Chapter 4 Taking Her Place

Yunice lifted her gaze and saw that the people she had once been closest to were now standing together with Elsie. She was the only one left out in the cold wind, completely out of place. So, she shifted her eyes to the flowerbed by the iron gate of the Saunders family estate. When she was a child, her father had told her that her mother loved red roses. So, she decided that she would love red roses too. Her father personally planted an entire row of rose trees along the courtyard wall outside the gate. During the blooming season, the roses thrived, swaying in the wind, and her tall father would hold her small hand as they stood beneath the flowers, eagerly waiting for something. After her father passed away, Elsie moved into the Saunders family, and since she was allergic to pollen, Oscar decided to have all the rose trees cut down and replaced them with bamboo, Elsie's favorite. Elsie said bamboo was noble and unyielding, and she wanted to learn from its qualities. Yunice refused to let the rose trees be removed. She kept pleading with Lily, saying they were a symbol of her father's love for Lily. She begged her to keep them for her father's sake. But the moment Elsie gasped for air a few times, Lily panicked and urged Oscar to cut down those "damn roses" immediately. Oscar scolded Yunice for being selfish, for not caring about others, and for lacking compassion. Owen said that only shallow people liked roses and that she should learn from Elsie, understand moral principles, and develop a character like bamboo. Lily comforted her, saying that when people died, they were gone. What was more important, a bunch of plants or Elsie's life? In the end, all the roses along the wall were ripped out, leaving her with nothing to hold on to. By now, the group who had been crying together had finally calmed down. Lily wiped her tears with the back of her hand, as if she had only just remembered how cold it was. She then turned to Yunice and said, "Go take a hot shower with Gianna to wash away the bad luck. From now on, we are still a family." Gianna came out smiling, walking ahead to lead Yunice. The house her father had left behind was a standalone villa, the place Yunice had grown up in. But after three years away, it suddenly felt both familiar and unfamiliar. The layout was the same, but there were many things she no longer recognized. For example, the shoe rack at the entrance was filled with pink fuzzy slippers… Elsie's. The framed personal portraits hanging on the walls were of Elsie. Even the thick carpet covering the staircase was there to keep Elsie from falling. As for her old room on the second floor, it was now, of course, Elsie's. It had the best sunlight and the best view–there was no way they would leave it empty for three years. Sure enough, Gianna led her to a small room. Yunice remembered it had been converted from a walk-in closet, slightly better than a maid's quarters. As for Gianna, Yunice didn't recognize her. She must have been hired after Yunice was sent to the psychiatric hospital. When she entered the room, Yunice instinctively glanced at a hidden surveillance camera in the corner of the wall. Without showing any reaction, she asked, "Gianna, what happened to the former housekeeper?" "Oh, she went back to her hometown three years ago. I heard her husband found a younger woman, and she wasn't happy about it, so she went back to stir things up," Gianna said with a sneer. "What man doesn't cheat? If she makes a scene like that, it only affects his ego more." Yunice shot her a glance but didn't respond. Seeing that Yunice didn't like the topic, Gianna chuckled and went into the bathroom to run the bathwater. Meanwhile, Yunice took the opportunity to rummage through the drawers. This room had clearly been hastily arranged; there was not a single electronic device. She looked up at the surveillance camera again. On her way in, she had noticed that there were now many of these cameras installed throughout the house. They were obviously meant for her. They all thought she was crazy, afraid that she might harm Elsie, so they needed to monitor her at all times. If they are this wary of me, why even bother bringing me back from the psychiatric hospital? Suspicious, Yunice saw Gianna step out of the bathroom, so she quickly went inside and locked the door behind her. Gianna knocked on the door. "Hey, why did you lock the door?" "I'm taking a shower," Yunice replied. "You don't need to lock the door for that!" Yunice countered, "Do you not lock the door when you shower?" Gianna glanced toward the bathroom, then reached for her work uniform. But when she was about to leave, she reached into her pocket and suddenly realized that her phone was gone. Inside the bathroom, Yunice swiftly disassembled Gianna's phone, removed the SIM card, set it aside, and disabled the location tracking. After that, she started typing rapidly on the phone's keyboard. Outside, Gianna pounded on the door. "Did you take my phone?" Without turning around, Yunice replied, "I haven't seen it." Gianna didn't believe her. "Open the door and let me in. I'll check." Yunice dismissed her. "Wait until I'm done showering." Unable to force the door open, Gianna was fuming. She shouted through the door, "If you don't open up, that means you definitely stole it! Just wait! I'm telling Mr. Owen!" Yunice ignored her, focusing solely on the phone screen. A moment later, the noise outside stopped. Gianna had likely left. Using Gianna's phone, Yunice accessed the Saunders family's security cameras. On the screen, she saw Lily and Owen already inside the living room. Meanwhile, Paul had pulled Elsie aside and was speaking to her. With an affectionate look, Paul said, "Elsie, we brought her back this time to talk about breaking off the engagement. You can't keep hesitating." Elsie bit her lip, looking conflicted as she pushed Paul away. "Your engagement is with the Saunders family. I'm an outsider. How could I steal my sister's fiancé? I can't betray Yunice!" Paul circled around to face her again, squatting down to look at her blushing face, and coaxed, "Come on, it's the modern age. Arranged marriages are an outdated custom that should have been abolished long ago. Besides, our whole family agreed to call off the engagement. If it makes things easier, I can apologize to her. If she doesn't agree, she'll never see me again." Watching the surveillance footage, Yunice smirked coldly. So that was their plan. No wonder they were so eager to get her out of the psychiatric hospital… They wanted her to give up her fiancé. She remembered that when Paul was born, he had been in a breech position, stuck in the birth canal. No hospital in Silverburgh dared to take him. It was her father who used an ancient remedy to keep his mother alive just long enough to give birth to him. His mother had survived a near-death experience and was so grateful that she arranged their engagement. And now, the Powell family wanted to hand over that gratitude to Elsie instead. Not long after, Gianna returned. She used a key to unlock the bathroom door and barged in without a shred of politeness. "Ms. Saunders, stealing is a bad habit. If Mr. Owen finds out, he'll send you right back to the psychiatric hospital!" She was convinced Yunice had taken her phone. Reclining in the bathtub, Yunice turned her head lazily to look at her and said flatly, "I didn't take it. Go ahead and report me." Gianna was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Yunice to be this defiant. She knew Yunice had a mental illness, and crazy people couldn't be trusted. If she caught Yunice red-handed, she could go to Owen and earn some points. Once she proved that Yunice was a thief, any future thefts in the house could be blamed on her. After all, she was the crazy one. But in order to make an accusation stick, she needed solid evidence. Earlier, she had checked the surveillance footage but found nothing showing Yunice taking her phone. Even so, she was certain Yunice had stolen it. The bathroom was only so big. Where could she possibly have hidden it?