Chapter 651 A Shadow Sent Away
When Paul first sent Nora to Wyatt, he had scoffed that she wasn’t “the right flavor.” He treated her like a disposable plaything, demanding she grow out her sharp, short hair into something more demure, more “feminine.” He told her to soften her voice, to speak without emotion – anything too strong would “ruin the aesthetic.” Even the way she walked had to be retrained. If she fell even slightly short of his standards, Paul would punish her the way he saw fit. Back then, her lower back and hips were never free of bruises – each welt a mark left by Paul’s discipline stick.
Later, when she saw Yunice standing beside Paul at the Powell estate, and noticed that all of Paul’s so-called “standards” were already naturally present in Yunice, the truth struck her hard: He wasn’t shaping a woman – he was crafting a replacement. But he already had the original, so why create her? It wasn’t until Paul ordered her to seduce Wyatt, revealing that Wyatt’s feelings were also for Yunice, that Nora truly understood.
So this was the high society they all lived in – rotten to the core. The uncle liked his nephew’s fiancée, and the nephew, instead of minding, gifted the uncle a counterfeit. Nora had nothing but disdain for their world. After everything she’d been through, all that was left was a hunger for destruction. Her ambitions, her promising future – out of reach now. So she turned into a liar, a manipulator, a destroyer of peace. Why should she be the only one whose life was ruined? If she was going down, everyone else could go with her. She’d lived under Yunice’s image for so long, played the villain in her name – and Wyatt thought a single haircut could return her to who she used to be?
Ridiculous. A boiled egg could never become raw again.
The bald man stared at her mocking expression, clearly annoyed, and tossed her a bag. “This is your new identity for overseas. There’s enough cash to last you. Once you’re there, someone will cover your expenses for three months. You’ve got three months to find a job and live like a normal, independent person.”
“Wyatt said he’s blaming Paul for Mr. Fiona’s death. He’s giving you a chance – a way out. Stay out of trouble and you’ll be fine. But if you try anything stupid, we don’t need Wyatt’s permission to deal with you ourselves.”
At those words, the hatred in Nora’s eyes faltered for the first time. He was really going that far?
She lashed out, “All I did was play a little trick on Yunice! I didn’t actually do anything. Why is he being so ruthless? I didn’t commit some capital crime!”
“Ms. Nora,” the bald man cut her off coldly, voice rising, eyes sharp, “you really think everyone in the world is an idiot? That they’d all fall for your little games? Ten days ago you were in a wheelchair. Then you needed a cane. And now you’re walking just fine? Wyatt knows. You’ve been faking the coma for years. You’ve got patience, I’ll give you that – we all admire it.”
Nora fell silent. She was furious. If it weren’t for Yunice’s phone security system catching her face… She wouldn’t have been exposed. Wyatt wouldn’t be doing this to her now!
“Ms. Nora, enough stalling. Get on the ship.” The man stepped aside. His eyes were cold, dead – like saying: go ahead and resist, and I’ll drop you with one blow.
Nora gave up. He was clearly trained, and she – she was just a fragile woman. She picked up the belongings Wyatt had prepared for her, her face pale and lifeless, and jumped down from the truck bed. She stared at the dilapidated cargo ship waiting at the dock. The place reeked of fish and shrimp – it stank like rot.
Nora sneered. “This boat better not sink halfway.”
The man picked up on her sarcasm and snorted. “If we wanted you dead, Wyatt wouldn’t have to go to all this trouble. Stop flattering yourself.”
“Enough talk. Get on board!” He had been patient at first, but now she was wearing him thin. That wounded, betrayed look she wore – had she forgotten she was planted by the Powell family to begin with?
Nora’s hands were still tied behind her back. She was shoved onto the cargo ship. It left the dock immediately, her reluctant silhouette growing smaller on the open sea, until one of the crew dragged her back into the hold.
The bald man finally let out a breath once he confirmed the ship had gone. He turned to head back, relaxing his body – and let out a yelp, jumping back in shock. A few seconds later, heart pounding, he stared at the person who had silently appeared behind him. Embarrassed, he looked around.
“M–Miss… How… how did you get here?”
There wasn’t a single car in sight. And why would she be in such a remote place? Should he contact Wyatt immediately?
Yunice’s eyes shifted away from the disappearing boat and settled on him. “I came in your trunk.”