Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David) novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17-1

As soon as Vivian and Howard sent out the texts, the group chat was flooded with messages. The brothers couldn’t wait to return home. Vivian and Howard didn’t reply. Instead, they turned their phones off and prepared for bed.

Danielle got up early as usual the next morning. She had finished the designs for the new launch that season and sent them over to Jason before making her way downstairs for breakfast.

In the dining room, a great fuss was being made.

Elliot said, "I came back as soon as I heard, so I couldn’t prepare any gifts. Danielle won’t hold it against me, will she?"

Matthew asked aloud, "Look at my outfit. Would Danielle approve?"

Austin chimed in as well, saying, "I declined several surgeries so that I could let Danielle see me as soon as possible."

Xavier asked impatiently, "Why isn’t Danielle coming down yet? Should I go get her? Never mind. Let’s just wait."

The brothers were beside themselves with nerves, and Vivian and Howard felt their heads spinning with the bombard of questions.

Some of the boys turned their attention to Joseph and chided him for not telling them earlier that Danielle had been found.

Joseph didn’t bother to answer their questions and continued looking through the newspaper, stealing glances at the stairway once in a while.

As soon as he caught sight of Danielle, he tossed the newspaper aside and walked towards her, saying, "Oh, Danielle, you’re up so early. Come and have breakfast."

"Good morning, Joseph. Welcome back from your business trip," Danielle replied warmly with a sweet smile. The rest of the brothers turned green with envy. They wanted Danielle to call their names, too.

Elliot was the first to speak up. "Danielle, I’m Elliot, your second brother. Welcome home. I only knew you were back last night, so I didn’t have time to prepare any gifts for you." He paused before fishing out a card from his pocket. "This is a supplementary credit card. You can use it for anything you need."

As soon as he finished talking, the rest of them crowded around as well. It was Matthew’s turn next. "Danielle, I’m your third brother, Matthew. this bank card is for you. You can use it to buy clothes or whatever you want."

Austin said next, "Hey Danielle, I’m Austin, your fourth brother." He put another bank card in Danielle’s hand. "Use it to buy bags or anything you want."

Finally, it was Xavier’s turn. "Danielle, I’m Xavier, your fifth brother. The rest of them have no sincerity at all. I’ll take you shopping later, and you can buy whatever you want, I’ll carry all your bags for you.

"I’m the youngest star in the movie industry now, by the way. Oh, let’s take a selfie," he suggested excitedly as he took his phone out to snap a few pictures.

Soon, all five brothers and even Vivian and Howard began jostling to get a picture with Danielle. When everyone had had their turn, Danielle looked at the stack of bank cards in her hands. She was both confused and amused.

"Alright, knock it off, boys. Danielle hasn’t had anything to eat yet," Vivian said as she pulled her to the dining table. All of them found their respective seats and they began to fuss over her again.

"Danielle, do you like pancakes?" one of the brothers asked as he placed a couple of them on her plate.

"Danielle, protein is good for you," another one said as he plated some bacon and eggs for her.

"Danielle, try out this green smoothie, it’s really good," another brother said as he poured her a big glass.

Danielle soon found her plate filled to the brim, coupled with several beverages like a smoothie, coffee, and juice.

Vivian was the first to respond. "What brings you here today, David?" she looked curiously at the little mountain of gifts before she put a warm smile on her face. "You didn’t have to bring so many gifts with you. Just your presence would be enough."

"Yes, David, you’re much too kind. Please take a seat. Would you like some coffee?" Howard added.

The Darling brothers were equally stumped, not understanding David’s sudden visit. They assumed it was for Audrey and wondered if Danielle would feel upset as a result. They looked at each other furtively as they considered how they might console Danielle in that case.

Meanwhile, Danielle hadn’t bothered to make her way to the living room at all, choosing to stay at the dining table and enjoy the rest of her breakfast.

Audrey, in contrast, couldn’t help but feel a surge of glee in her heart. She thought that David must be really fond of her. Rumors of them had started trending online, and now David had shown up in their house with so many gifts.

That morning, Skylar had informed her that her brothers had returned, and they were chatting up a storm with Danielle. The news made her anxious, so she rushed down to meet them without applying makeup or changing her outfit.

Her nerves began to kick in as she worried about what kind of impression she would leave on David.

"Have you eaten yet, David?" Vivian asked.

"I have," David answered.

"It’s been a while since we last met, but you seem even more mature and sophisticated than before," Vivian commented as she observed him. David checked all the boxes of a perfect son-in-law. He was tall, handsome, smart, and from an elite family.

The only thing was he seemed a little cold and distant.