Chapter 680 The Rose in the Bamboo

In the courtyard, Yunice stood beneath the garden wall. In the five or six years since she had last been here, the vigorous bamboo had grown into a dense grove.

"I remember you don't like bamboo," someone said.

Yunice gave a quiet hum, her gaze fixed on the lush stalks. "I like roses. Any color."

But the head of the Saunders family had… The bamboo had been planted by Elsie to flaunt her so-called lofty virtue. Elsie liked her, so naturally there were no roses she loved here. Even after Elsie’s death, the Saunders family had kept the things she’d left behind. The bamboo grove remained. Her room was still Elsie’s room. And Yunice’s ID had been canceled with Elsie’s death–officially erasing her existence forever.

Just then, Wyatt tugged at his suit trousers and half-squatted, brushing aside a withered bamboo shoot. It was late in the year; of course there wouldn’t be fresh shoots. This one must have sprouted in spring or summer, but for some reason it had died before maturing. Yunice didn’t know why he’d taken interest in a dead shoot. She leaned forward to see what he was doing. Wyatt snapped the dried shoot in half, and in the hollow break was the faint green of a tiny sprout. Yunice’s pupils widened slightly, and she crouched beside him.

"This is…"

“…a rose seedling?” Wyatt finished.

Roses…

“Maybe the rose’s root system was too strong to be completely removed. After years of lying dormant, it finally sent out a new shoot, piercing the bamboo’s lifeline. The bamboo died, and the rose sprouted,” Wyatt said quietly.

The battle between rose and bamboo felt like the one between Yunice and Elsie. Yunice had won–come back to life. Her nose stung. She hadn’t expected any trace of her father to still remain here. These roses had been his work.

Wyatt’s large hand rested on her back. “Give it a few years, and roses will grow here again." Would that make her want to stay just a little?

Yunice covered the sprout again with dry leaves. They rose together, and she looked toward the brightly lit villa. “They’re probably plotting how to get rid of us right now." Then why not have some fun?

Back in the living room, Lily and Peggy greeted her with forced warmth. “The room’s ready–you and Wyatt can go up and rest.”

Yunice made a noncommittal sound, went upstairs with Wyatt, and shut the door. Her eyes gleamed with amusement. Let’s see what tricks they’ve set up.

She headed for the bathroom; he walked to the bed. They moved in opposite directions. Yunice angled the showerhead away from herself and turned on the water. It ran clear at first, but within a minute it shifted to pale pink, then to a deep, bloodlike red, spreading across the floor like a murder scene. She smirked. “Child’s play.” She inspected the vanity. Lipsticks had needles embedded inside, skincare products reeked of perfume - likely masking some harsher chemical. Definitely tampered with.

Wyatt’s hand swept across the bed, then stopped. The mattress zipper was open, and inside were small black bugs. The pillow hid an electromagnetic emitter meant to affect the nervous system. The wardrobe’s prepared sleepwear was dusted with allergenic powder. Every detail was meant to make them discover the “problems” and storm out in disgust.

Owen and Lily waited downstairs for the fallout. Then the door to Elsie’s room opened. Yunice stood at the upstairs railing, perfectly unharmed. “Some things in the room are broken. Could you fix them?”

Owen frowned up at her. “Your mother and I don’t know how to fix things. Either make do, or go back to Pavilion Hall.”

Yunice took out her phone. “Then I’ll call a few repairmen to come over…"

Owen shot to his feet. “No!” He never wanted strangers inside the house–there was no way he’d let her bring people in.

“You’ll do it then?” she asked.

With sour faces, Owen and Lily trudged upstairs and dismantled every trap they’d spent half a day setting. Yunice leaned against the railing, her gaze sweeping the room. Suddenly she looked toward one spot, a corner of her lips curving. “What’s in the basement? Looks like you go there often–the dust has formed a path."

All three members of the Saunders family froze, their eyes snapping to where she pointed. Since they’d fired the maids, Lily never lifted a finger for chores, Peggy avoided them entirely, and Owen wouldn’t touch housework. As a result, the villa had gone uncleaned for half a month. But the route to the basement had been walked so often that it stood out as a worn trail.

Wyatt raised a brow. “Shall we take a look?”

Yunice nodded.

The moment the two of them headed toward the basement, Owen’s scalp prickled in terror.