Chapter 762: Reunion in the Clouds
Wyatt caught the way she laughed, the lines of strain smoothing from her brow. He pinched her nose lightly, eyes locked on hers, brimming with devotion and an unwavering promise.
“So what if it’s childish?” His voice was low and steady, every word striking straight into her heart. “As long as you’ll let me, I’ll spoil you like this for the rest of my life. You’ll always be my little girl.”
Yunice’s chest swelled with warmth. In that moment, the pain and exhaustion melted away in his gaze and his vow. Nestling into his arms, she let the steady beat of his heart wrap her in peace. Nothing could feel safer, or happier.
The plane hummed steadily, passengers dozing or watching screens.
Mindy tugged her mother’s sleeve. “Mommy, I want to go to the bathroom.”
“Alright, I’ll go with you.” Yunice smiled, unbuckling her seatbelt and leading the little girl through the narrow aisle toward the rear lavatory.
As she waited outside, she glanced forward—and her gaze snagged on a figure settling into a seat in first class.
Her breath caught.
Oscar. Her eldest brother.
Five years had passed since Yunice dismantled the Saunders family and reclaimed control. Oscar had left the country then, and she hadn’t seen him since.
He looked older now, sharper, with the air of a man polished by success. But what caught Yunice’s eye was the elegant woman at his side, leaning close with an intimacy that spoke volumes.
Oscar had noticed her too. Shock flickered across his face, quickly buried beneath a swirl of emotions too tangled to name. His eyes slid from Yunice to the child stepping out of the bathroom.
Mindy.
For an instant, his expression lit with unguarded joy. But as quickly as it came, he hid it, lowering his gaze, glancing back at Yunice with a shadow of loss before turning away—deliberately distant, as if fearing he’d impose.
Yunice lowered her head swiftly, voice tight. “Mindy, let’s go.”
Sensing her mother’s change, Mindy obediently followed, though curiosity made her whisper, “Mommy, who was that man looking at us?”
Yunice’s heart clenched. She forced her tone steady. “An old acquaintance of mine.”
She hesitated, then chose the simplest, most final words: “We don’t speak anymore.”
Mindy blinked, not fully understanding. To her, “don’t speak” only meant someone you no longer played with.
She glanced back once.
Oscar’s face was turned toward her, his icy mask cracking the moment their eyes met. His features softened, a tender, conflicted smile breaking through, heavy with guilt and something deeper—something born of blood.
Mindy blinked her wide eyes, then turned back around.
Only when Yunice and her daughter disappeared behind the curtain did Oscar’s companion lean closer, whispering, “You know them? That woman’s stunning, and the little girl… if you look closely, she even resembles you.”
Oscar was silent. The dim cabin light carved his profile into something lonely, carved by regret. He lifted his glass, swirling the liquid, gaze lost in the clouds outside.
“She’s my sister,” he said hoarsely. “The one I’ll owe for the rest of my life.”
Back in economy class, Yunice couldn’t shake his image. In five years, he had changed so much. Of the three siblings, he had always resembled their father most.
Running into him stirred old feelings she thought she’d buried.
Wyatt noticed the faint shift in her expression. His hand squeezed her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“I saw Oscar,” Yunice admitted quietly.
Wyatt blinked in mild surprise before nodding. “I heard he set up a studio overseas. Maybe he’s here on business. He’s been doing well. Word is, he’s seeing someone—her family’s well-regarded, scholarly background. His future in-laws seem quite pleased with him.”