Yunice and Lily locked eyes for a long moment. The more Yunice saw the blame burning in her gaze, the stiffer her body became. She wanted to look away, to escape those eyes filled with displaced anger, but her muscles refused to move, frozen in place.
"Have you sorted out your mess? Or is it my turn to speak now?" The voice belonged to Taylor.
She could no longer stomach the Powell family's twisted narratives. She did not know Elsie or Yunice well, but she knew one thing for certain… Paul was far from the innocent man they painted him to be.
Still, she was younger. The Powell family's actions were not for her to question, so she stood her ground, speaking only from her own position.
No one objected. Taylor gave a discreet signal to someone behind her. At once, her trusted aide stepped forward and handed a stack of A4 papers to Owen.
"Here is all the evidence proving Elsie deliberately poisoned Ms. Taylor. Mr. Owen, please review it."
Owen took the documents, and Lily quickly broke free from those restraining her to read them with him.
It was a thick file, more than twenty pages, detailing the altered medication's composition and the potential damage it could cause. There were surveillance images showing Elsie accompanying Taylor to the Virtue Hall, and even a statement from the pharmacy runner who had been caught.
Owen's expression shifted to one of utter shock. For a moment, he could not accept that Elsie could do such a thing.
But no matter what she had done, as her brother, he had to protect her.
Leaning on the goodwill he still held with Taylor, he began, "Ms. Taylor, there has to be some misunderstanding. Please give me some time to investigate this properly. I swear on my integrity. I'll get to the bottom of it."
Taylor frowned slightly. She had once admired Owen, maybe even liked him a little.
Sensing her hesitation, he pushed further. "Elsie didn't even know about your relationship with Paul before this. She had no motive to hurt you! Ms. Taylor, surely you wouldn't want to wrong the innocent and let the true villain walk free?"
Even Gerardo and Kyla began to furrow their brows. His words made sense.
They were not fools. The Powell family had hidden the truth from both women. If Elsie did not even know who Taylor was, why would she try to hurt her?
Just as the tide began to shift, Yunice let out a quiet, derisive laugh.
Or… is it possible that Elsie didn't need a motive? That she was simply rotten to the core, that she was unable to bear seeing others better off than her?
The room's mood shifted again. Linda exchanged a glance with Jackson beside her, as if receiving silent permission.
Why had she pushed Yunice out like that?
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Invisible Daughter (Yunice Saunders)