Chapter 84: No Deal

Lingering behind Owen were Paul and Elsie, both of whom had turned back after leaving earlier. Three of them said nothing. Like eggplants beaten by frost, their faces were pale, drained of all spirit, one looking more desolate than the others.

As soon as Lily saw Owen step through the door, she froze for a second, and then, with a sharp cry, rushed in a panic, tears welling in her eyes. "Owen! What happened to you? How did you end up like this?!"

Scars and dark marks marred Owen's once-sharp face. His usually pristine, elite-looking suit was in disarray; the buttons were torn apart as if he'd been manhandled, leaving him looking utterly disheveled.

Owen did not respond to her concern. Instead, his gaze turned to Luke. Lily thought he hadn't realized the purpose of Luke's visit and hurriedly opened her mouth to explain, but before she could say a word, Owen patted her shoulder lightly, then walked straight to Yunice's room door. He knocked twice. "Yunice, I have something to say."

The door soon opened. Yunice stood there calmly. Owen stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. In the living room, the others were left standing outside. Choking on her sobs, Lily turned anxiously to Elsie and Paul. "What on earth happened? Did Owen get into a fight with someone?"

At the mention of it, Elsie could no longer hold back. She threw herself into Lily's arms and broke down crying. "Mom… Owen has been accused of assault and forced entry. They want to sentence him to three years in prison."

Lily's legs nearly gave out beneath her. Meanwhile, Paul, sitting in his wheelchair, cast a cold, sharp look at Luke. As expected, Luke showed no sign of surprise. It was clear he had known all along. It seemed Paul's suspicions were correct: this was a trap his grandfather had set from the very beginning.

Lily clutched at her chest, struggling to catch her breath. "What do we do… Owen can't go to jail…"

Paul said grimly, "Grandfather intervened and convinced the other party to drop the charges, but on one condition. He wants Yunice to marry Wyatt."

Silence. Lily's face was frozen in shock. Words were caught in her throat, but the look in her eyes betrayed her thoughts. No matter who Yunice married, Owen absolutely could not go to prison.

Inside Yunice's room, she sat on her bed while Owen sat tensely at her little desk. Neither spoke. Silence stretched between them. In the rudeness of the situation, it was Yunice who broke it first. "I won't marry him."

Is this still the little sister he had cherished and protected since childhood? He had made it clear: if she refused, he would go to jail for three years! And yet she refused him so easily! Without hesitation? Did she really want him to go to prison?

Deeply wounded, Owen's voice trembled with anger. "Do you really think this has nothing to do with you? I got into this mess because of you! I was defending your honor when I taught Quinton a lesson. That's why I'm in this mess! And now you just stand aside and wash your hands of it all?"

"You think I'm afraid of going to jail?" Owen's voice roared with indignation. "Oscar is locked away doing confidential research and can't come home. The entire family and the whole hospital are resting on my shoulders! If I go to prison, how are any of you going to survive? You always say I'm biased toward Elsie, but you never reflect on your own actions. If the Powell family wanted to force Elsie into marriage today, she would have agreed without hesitation!" He continued, "A heart for a heart, Yunice. You've truly disappointed me."

Yunice did not speak. In the past, she might have been guilt-tripped and manipulated by Owen's words, but not anymore. She had already cut herself free from the Saunders family, and now, everything was clear. She looked up at Owen, her voice calm. "Should I be thanking you then? For standing up for me so fiercely that you've earned me such a wonderful marriage proposal?"

Owen choked. Searching for justification, he forced out, "Wyatt isn't as bad as the rumors say. Besides… didn't you kind of like him? Didn't you even pick up his cane for him last time?" But even he realized how flimsy his excuses sounded. The Saunders family had been dealing with the Powell family for years. This was not their first day knowing the truth. To outsiders, Wyatt might appear to be the illegitimate son of the Powell family—a figure of glamour and mystery. But only those in the know understood that the Powell family and Wyatt were enemies in everything but name. Jackson had arranged this marriage not as a blessing but as an insult, a humiliation. To marry Yunice to Wyatt was to turn her into a weapon, a pawn, and a living disgrace. The Powell family would not treat her kindly. And that bastard Wyatt, he would never let her live in peace.

Owen sat at the desk clutching his hair in frustration, caught in the brutal tug-of-war between his conscience and cold reality. He struggled like that for a long time, but Yunice never said another word. Finally, Owen let out a heavy sigh. He stood. "I won't force you. Tomorrow, I'll pack my things and go to…" Before leaving, he glanced at Yunice again, his voice low. "Go to bed early." He walked out slowly. But Yunice did not call after him.

Owen waited, hoping, praying for a last-minute reprieve. But none came. The sister he had protected for twenty-one years did not show him even a shred of sentimentality. In the living room, Owen cast one final look at Yunice's closed door. Seeing her so detached, so utterly unmoved, the last of his tenderness burned away, consumed by rising fury. Turning to Luke, he sneered coldly. "Luke, please tell Mr. Jackson that I appreciate his kindness. But I will not trade my sister's future for my…" QWTL.