The Daughter in the Shadows
Chapter 97: Blood Runs Cold
70% Finished
Wyatt’s gaze swept past the guilt etched across Owen’s face, and only then did he seem to notice Yunice, held between two bodyguards. She looked completely wrecked; after being dragged around, her clothes hung loose, and the wild mess of her hair barely concealed the anxious fear in her eyes. She looked like a frightened little bird.
Wyatt’s lips pressed into a thin, hard line. When he finally spoke, it sounded like the words were forced through gritted molars. “Some people really don’t care about staying alive, huh? You had the guts to lay a hand on her.”
The moment the words left his mouth, a group of bodyguards surged forward from the crowd, closing in so tightly there wasn’t an inch of space left between them. One bystander, too slow to react and still recording on their phone, had their device snatched away and smashed under a heel.
The air grew tense as over a dozen guards took their positions. No one dared speak up. Wyatt stepped forward, his unreadable gaze fixed directly on Owen. Owen instinctively wanted to look away, but with so many eyes on him, he forced himself to meet Wyatt’s stare.
Trying to stay composed, he said, “Wyatt, she isn’t married to you yet. As her brother, I have every right to take her home. That’s not unreasonable, is it?”
Wyatt waited until he’d finished speaking. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and he answered with a slow, cold smirk instead of words. Owen felt the shift instantly, a threat hanging in the silence—but before he could move, Wyatt tossed his cane into the air. By the time it dropped, Wyatt had caught it three inches below the top, flipped it, and slammed the metal handle straight into Owen’s gut.
Owen didn’t even make a sound—he just stumbled back, breathless, collapsing to one knee, his body curling in on itself like a shrimp. Wyatt might have had trouble walking, but his arms were as strong as ever. That single blow matched the force of Owen’s kick to Yunice—blow for blow.
“Owen!” Elsie cried out and rushed to him. Tears streamed down her face as she spread her arms in front of Owen like a human shield, sobbing, “Mr. Cooper, if hitting someone is the only way you can stand up for your sister, then hit me! Just don’t hurt Owen…”
She bit her lip, red-eyed and trembling like a fragile little wildflower. Paul couldn’t take it anymore—he rolled forward in his wheelchair and snapped, “Elsie! Why are you begging him?” Then he turned his glare on Wyatt. “They’re brother and sister. A brother taking his sister home is perfectly reasonable. You’re meddling in things that aren’t your business!”
“Brother and sister?” Wyatt scoffed, then shot Paul a sharp look. “And what proof do you have they’re even related?”
Chapter 97: Blood Runs Cold
70% Finished
Paul looked at him like he was an idiot. “They share both parents. You really think we need to prove that?”
Wyatt let out a low, dry chuckle. “Same parents, huh… Then why does he have an identity, but his ‘sister’ doesn’t? Maybe we should get a DNA test—see what that turns up.”
Owen and Elsie’s faces went pale. A DNA test? That would blow Elsie’s cover wide open. Neither of them said a word. Wyatt’s voice turned cold. “I pulled Yunice out of the hands of human traffickers. She’s mine now. She’s not your sister.”
He ran his thumb along the handle of his cane, the smirk on his face razor-sharp. “I’ve said it before—I’m fiercely protective of what’s mine. Since you laid a hand on her, you can leave one behind.”
Everyone froze, doubting what they’d just heard. Even Yunice stared at Wyatt, stunned. Paul exploded. “Have you lost your mind? This is a hospital!”
Is he really about to commit assault in public? But the moment Paul spoke, Wyatt’s guards sprang into action. They swiftly cleared the crowd, sealed off every exit, and locked the place down. One of them even picked up a steel pipe and, without a second’s hesitation, swung it at the lobby’s security cameras—shattering them all.
The air in the lobby thickened. People began to remember what the industry said about Wyatt. For him to cause so much chaos and still stay untouchable—he clearly had systems in place to clean up every mess.
Two guards moved in and pinned Owen down, wrenching his arm out and forcing it flat against the floor. Then a bald man stepped forward, flipping a folding knife between his fingers. Yunice recognized him. He was the same man who’d handled things back in the mahjong parlor.
Owen’s face drained of all color as the bald man slowly approached. He was terrified—she could see it—but he clenched his teeth and refused to beg. Elsie clung to his arm, trembling like a leaf. Gill looked anxiously toward Yunice.
Wyatt wasn’t bluffing; he really seemed ready to follow through. But Owen, even with everything he’d done, was still Yunice’s biological brother. Are they really about to take my hand? He was a doctor. If he lost that hand, his entire future would be ruined.
The Daughter in the Shadows
Chapter 98: The Cut That Didn’t Land