Chapter 42: Unwanted Daughter

“If I make that call to complain, they’ll just say I’m stirring up trouble. Ruining family harmony. Everyone knows I’m being mistreated, but the moment I speak up, I’m the one who’s ‘being difficult.’”

Gill was so angry she nearly cried. “She’s your real mother, and she takes Elsie on vacation to relax while leaving you locked outside the house? What kind of mother does that!”

Yunice suddenly remembered what Lily once said: “If only you had been the one born in the mountains.” How much must she hate me to say something like that?

Yunice clutched the bowl of ginger soup. The bowl was hot, but her heart felt cold. She still remembered when Lily had first returned to their lives—how they had once shared a long, heartfelt conversation.

Lily had sat at the edge of her bed and told her how she was kidnapped and trafficked into the mountains, how she was beaten and abused, how she’d barely survived childbirth. How Elsie had become her only reason to live.

She told Yunice that Elsie, born a girl and unwanted by her father, went unnamed for half a month. Lily had looked at the bright, full moon overhead and given her the name Elsie.

Lily said Elsie was her hope—her anchor. That it was Elsie who gave her the strength to escape the mountains and return to her family. That’s why she hoped Yunice, Oscar, and Owen would treat Elsie like a precious gem—because it was the Saunders family that owed Elsie a debt. Without Elsie, there wouldn’t be a reunited family.

At the time, Yunice had felt something wasn’t quite right with that logic. Elsie may have been Lily’s emotional lifeline—but weren’t she and her brothers also Lily’s children? If Lily could cling to hope for Elsie, why had she never once missed her other children? Why hadn’t she lived for them too? Elsie was pitiful, yes—but Yunice and her brothers were innocent. They had grown up without a drop of motherly love. So how did they end up owing Elsie something?

But back then, both Oscar and Owen had already gone soft for Elsie. Yunice didn’t dare say any of that out loud. Instead, she tried harder—more obedient, more sensible, more quiet. She thought maybe that way she could hold on to the love of her brothers. But in the end, she was the one who didn’t belong.

She blew gently on the ginger soup. Still too hot to sip. Just as she lifted the bowl to try, a knock sounded at the door. It was fast, impatient.

Gill frowned. Who would be knocking at this hour?

Yunice checked the security monitor—and nearly spilled the soup. On the screen stood Wyatt, dressed in black, leaning on his cane with a tight, anxious expression. When no one answered, he grew impatient and motioned for his men to pick the lock.

Finished

Chapter 42: Unwanted Daughter

Gill looked at her, confused but trusting. She opened it.

Wyatt spotted Yunice instantly. She had already set the bowl down and slung her canvas bag over her shoulder. She jogged over. “Let’s go!”

“Wyatt hadn’t even had time to explain why he came.”

“Miss, your soup—” Gill called out, worried.

But Yunice had already stepped into the elevator. “I’ll drink it when I get back!”

She jabbed the elevator button, then turned to Wyatt, her eyes urging him to hurry up. He stepped in with his cane. Standing close, all he had to do was lower his eyes to see the top of her soft, tousled head.

Yunice confirmed her guess. “Madam Johnson’s having another episode!”

Wyatt looked slightly surprised. How the hell did she know?

Yunice continued, “I told you her condition wasn’t fully treated. If a normal hospital could help, she wouldn’t have gone looking for my father back then.”

Wyatt narrowed his eyes. “If your dad couldn’t fix it, you think you can?”

Yunice nodded without hesitation. “I can.” Her certainty was absolute. Just then, the elevator doors opened. Before Wyatt could say anything more, she stepped into his car.

The heater was blasting. As soon as she got in, her head buzzed from the heat, but she didn’t stop to complain. She immediately started sorting through her bag, double-checking that she had everything she needed.

Wyatt didn’t interrupt her. Instead, he tore a piece of paper from his notepad, scribbled a few lines, and folded it up. The car stopped at a private hospital. Because of his leg, Wyatt stayed behind while Yunice headed in alone. “Go on ahead. If anyone stops you, give them this,” he said, handing her the note.

She nodded and took off in the direction of the patient rooms listed.

Watching her go, Jordan got out and chuckled. “She moves fast.”

She really was the capable type—sharp, efficient, focused.

Wyatt said lazily, “Too picky, though.”

Jordan teased, “Talented people are hard to manage. Obedient ones aren’t useful. If you can’t keep her, she’ll just end up in someone else’s hands.”

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