Chapter 297: Crossed Lines

Lily crossed her arms. “Didn’t you say you liked this dress?”

Oscar kept his cool. “Mom, what matters is that Yunny’s happy. I’ll cover it myself.”

Lily’s face darkened. She was clearly unhappy.

Oscar pulled out his phone, ready to let Yunice pick something out.

That’s when Yunice finally looked up. “Oscar, the dress doesn’t fit. The zipper popped—I can’t wear it.”

Lily blinked, clearly not expecting Yunice to speak up.

“It doesn’t fit?” Oscar turned to Lily, confused. “Didn’t you have it tailored to Yunny’s measurements? How does that even happen?”

Oscar wasn’t oblivious. It was becoming clear—Lily had agreed with him at the time, but behind his back, she’d gone and done the complete opposite.

Trying to defend herself, Lily said, “I used standard sizing for girls their age. Elsie and Yunny are about the same size, and it fit Elsie just fine.”

Oscar’s expression darkened. “You gave Yunny a dress Elsie wore?”

Oscar was fuming. He’d reminded them again and again—put in the effort, take it seriously. And yet, here they were, cutting corners like it didn’t matter.

Lily jumped in, trying to justify herself. “Yes, the dress is Elsie’s, but she never wore it in public. And it’s her nicest, most expensive gown—she never even had the heart to wear it herself. Giving it to Yunny shows we were being thoughtful, doesn’t it?”

“How many times do I have to tell you? Yunny isn’t Elsie. Stop treating them like they’re interchangeable—she deserves to be seen for who she is.”

His voice rose. Lily shrank back, her confidence fading. “I didn’t know,” she mumbled. “I just thought it’d save some money…and the dress really is beautiful.”

Oscar was so frustrated he didn’t know where to put it. Without another word, he snatched the dress from her hands and threw it hard onto the floor.

That was the moment Owen walked in, catching the scene as the dress hit the ground. He hurried over. “What the hell’s going on?” he asked. “We’ve been waiting forever.” He glanced down and spotted the dress. “Isn’t that Yunny’s? Why’s it on the floor?”

Oscar turned to him, angry. “Take a closer look. You think this was made for Yunny? Were you in on this too?”

Owen looked confused. He clearly hadn’t known. But after a second, the dress did look kind of…new?

Lily hesitated, caught between the two of them. “The house expenses have been really high lately…And didn’t you two break a few of those expensive vases last month? I had to replace them, and by the time I did, there wasn’t enough left for a new dress.”

Now even Owen was frowning.

But there wasn’t much time left—arguing wouldn’t solve anything. And buying a new gown this late? Nearly impossible.

Owen held up the dress again and looked at Yunice. “Look, it’s not ideal—but it’s better than what you’ve got on now, right?”

Oscar wasn’t having it. They had gone out of their way to make this banquet grand—for Yunice’s sake. She was the guest of honor—and they expected her to walk into the spotlight wearing a dress that didn’t even fit?

Not happening. Oscar said, “I’ll call the mall and have a backup dress ready.”

He stormed out.

Owen sighed, then turned to Yunice. “This whole thing got messed up, I’ll admit that. But come on, part of this is on you too. You knew what kind of night this was. You should’ve picked out a dress ahead of time. Don’t tell me you show up looking like this when you go out with Wyatt too.”

Whenever it came to Elsie, the family always went all out—sometimes even more invested than she was.

Yunice still remembered how seriously Lily had taken it when people thought Elsie might marry into the Powell family. She had helped pick out wedding dresses like it was already happening—every detail, every fitting, all done with care.

And yet, even on her own birthday, she wasn’t worth a simple dress that actually fit.

She wasn’t surprised. She was used to this kind of treatment—and she had no interest in making a scene.

The only reason she’d shown up tonight was to let Oscar see the truth for himself—to understand. It wasn’t that she was cold or heartless.

The truth was, there had never been a place for her in this family—and there never would be.

Lily stood in the corner, arms crossed, looking completely unbothered. She couldn’t have cared less what Yunice wore.

Things were already beyond fixing, and Lily didn’t even bother to fake it anymore.

But after a few minutes, Lily glanced around and frowned. Something felt off. She frowned.

Owen paused. Now that she mentioned it, it had been a while since he’d last seen her.

Lily tried calling. No answer.

Owen tried too. Still nothing.

“You don’t think something happened, do you?” Lily muttered.

That was all it took for Owen’s expression to shift. He frowned. “Mom, stay here with Yunny. I’ll go look for her.”