Chapter 178: Did You Just Say I Killed Moss?
Yunice stayed seated, her voice calm and distant. “Do you dream about Moss at night? Hear him calling your name? Asking why you hurt him? How you could be so cruel? How you could turn on a pet you raised for over four years?”
Paul froze. Whether it was guilt or the intensity of Yunice’s stare, he actually took a step back; his bluster faded fast. “No, I never dreamed that! You’re the one who abandoned Moss; you’re the one who delayed his treatment. If he’s coming after anyone, it’s you.”
“Still pretending?” Yunice cut straight through it. “Moss was poisoned by disinfectant. He was a handful, sure, could unscrew a bottle cap, but you tell me, when did he learn to screw it back on, perfectly tight?”
That was Paul’s slip-up. His guilty conscience had him thinking he could cover it up; forcing Moss to drink the disinfectant, he’d screwed the cap back on, thinking no one would notice.
Yunice slowly stood. “You say I killed Moss? That I delayed treatment? Then tell me—when Moss was dying, where were you, his so-called owner?”
“Did you take care of the body afterward? Were you there when he was cremated? Did you say goodbye? You did nothing—but now you put on this show of devotion, just to shove all the guilt onto me? Trying to cover up your own conscience?”
“Paul, is it because I’ve been too easy to push around all these years? So now, every time something goes wrong, it’s just second nature for you all to pin it on me…”
Paul’s face twisted with frustration. He cut her off loudly. “You’re just making excuses—”
Splash! A full glass of red wine hit Paul in the face, cutting off whatever insult he was about to spit out.
“If you want a fight, Mr. Paul, I’m right here,” Yunice said, slamming the glass down hard on the table.
Paul stood there, jaw clenched, holding his breath. The wine ran down his face like blood, staining his white suit red. Looking like that, there was no way he could show his face in public again tonight.
He wiped his face, veins bulging in rage, but he didn’t dare make a scene—not with all the guests around. He’d embarrassed himself too many times lately. His grandfather and father had been disappointed in him for a while now. With so many people watching, he couldn’t afford another mistake. He shot Yunice a vicious glare, swallowed his anger, and turned to go change his clothes.
Yunice was just starting to relax when Paul’s phone rang. He paused mid-step, answered the call, then turned to Yunice with a frown. “She’s with me. Alright, I’ll bring her over now.”
He ended the call, came storming back, and yanked Yurice by the arm. “You’re coming with—”
Ice gasped but couldn’t break free. Paul dragged her to the—
At the Saunders mansion. Yunice was shoved into Elsie’s room. Paul slammed the door shut behind them. Yunice took a breath and calmed herself as her eyes swept the room; the whole Saunders family was there. Elsie lay pale and unconscious on the bed. Lily had passed out crying at her bedside, barely breathing. Oween, the only one still standing, stepped forward and grabbed Yumice’s arm.
“This is your doing!” Owen raged.
Yunice stayed cold.
“You think we don’t know?” Owen roared. “We tried to take Elsie to the hospital, but every single one turned us away. Not one expert in the entire Suverburgh would touch her case. Who else could be behind that but you?”
Yunice let out a dry laugh. “You think I’ve got that kind of pull?”
“You don’t—but Wyatt does!” Owen snapped. “You clearly talked him into making this happen!”
Paul sneered. “So that’s why you were cozying up to him on the terrace at the party—bumering him up to do your dirty work.”
Owen looked at Yunice with even more contempt. “Did you forget how Madam Linda cursed you out! Have some shame. Even if you’ve lost all self-respect, the Saunders family hasn’t.”
“If I have to shame, then what does that make Elsie?”
Paul cut in impatiently. “Stop comparing yourself to Elsie. I love her; we’re in a real relationship. You sold yourself. Just like the girls who work clubs and lounges—no, worse. At least they get paid. You give it away for free. Pathetic.”
His rage came out in a flood—not so much defending Elsie as it was exposing his own bitterness, his own broken pride.
“Watch your mouth, Paul!” Owen barked. Paul’s words had crossed a line even Owen couldn’t—
Yunice was still his sister. Only he had the right to scold her—Paul had no place talking to her like that.
“Yunice and Wyatt are engaged. So what if they’re a little close?” Owen said sharply. “It’s a hell of a lot better than certain people who shack up like they’re married, then pretend it never happened. Paul, anyone who betrays someone who truly loves them should swallow a thousand needles. Can you really say you’ve done right by Elsie?”
The Daughter in the Shadows