Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David) novel Chapter 202

"Danielle shook her head hard, snapping herself out of the thought. No way was she going to lock herself in a cage like some animal.

"There had to be a better solution. She wasn't about to give up so easily.

"She took a deep breath, silently psyching herself up. 'Come on, Danielle. You've gotten through worse. You'll figure this out. You're a survivor.'

"Howard, Vivian, and Xavier sat in front of her, looking terrified, waving their hands in her face.

“What? What's going on?" Danielle blinked, snapping out of her daze.

“That's what we were going to ask you!" Xavier said, eyeing her nervously. "You're shaking your head, then nodding, then smiling, then frowning. Are you... possessed or something?"

"Vivian leaned closer, pressing a hand to her forehead. "You don't feel warm, but, Danielle, what's wrong? You're freaking us out!"

“Yeah," Howard added, his voice heavy with concern. "Is the poison getting worse? Do you still recognize us? Don't worry, we'll find an antidote as soon as we get out of here. You'll be fine. I promise."

"Danielle looked at their worried faces and felt a pang of guilt. She hadn't meant to scare them, she was just lost in thought.

“Danielle, how many fingers am I holding up?" Xavier asked, waving two fingers in front of her face. He noticed her staring blankly and couldn't help but worry. Their dad might be right. He had seen the poison acting up, and the memory haunted him.

"Danielle groaned, rubbing her temples. "Two, Xavier. You think the poison has fried my brain already?"

“Everyone, relax," Danielle said, glancing at her parents too. "The poison is under control for now. I was just thinking, okay? You can stop freaking out."

"Danielle rarely talked that much in one go, but if she didn't explain herself, they would probably think she was actually losing it.

"Vivian let out a breath, her hand over her heart. Seeing Danielle so out of it had terrified her. Whoever had poisoned her daughter would pay. Clenching her fists, she silently vowed to find an antidote and make them regret it.

"Howard put a hand on Danielle's shoulder, his face serious but kind. "Listen, sweetheart. Your mom and I will find a cure for you, no matter what it takes. You're going to be okay, I promise."

"Danielle smiled faintly, grateful but uneasy. If the poison hadn't acted up unexpectedly earlier, nearly causing her to hurt her mom, she wouldn't have told them anything.

Danielle had lived with this poison for as long as she could remember. There was no cure, at least not yet. If Cloud hadn't been using every trick in the book to keep it under control, she'd have turned into a mindless killer years ago.

He was the reason she started studying medicine in the first place. She might be a miracle healer, but even she couldn't fix herself.

“Listen," she said firmly, looking each of them in the eye. "You can't tell anyone about this. The fewer people who know, the better. I've made enemies, bad ones. If they find out, they'll use it against me. Please, promise me you'll keep this quiet."

"Danielle wasn't worried about herself. What really kept her up at night was the thought of those shameless people coming after her family instead.

“Don't worry, Danielle. We won't tell anyone," Howard said, his tone serious. He knew exactly what she was afraid of. If news of her poisoning got out, her company's stock would nosedive, and chaos would follow.

"If only they had found her sooner. She had been through so much on her own, running a massive company and carrying a weight no one should have to bear.

“Okay," Danielle murmured. When she looked at her father and saw the tears welling up in his eyes, guilt twisted in her chest. Her condition was clearly hitting her family harder than she had realized.

"She turned away, annoyed at herself for letting her emotions slip in front of them.

*****

"Inside the car, David twisted the tail ring on his finger, his eyes cold. "Oh, never give in?" he muttered under his breath. These fools dared to mess with Danielle, they were practically begging for death.

“Hand her over, and I might let your village survive. Refuse, and none of you will walk out of here alive," the bodyguard captain said, pressing the barrel of his gun against the village chief's temple.

"The villagers were now certain, these men had come to avenge the ones Danielle had beaten earlier. But she had done it to protect them, and the village chief knew he couldn't betray her. Besides, Danielle wasn't even here to find.

"If it came down to it, they would fight. Maybe it was even a good chance to put their witchcraft to the test.

“I have no idea who you're talking about," the chief replied evenly, refusing to budge.

"The captain's finger hovered near the trigger. "You sure about that? Because if you're lying, your whole village pays the price."

“We're not afraid, Chief!" a villager yelled.

“Yeah! We're ready to fight if we have to!" another shouted, gripping a stick tightly.

“Better to fight than roll over for these goons," someone added, their voice fierce despite the fear in their eyes.

"The captain's gun was still aimed at the chief, his expression cold and ruthless. But before he could act, the Darling family bodyguards sprang into action, pushing through the crowd to stand in front of the chief.

“Enough of this!" one of them barked, his voice cutting through the tension. "You think you're tough threatening villagers? Try that on me instead!"

"The head of the bodyguard squared his shoulders, standing protectively in front of the villagers. Their stance made it clear, no matter the odds, they would follow Danielle's orders, even if it cost them everything.