Chapter 156: The Family Table
Neither of them paid any mind to Paul’s arrogance. Wyatt chuckled. “Your face doesn’t hurt anymore?”
Paul’s face darkened. The coins from yesterday hadn’t seriously injured him, but they had left his face black and blue. He’d left the house today with a bruised and swollen face; it was only thanks to Elsie’s careful application of concealer that he’d dared to go out in public.
As Yunice and Wyatt turned to leave, Paul was hit with a wave of frustration at being ignored. “Who said you could leave?”
Yunice turned her head. “Moss nearly flew out and hurt Taylor. I stopped it in time and brought him back. If you keep pushing this, we can have a little chat with Taylor about it.”
“You!” Taylor again! She really thought he was afraid of her just because she had a little leverage over him. Even after Yunice and Wyatt left, Paul couldn’t let it go.
He looked over at Moss, who was circling the pet room with open wings, clearly reluctant to part from Yunice. After a moment of hesitation, Paul stepped forward and opened the glass door of the pet room.
The Powell family dinner parties were all about rules. The seating arrangement at the long table, the placement of silverware, bowls, and glasses—everything had to follow tradition. The chores were handled by the staff, but the table itself had to be arranged by the women of the household. And when it came to details, getting anything wrong would be a laughingstock.
Linda specifically came over to invite Yunice to help set the cutlery. Just as Yunice was about to stand, she saw Wyatt glance over, frowning. “What is it that only she can do?”
Linda smiled. “It’s a Powell family tradition. Asking her to help shows we trust her and value her effort.”
Wyatt said nothing, just gave a mocking glance at Taylor, who sat across from him fiddling with her phone. This time, it was Linda’s turn to lose face. She forced a smile. “Ms. Taylor’s not feeling well…”
Wyatt’s face turned cold. “And Yunice has ‘feeling great’ written on hers?”
Linda looked awkwardly toward Yunice. She didn’t dare argue with Wyatt, so she turned to Yunice with concern. “Ms. Saunders, are you feeling unwell?”
Yunice sat with poise and thought. So Linda’s trying to get me to volunteer? Well, she had the wrong idea. Just yesterday, Jordan had reminded her not to go against Wyatt over trivial things that had nothing to do with her—and she’d taken it to heart.
Yunice forced a smile and replied, “Not feeling too well…”
Linda frowned slightly and tried to persuade her. “Just push through it a bit. You’re about to marry into the family; working hard and showing initiative will make Mr. Jackson like you more.”
Trying to use Mr. Jackson to pressure me? Yunice thought. Yunice smiled politely. “My dear, I really don’t feel well. I wouldn’t want to steal your chance to shine. The more you do, the more Mr. Jackson will value you.”
Ignoring the way Linda’s face turned pale, Yunice stayed firmly planted on the sofa, unmoving. Linda stood there awkwardly, with people glancing in her direction. She finally snapped, “Fine, sit there then.” With that, she turned and stormed off.
Not long after, Yunice saw Taylor get up and start setting the cutlery. Probably trying to show off in front of Jackson too.
Yunice glanced over at Wyatt. He was looking at his phone. As if sensing her gaze, he spoke without lifting his head. “The Powell family’s got a million ways to wear people down. Don’t bother trying to please them.”
It wasn’t Yunice’s first time dealing with the Powell family—she knew exactly how they played. If she’d gone with Linda, she would’ve wound up scrubbing dishes in freezing water, “accidentally” breaking something, or getting blamed for setting the table wrong—anything to make her look clueless and out of place in front of everyone. Her embarrassment would’ve been Wyatt’s embarrassment too.
Sure, Yunice was confident she could handle it all, but it was still better when Wyatt took the hit for her. Besides, she couldn’t care less about Linda or Jackson’s approval; she knew it was never going to happen anyway. So why waste the energy?
At first, Yunice sat prim and proper, trying to follow all the rules. But eventually, she just pulled out her phone too. With people walking by back and forth, all anyone saw was the two of them on the same couch, both leaned back, glued to their phones—like they were waiting to be served.
As time passed, Yunice leaned toward Wyatt and whispered, “I need to go to the bathroom.” She had no idea how long the family dinner would last; she needed to change her pad before it started.
Wyatt looked up, grabbed his cane, and began to rise. Yunice blinked. “You’re coming too?”
Wyatt said, “Didn’t you tell me just so I’d go with you?” She’d only been giving him a heads-up. He was a big shot, not her personal assistant; one word and he was following her to the bathroom?
Wyatt was already standing. “Let’s go.” From the corner of her eye, Yunice saw Taylor holding a goblet, watching as the two of them turned together toward the hallway.