Chapter 35 The Price of a Name
Finished
“Yunice?” Owen looked at her in surprise, then quickly reached out to steady a middle–aged man. “Mr. Ford, are you alright?”
Quinton Ford waved a hand, indicating he was fine, but then turned toward Yunice, eyeing her closely. “What did you just call her, Mr. Saunders?”
From behind Quinton, Elsie stepped forward quickly, casting a nervous glance at Yunice.
She’d been using Yunice’s name in public. And now Owen had slipped up.
Quinton Ford was a major pharmaceutical tycoon, someone Elsie had long hoped to collaborate with. The last thing she needed was for her identity swap to be exposed. “Mr. Ford, my brother was calling me, she interjected quickly.
Owen jumped in. That’s right”
Quinton looked between the two, something about their story clearly off. He didn’t press the issue, but instead bent down and picked up the canvas bag Yunice had dropped.
As he did, an old notebook fell out, flipping open on the pavement. His eyes narrowed at the sight of its pages.
He leaned down to take a closer look, but a pale, delicate hand quickly snatched both the notebook and the bag from his
grasp.
Quinton looked up to see Yunice, tense and on guard.
“You” Owen started, but caught himself. Nearly slipped again.
He quickly changed his tone. “Do you have any manners?”
He turned to Quinton and offered an apologetic smile. “Mr. Ford, she’s just a distant cousin. A little… unstable. Please don’t take it personally.”
And just to be sure Yunice didn’t say anything more, Owen pinched the inside of her arm behind his back, a subtle but sharp warning
The sudden sting made Yunice’s eyes well with tears, but she stayed quiet, refusing to react.
Elsie, all smiles, invited,
“Mr. Ford, shall we continue our discussion over here?”
Once Quinton had walked off with Elsie, Owen turned back with a scowl. “Elsic and I have work to do. Lao Liu will take you home.”
Yunice clutched her bag tightly and looked up at the grand hotel behind them. Owen and Elsie stood proud, dressed in luxury, using the Saunders family name to network with powerhouses like Quinton Ford.
And her!
A mentally ill distant cousin. Even after saving someone’s life, she was met with nothing but coldness.
At the dinner table, he turned to Yunice with a smile. “You don’t like spicy food, so these milder ones were made just for you.”
No matter how much time passed, she still couldn’t adjust to this environment.
She knew she was the outsider, yet still found herself caught between numbness and silent resistance.
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