Chapter 96: Dragged Through the Dirt
Yunice said, “The man standing in front of me right now, the one swinging his fists at me, is Elsie’s brother—he’s not the Owen who died long ago.”
“You’re cursing me? You want me dead?” Owen was furious; his voice shook with rage. He couldn’t even tell what was causing the twisting pain in his chest; he only knew one thing—he was angry. The little sister he’d raised like a precious gem had just cursed him to die.
Smack! The slap that hadn’t landed earlier finally struck Yunice square across the face. She took the hit without flinching, without making a sound.
Gill let out a sharp cry, shoving Elsie aside and rushing over to shield Yunice. Her voice was high with indignation. “Owen! You nearly killed her with that kick, and now you’re hitting her again? What kind of brother does this?”
Owen shot back, “She slapped Elsie twice and cursed me to die! What kind of sister acts like that?”
“When a big sister lays down the law, she deserves to get slapped—but when a big brother throws a punch, that’s totally fine?” Yunice leaned against Gill as she got to her feet, her voice icy and sharp. “And you still have the nerve to say you’re not a hypocrite?”
Owen said, “You still shouldn’t have cursed me!”
“You kicked me so hard I couldn’t get out of bed, and you didn’t say a word about it; I say one bad thing about you, and suddenly I’m the devil? And you have the audacity to reminisce about how good you were to me? That so-called kindness—was it just to send me to my grave?”
“You!” Owen was convinced she was only this defiant because she had Wyatt backing her. No way he was letting her get away with this. He grabbed her arm and started dragging her. “You’re coming home with me.”
Gill wasn’t about to let that happen. She yanked at Owen’s wrist, shouting at the top of her lungs to stir up the crowd. “Help! Human trafficker! He’s kidnapping someone!”
It was a hospital; people were coming and going constantly. A small crowd gathered almost immediately. Most would have expected Owen to back off, save face—but he didn’t hesitate at all. Yunice was still injured and could barely walk; Owen dragged her straight to the ground. He didn’t even slow down, just kept hauling her toward the main lobby. Yunice tried to scramble up, only to be yanked down again. Gill chased after them, trying to help, but Elsie grabbed her and held her back.
Elsie shouted loudly, “My sister has a mental illness! You people can’t just take her in whenever you want—show some respect!”
“That’s right!” Owen added. “She’s family; she’s not all there in the head. Some lowlife man tricked her, and as her family, I’m taking her home!”
At that, the crowd that had been about to scold Owen suddenly stopped in their tracks.
“Wait, she’s mentally ill? No wonder she’s just letting herself be dragged away…”
“That tall girl might actually be the kidnapper. Didn’t the news just report that mentally ill women are easy targets for this kind of thing?”
“These siblings are something else—beautiful and kind-hearted. Even with her mental issues, they haven’t abandoned her.”
Elsie wasn’t strong enough to hold Gill for long, but once she saw the crowd getting stirred up, she shouted, “Everyone help us hold down the kidnapper! Let my sister go home!”
The crowd, eager to play the hero, quickly joined in to restrain Gill. A few attention-seekers whipped out their phones to film this “beautiful moment of justice,” zooming right in on Yunice’s face. After all, the victim’s expression always got the most clicks.
Dragged along the floor, Yunice looked over at Gill, who was now blocked by the crowd, then at the person shoving a phone in her face, recording her…
What a joke. In the face of lies, there was no longer any line between justice and hypocrisy. She couldn’t break free. Defeated, she buried her face in her hair, trying to avoid being filmed any more than she already had. But she knew—her full face had probably already made its way online. She was used to being stripped of dignity. Only this time, Wyatt might get dragged into it too, mocked for standing by her. The commotion in the lobby had gotten so loud that it even drew Paul out.
He rolled over in his wheelchair, first glancing at Yunice being dragged, then catching sight of the clear, red swelling on Elsie’s face. Paul’s eyes darkened. “Who hit you?”
Elsie’s tears fell immediately. “It… it was Yunice…” Then she quickly shook her head and added, “But Paul, I’m fine, really. Don’t get upset. Yunice has Wyatt on her side now—she doesn’t even care about Owen anymore…”
Paul’s mood soured even more. Yunice didn’t just ignore Owen anymore; she dared hit Elsie, which meant she didn’t care about him either. His voice dropped cold and low as he turned to the men behind him. “Go help Mr. Owen. Take his sister home.”
“Yes, sir!”
Two bodyguards stepped forward, pried Yunice off the staircase railing she was clinging to, and lifted her up. Owen reached over and hit the elevator button. The doors opened. Just as Owen stepped forward, he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of a jet-black cane.
In that stunned second, Wyatt and Jordan stepped out of the elevator.