Chapter 323 The Cost of Vanity

That same night, Oscar moved out of the Saunders family’s old home.

He had already found a new job at a pharmaceutical research institute, and they provided him with a dorm. He decided he might as well move out—he was tired of Lily and Owen watching him like he was some kind of thief.

“It’s just a shame Dad built that hospital from the ground up,” Oscar said. “Now it’s probably gonna get ruined in Owen’s hands.”

As he spoke, he punched his thigh in frustration. “That idiot Owen—Elsie’s got him on a leash like a damn dog!”

Yunice wanted to tell him she planned to take the hospital back. But before everything was set in stone, she wasn’t going to say anything.

The atmosphere in the Saunders household was grim.

It was as if time had rewound back to three years ago. In that huge house, it was just Lily, Elsie, and Owen again.

They had once laughed and joked, eating meals together, with Lily smiling as she watched Owen and Elsie leave for work. Afterward, she’d get facials, sip tea, play cards.

Life had been leisurely. Carefree.

Now, with Yunice and Oscar both gone, the house still had the same three people—but it felt lifeless, hollow.

Lily and Elsie sat on the bed, staring at drawer after drawer that had been pulled open.

Most of them were empty. Some held a few pieces of jewelry Elsie never cared much about.

And yet, even those things—things she had once looked down on—would no longer belong to her.

She sat there in a daze. Her phone buzzed again, vibrating constantly with promotional messages and membership renewals, each one more aggravating than the last.

Irritated, she kept declining the calls, but they kept coming. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she answered one.

It was a luxury brand boutique.

“Ms. Yunice, the item you reserved with us last week just arrived. When would you like to come in and pay?”

Elsie brushed it off. “I’m not in a rush.”

“Well, Ms. Yunice, it’s a very popular item,” the woman replied sweetly. “We can’t hold it too long. Can you give us a specific time?”

“Just let someone else buy it,” Elsie said. “I’ll get something even better next time.”

The sales rep’s tone shifted subtly. “Ms. Yunice, this is from the J C collection. You need to maintain customer status for three years before you even qualify. Are you sure you want to give up that opportunity?”

Elsie clenched her teeth. She had spent nearly three years buying and spending at that store, just to qualify for this status. And now, all that groundwork—gone in a flash?

But what could she do? She didn’t have a single cent. Paul’s phone wasn’t even connecting.

The woman on the line, hearing no response, continued, “What’s wrong? Is it because Mr. Paul stopped paying for you now that he’s married? If you really don’t have the means anymore, I’ll just remove you from our client list. We won’t be able to serve you again…”

“Who said he’s not paying for me!” Elsie couldn’t take it anymore and snapped. “Hold it for me. I’ll come pick it up tomorrow!”

Elsie didn’t know what to say. But what she did know was that she couldn’t stand being looked down on.

Irritated, she got up. “I can’t just sit here and rot. I’m going to work.”

“At the hospital?” Lily frowned. “Your salary there isn’t much. And it’ll be a while before your paycheck even comes through…”

Elsie said nothing as she walked out. “Still better than waiting around.”

But Lily had no idea—Elsie already had something else in mind.

After leaving the bedroom, Elsie quietly slipped into Owen’s study.

Lily, weighed down by stress, didn’t even notice Elsie’s strange behavior. She herself had lost access to her leisurely lifestyle, unable to afford any of her usual indulgences.

Meanwhile, Elsie rummaged through drawers in Owen’s study, then slipped out of the house with a few documents—and Owen’s personal seal.

She reached out to the same scruffy man who had approached her before, and the two met in person.

Slapping the files down in front of him, she said coldly, “You told me before that you also buy up company shares.”

“This is ten percent of Saunders Hospital. How much can you offer?”

The man flipped through the paperwork. Sure enough, the documents were for ten percent ownership of Saunders Hospital.

It was Yunice’s share.

When Elsie took over Yunice’s identity, she naturally took over her assets too.

This ten percent had been given to Yunice by Will. Both she and Oscar had ten percent each. Owen held thirty–five percent.

With the hospital on a downward spiral and barely enough to pay salaries, the shares didn’t bring in any real income. So Elsie figured she might as well cash them in—for now.