of all people, so obsessed with keeping up appearances? Tonight wouldn’t just be a storm for the Powell family; even the Saunders family would be thrown into a boiling pot. Not even Yunice could predict how the two families would clean this up. But… no matter what happened, she would be the one to come out on top.
Truth be told, she actually admired Taylor’s personality. Someone this decisive and ruthless would pair well with Wyatt. Wyatt was by far the best investment—the real ace up their sleeve. She just wasn’t sure whether Gerardo would care about him being an illegitimate son. Taylor, of course, had no idea Yunice was already plotting to matchmake her behind her back.
Chapter 168: No Room for Sand
“Does Paul have some kind of condition?”
Yunice replied, “He’s a playboy—been through a lot of women.”
“So basically, he just changes partners too often?” Taylor leaned on the railing, lowering her gaze as if trying to see into the shadow under Yunice’s cap. “I heard he’s infertile?”
Yunice said, “Gun’s fine; no bullets.”
“He’s got azoospermia?” Taylor burst out laughing, then nudged Yunice playfully. “You and your cryptic metaphors. Just spit it out next time, seriously.”
The mask beneath Yunice’s cap crinkled slightly; she was probably smiling. Taylor found her pretty interesting. She didn’t compete, didn’t meddle, and was easy to be around.
“It’s not azoospermia,” Yunice said with a quiet smile. “But it’s true he can’t have kids.”
Taylor gave her a thoughtful look, just about to ask more when a servant walked over to say that Gerardo wanted to see her. Probably to talk about the marriage with the Powell family. Taylor told the servant to escort Yunice out while she headed into the main hall. But Yunice didn’t get a moment’s peace either. She had barely stepped out of the Kendall mansion gates when Owen called her.
He sounded like he was driving; the roar of the engine blasted through the line. But even louder than the car was his voice, shaking with urgency. “Yunny! Something’s happened at home. Where are you? I’ll come get you right now!”
Yunice casually kicked a small rock on the ground, calm as ever. Owen, on the other hand, was running around like a deer in headlights. “Can we just call a truce? Swear—no more yelling, no more punishments!”
Like that’s some kind of promise? Isn’t that just basic decency?
When Yunice still didn’t respond, Lily took the phone from Owen, her voice choked with tears.
“Yunny, it’s me.”
“So what?”
Lily’s tears pattered down on her lap, soaking her clothes. It took her a while to force out something coherent through the sobs. “Yunny, please… I’m begging you. Just show your face, and we can talk about your and Elsie’s identities, okay?”
Just then, a car window rolled down, and Gill waved excitedly at Yunice—she’d been waiting to take her back to Virtue Hall.
Chapter 168: No Room for Sand
On the other end, Lily exhaled sharply with relief, then gave her an address. Yunice hung up and stared at the floor, her face a closed book. But only she knew how much it burned beneath her lashes, how badly she wanted to cry.
Owen was her real brother. Lily was her real mother. Yet when it came to choosing sides, their love for Elsie was so blatant, so obvious. Even after seeing the truth over and over again, she still couldn’t stop the sting in her chest. She popped a pill from her purse. Her heart stopped aching, her mood leveled out—but the tears still slid silently down her cheeks. She got into the car like nothing had happened, but Gill reached out and gently wiped her face.
“Ms. Saunders, why are you crying?”