Chapter 110: One Person Can’t Sit at Two Tables
Almost as if possessed by some unseen force, Paul found himself rolling up his trouser leg, wanting to test whether this medicine really had the miraculous effect Taylor claimed. Taylor leaned in and carefully applied the medicinal plaster to Paul’s knee. Then, almost playfully, he blew a soft breath over the spot. That simple gesture unexpectedly stirred a memory deep within Paul’s heart. A memory of Yunice. She used to do the very same thing. Whenever he was hurt as a child, she’d blow on the wound like she was comforting a child. Gentle and soothing.
Lately, Paul didn’t know what had gotten into him. For some reason, Yunice kept creeping into his thoughts without warning. Yet, despite going out of his way to “accidentally” run into her at the hospital, every attempt ended in disappointment.
After seeing Taylor off, Paul headed once more to Silverburgh Hospital. Today happened to be the day Owen was being discharged. Lily and Elsie were busy packing up his things. As Lily folded Owen’s clothes, a sudden wave of dizziness struck her. She swayed violently, almost collapsing onto the bed. Both children were startled out of their wits. “Mom! Are you okay?” Owen cried out anxiously.
Giana interjected with a sigh, “Mr. Owen, ever since you were injured and fell unconscious, and after Ms. Elsie’s broken engagement, Madam Lily has not eaten properly or slept a single night in peace. With Ms. Saunders refusing to come back and take care of her, Madam Lily’s been forcing herself to hold on until her body finally gave out.”
Elsie quickly tried to smooth things over, “Yunice is probably busy preparing for the wedding… maybe she just hasn’t had time…”
Owen sneered, “Elsie, you don’t need to make excuses for her. When you were preparing for your wedding, you didn’t neglect family like this. She’s always been heartless.”
“Owen,” Paul said, leaning on his crutch and waving him over. Once they were alone in a corner, Paul pulled out the medicinal plaster and held it up for Owen to smell. Owen took a sniff but didn’t find anything unusual. “You don’t think this smells like something Yunice would make?” Paul asked quietly.
Startled, Owen frowned. “Where did you get this?”
Paul answered, “A little traditional medicine shop in the north of the city.”
Owen tossed the plaster back at him. “All medicinal plasters smell pretty similar. I think you’ve completely lost it to be associating this with Yunice.” But as he spoke, emotion crept into his voice. Hands on his hips, Owen lowered his voice, “I don’t want Yunice to marry Wyatt.”
Paul’s brow furrowed. “Do you have a way to stop it?”
Instead of refuting him, Paul’s reaction was to seriously consider the idea. This was something that darkened Owen’s gaze. “I might have a way,” Owen said under his breath. Paul gave him a complicated look, the faintest trace of anticipation flickering in his eyes.
Paul scrutinized Owen carefully. “So what you’re saying is you want me to sleep with Yunice and lie; the whole of Silverburgh believes she cheated?”
Owen nodded. “She’s placing her trust in the wrong man. I’m doing this for her—ce… create a scandal with her, but you, Paul, you’re my best brother. The one I trust most. If I entrust Yunice to you, I’ll have no worries.”
Amazingly, Paul considered the proposal seriously. Seeing this, Owen’s expression darkened. He raised his fist, ready to punch him. “You’re really fantasizing about it now, are you!”
Realizing Owen had been baring his soul all along, Paul deftly dodged the incoming punch, replying coldly, “Don’t project your filthy thoughts onto me. I was merely thinking the plan was feasible. It’s just about being caught on camera. Who would know if anything actually happened!”
Finishing his words, Paul cast Owen a disdainful glance, as if mocking him for his failed attempt. Owen stood there, his palm stinging; tiny memories of Wyatt protecting Yunice flashing through his mind, along with his suffocating sense of helplessness. He absolutely could not allow Yunice to…
Chapter 111: No ID
After a long day at the clinic, Yunice and Gill renamed it Wapúrvale Execute, a property owned by Margaret. Very few people knew about this safe haven, allowing Yunice to avoid much of the unwanted trouble. Ever since the kidnapping incident, Yunice had been diligently disguising herself, minimizing her presence in the city. The Saunders family had tried contacting her multiple times, but every call was rejected. When they attempted to call from different numbers, Yunice simply stopped answering altogether. After all, she had another phone; she would not miss any call the family wanted to take.
When the Saunders family could not reach her, they resorted to sending a flood of messages urging her to return home. Among the flood of useless texts, Yunice unexpectedly saw one from Quinton. In the message, Quinton apologized and sincerely asked to meet. Yunice hesitated. Although he had kidnapped her last time, she could tell Quinton likely had something he desperately needed to ask of her! But Wyatt had warned her that one person can’t sit at two tables.
Yunice didn’t want to offend Wyatt—he was a solid source of support right now. Compared to him, Quinton lacked stability. She ignored Quinton, and a few days later, Joe called her just to chat. He mentioned that someone had been snooping around the hospital, asking questions about her. Joe told Yunice to be careful and asked if she wanted to get help from Wyatt. Yunice asked if he knew who the person was. Joe replied, “I’ll catch one of them next time and find out.”
Yunice couldn’t help but laugh. People around Wyatt really were blunt and direct. After hanging up, Yunice felt a sense of warmth. It had been a long time since someone cared about her like that. Just then, Gill rushed in from outside. “Ms. Saunders, Paul is here again!”
Paul walked into the store while leaning on a cane. The more he thought about it last night, the more something felt off—the smell of that medicinal patch was way too familiar. To his surprise, Yunice was actually there in the store. “So it really is you!” Paul walked straight toward her. “Your family’s been looking for you nonstop, and you’ve been hiding here, running a pharmacy?”
Yunice froze for a moment when she saw him, then rolled her eyes in irritation and looked toward the divider. A voice came from behind it. “Sorry, your medicine might be effective, but you don’t have an ID. We can’t hire you.”
Yunice frowned. “But you used my formula yesterday.”
“Who’s to say it’s yours? What if you stole it? Keep pushing and I’ll call the cops. Let’s see who ends up in trouble.”
“You!” Yunice slammed her hand on the table but couldn’t find a comeback. Paul stood nearby, glancing between the divider and Yunice. So it wasn’t just his imagination—the patch really was her formula. But the shop wasn’t hers. She was there job hunting and had her prescription used without permission.
Paul asked, “You’ve been gone all this time just to look for a job!”
Yunice snapped at him with frustration, “What else? You planning to support me if I don’t?”
Paul chuckled like he had found her weak spot. “Wyatt doesn’t give you money?”
“I want to make my own living, is that a problem?”
“Forget it,” Paul said, throwing cold water on her. “You don’t even have an ID. No one’s going to hire you. Just come home with me.”
Yunice yanked her arm away from his reaching hand. Behind the divider, someone chimed in mockingly, “Yeah, go home with your family. Working out here isn’t easy. Don’t be a burden…”
Yunice slammed the table. “You stole my formula and now you’re saying I’m the problem?”
The voice responded, “So what do you want? To start a fight?”
At that moment, the sound of high heels echoed through the pharmacy. When the footsteps stopped, a voice followed. “Paul, what are you doing here?” Behind the divider, Gill gasped and covered her mouth in shock. Talk about bad timing—Taylor had shown up too.
Taylor’s eyes scanned Paul and Yunice. She had noticed Paul staring at Yunice when she walked in. Seeing the look on both of their faces now, her suspicions only grew. She quickly walked forward and deliberately stood beside Paul, crossing her arms and giving Yunice a critical once-over. Skinny, wearing baggy clothes, a scar on her face—nothing impressive. Taylor’s glare softened a bit. She probably decided Paul wouldn’t be interested in someone like this.
Paul came back to his senses and frowned. “Why are you here!” He suspected that she followed him.
Taylor replied, “I came to buy more of that patch. The two I took yesterday worked on my dad’s neck pain. I want to stock up.” Then she glanced at Yunice again and asked Paul, “So what are you doing here?”
Paul looked at Yunice, then said, “She’s a friend’s sister. I came to take her home.” So someone had asked him to do it. Since Paul didn’t try to make excuses, Taylor believed him right away. Her hostility toward Yunice vanished. She reached out a hand and smiled. “Hi, I’m Taylor.”