Chapter 154: Parrot Attack
Elianna’s father hadn’t just traded one life to save a hundred; he’d also kept Wyatt out of prison. Two years ago had been a turning point in Wyatt’s career. Everything he had now had been exchanged for Elianna’s father’s life—no wonder things were the way they were.
Yunice couldn’t help but feel a little more respect for Elianna, though it was only for her father.
Meanwhile, at the Powell family banquet, Taylor was sitting in the garden of the Powell mansion, with Linda keeping her company. Linda was Jensen’s second wife—one he’d taken after Taylor’s mother—and Taylor didn’t think much of her; naturally, she didn’t talk to her either.
Just then, her phone buzzed twice. It was a message from Elsie: “Taylor, my brother’s going fishing at Silverline Bay today. I’ll come to get you and we can hang out!”
Elsie was still in the hospital, but Paul—for some reason—had kept using work as an excuse and hadn’t shown up all day. So she was killing time by texting Taylor. She already knew Taylor wouldn’t come; Taylor had said last time that she was about to get engaged and wasn’t going to consider Elsie’s second brother anymore.
Sure enough, Taylor replied with two words: “No time.”
That was exactly the reply Elsie had been waiting for. She quickly sent another message: “Taylor, are you busy going on a date with your husband? Haha.”
Taylor didn’t respond. Elsie’s next message popped up: “Taylor, I really envy your family background. Your dad’s so rich; he’s bound to find you a great husband, right? Let me guess—is it Mr. Hayden from the Rhett family? His background’s just a tiny bit worse than Paul’s, but he’d still be a great match for you!”
She typed with obvious smugness. So what if Taylor came from money! If she married Mr. Hayden and ended up bumping into her in the ladies’ social circles after the wedding, Taylor might even have to beg her to help make connections.
Taylor frowned at the message. Hayden? That idiot? He wasn’t good enough for her. She replied, “Why don’t you guess Paul? You think I’m not worthy?”
Just as she hit send, a sudden gust of sharp wind swept through. Taylor looked up—only to see a massive parrot flying straight toward her. Its hooked talons were about to tear across her face.
“Moss!” Linda barked, but it was no use. Taylor threw her hands up to protect her hair, falling back with a cry.
Just as disaster was about to strike, a soft voice rang out. “Moss, come here.” Powerful wings flapped, and the parrot soared upward, veering away from Taylor. Linda raised an arm to shield herself from the dust kicked up by the wings, then turned toward the direction the parrot had flown.
It was a blue-and-gold macaw—vibrant, dazzling in color—and the contrast between it and Yunice made both stand out even more. Especially with the man beside Yunice; he was impossible to ignore. Dressed in a black suit with a deep tan tie, his steady presence perfectly balanced the brilliance at his side.
Linda turned fully around, struck by the contrast; it shouldn’t have worked, but somehow it did. Strength with grace; grace with wildness; wildness with a bit of defiant flair.
Taylor, still shaken, waved her hands to brush away the tension and managed to stand up. She caught sight of Yunice not far away. She paused, taken aback; then she saw the parrot perched on Yunice’s arm and snapped, “Did you send that parrot to attack me?” Judging by how well-behaved it was with her, it had definitely been trained—so the attack had to have been deliberate.
Before Yunice could answer, Linda cut in awkwardly, “Ms. Taylor, that’s Paul’s pet—his name is Moss. He wasn’t trying to attack you; he probably just thought you were pretty and wanted to play.”
Taylor didn’t buy it. “I can tell the difference between someone trying to hurt me and someone just playing around.” She looked Yunice up and down. “Paul’s pet, huh? Why does it listen to you so well—are you an animal trainer?”
But when she saw Wyatt standing next to Yunice, Taylor wasn’t so sure anymore. Yunice didn’t answer her; she simply turned and left with Moss and Wyatt.
Taylor watched the two of them walk away, her instincts picking up on something odd. Linda smiled and tried to soothe her. “Ms. Saunders was just Paul’s childhood playmate, so she’s familiar with Moss. But she’s about to marry Wyatt.”
Taylor’s face registered surprise. Wyatt’s fiancée was her? “Not as useless as the rumors say,” Taylor muttered as she sat back down. The rumors had claimed Wyatt’s fiancée was ugly, came from a poor background, and possibly had mental issues—but the woman just now didn’t match any of that. Linda looked surprised too; the Yunice she’d just seen was nothing like the one she’d met before. But she couldn’t quite put her finger on what had changed. She just suddenly sparkled.
Taylor’s phone buzzed on the table, pulling her back to the chat she’d almost forgotten about.