Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David) novel Chapter 221

"You still have a few days left. Make sure to attend the assessments at Fortress regularly."

The group exchanged puzzled glances, feeling like Danielle was giving them her last words. What was going on?

"Danielle, has something happened? You can order us around, we'll do whatever you need."

Juniper stared at Danielle's face, searching for any hint of what she was thinking.

"It's nothing. Just don't slack off. Anything else?"

Her words were firm, but there was a quiet weight to them. The industries they were involved in had risen quickly, and she feared that once she was gone, enemies would target them.

While she was around, no one dared to act openly. But if she died, their laziness could give their enemies a chance to strike.

"Danielle, are you sure you're alright?"

Lyla, who had sensed something was off, asked cautiously. But looking at Danielle's composed face, she almost convinced herself that she was overthinking things.

"When did you all become so chatty? Are you hoping something's wrong with me?"

"Alright, meeting adjourned. I have other matters to attend to. Goodbye."

Danielle's gaze lingered on her people for a moment, a brief flicker of reluctance crossing her face. These were the ones who'd fought by her side, and now, she had so little time left to share with them.

She grabbed her phone, stood up, and walked out of the meeting room.

The others didn't follow her.

"Does anyone else feel like she was giving a farewell speech?"

"Taylor, seriously? Shut your mouth with the 'farewell' stuff. Stop being a doomsayer."

Denny was about to blow his top. He had the same feeling, but their boss was Danielle. She was untouchable. Nothing was going to happen.

"Juniper, you're a woman too. Did you feel something?"

Juniper shook her head. "If Danielle wanted us to know, we would have figured it out by now."

With that, Danielle left Black Web Group behind.

While fighting the masked men, she had gathered their blood. Those people were strange—invulnerable, with long claws, and barely any weaknesses. She needed to get those blood samples to the lab.

And then there was the woman. She knew she had been poisoned. Only she and her mentor knew about it. If it hadn't been for the poison attacking her in front of her family, they wouldn't have known either. But that woman was fully aware.

"You'll all meet different ends," the words echoed in Danielle's mind. She wasn't going to stop until she found the person hiding in the shadows. She needed to send more people to protect her family.

And her unreliable mentor—she had written to him, but there was no reply. Where had he gone?

Rubbing her aching head, she started the car.

The black Bugatti sped off.

In Hillside Bay, Polly dialed the assassin's number over and over, but it wouldn't connect.

A terrible sense of foreboding gripped her. She feared the little bastard had succeeded, and the assassin had failed.

Thinking of this, Polly quickly destroyed the SIM card. Luckily, it wasn't registered in her name, and the money transfer hadn't gone through her account.

If the truth came out, David's temper would lead him to send someone after her. She had to stay calm—she couldn't show any signs of panic.

"Useless bunch. Can't even kill one person..."

A knock on the door startled her. She flinched, assuming it was the maid. "What is it? If you don't have something important, don't bother me!"

"It's me, Mom. I need to talk to you." Sebastian paused, noticing her sharp tone.

"Come in."

"Help me find someone, and do something for me."

Polly grabbed her phone and made a call.

She had once fought to go from being the mistress to the official wife. She wouldn't let Geoffrey get away with having a secret lover now.

She had thought that Geoffrey, as Logan's only son, would eventually inherit the Charrington family business, but she never imagined that Geoffrey would be so useless. Logan had bypassed him and handed everything to David.

How could she accept that? She had borne so much shame, yet she hadn't received what she was due.

Now Geoffrey was kicked out of the Charrington Group, and instead of trying to take it back, he was out there partying. What a useless piece of trash.

She had been running to Charrington Villa every day, pretending to plead for Fiona, trying to get closer to Logan and Tara. But it had all been for nothing. They were as cold-hearted as rocks. 'Geoffrey, you'll pay for betraying me. '

*****

In David's study, he sat back against the sofa, his sharp features darkened with a brooding intensity. One hand rested on the arm of the couch, a cigarette dangling from his fingers, glowing red as it burned.

The study was thick with the smell of smoke, the ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.

Nathan entered, nearly choking from the smoke. Since David had returned from the hospital, he had locked himself in the study.

"David, the poison that you were given was from the Stuart family. They had purchased it on the black market. It's likely that they sent someone from the Stuart family to poison you when they came to Nathor Palace. Ever since the Stuart family went bankrupt, they've disappeared without a trace. I'll keep investigating."

Nathan waited for a response, but none came.

"This time, the assassin lying in wait in Blackpool Village hasn't been confirmed yet, whether they were targeting you, Mr. Johnson, or the Darling family. All the assassins are dead. The investigation is ongoing, but we'll know soon."

Still, David said nothing. Nathan paused, realizing what had been bothering him. He opened his mouth, but then closed it again. He understood why David was so down, but...

"Send someone to Bane Springs to find Danielle's mentor. Also, gather all the experts who know how to make an antidote. If they can make the Luna Stalk antidote, offer them whatever they want. Make sure this is kept secret." David flicked the cigarette out, his voice deep and gravelly.