Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David) novel Chapter 230

It wasn't long before the butler ushered Orion into the living room.

Danielle stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Orion, thank you for coming. These are my brothers—Elliot, Matthew, Austin—and my fiancé."

The men all nodded in acknowledgment, murmuring, "Thank you for coming."

"Orion, would you like some coffee?" Danielle poured a cup for him with a smile.

"Let's skip the coffee for now. Show me your parents— the sooner we address this, the better," Orion replied, eager to examine the curse.

"Right, I'll take you upstairs to see them. They're definitely cursed, but I'm not sure what kind of curse it is exactly."

Danielle led Orion upstairs, with her brothers and David trailing behind. They arrived at Howard and Vivian's bedroom.

"You can wait outside," Joseph instructed the maids.

"Yes, Joseph," they replied, and quietly exited the room.

Orion stepped forward and immediately recognized that Howard and Vivian were indeed cursed. He opened his mouth, and a small snake slithered out, landing neatly in his hand.

He muttered something under his breath, and the snake gave a subtle nod.

The room was filled with stunned silence. Only David, who had seen Orion's familiar snake before, remained calm. The rest of them were frozen, mouths agape, hands quickly covering their faces in horror. They had no idea what this was about, but it was certainly terrifying.

Still, no one interrupted. They just watched in quiet awe.

The small snake—almost eerily obedient—crawled up to Howard's wrist, shrinking as it went. Eventually, it was tiny enough to look like a bug.

The room's occupants swallowed nervously. The idea that something so small could change size was unnerving. And now, it was inching up Howard's arm...

The snake bit down on his wrist, then continued shrinking, following his veins into his body.

Austin squeezed Elliot's arm, paralyzed with fear. "It's inside him now... Is he going to be okay?"

Orion produced a flute and began playing an eerie melody, one that no one understood, but it seemed to make the snake react.

Even Joseph, who was usually unflappable, couldn't help but feel a shiver down his spine.

Danielle, though trusting in Orion, was mostly focused on her parents' well-being. Inside, she was furious at Judy for doing this—what kind of sick person curses someone like this?

David instinctively pulled Danielle into a protective embrace, covering her eyes. He didn't want her to be frightened.

Danielle, however, rolled her eyes, brushing his hand away. "Stop, you're blocking my view. I'm not scared of that snake. I'm just annoyed you're trying to protect me."

David's mouth opened in response, but Danielle pressed her little hand against his lips, stopping him. "No talking. Don't even try any funny business."

David nodded miserably, not able to get a word in. The other brothers, seeing this small exchange, could only look away. Danielle really had David wrapped around her finger.

The music stopped, and the snake slowly began to crawl out of Howard's wrist. Orion cupped it in his palm and began communicating with it through his mind.

"Miss Darling, your father is cursed with Soul Venom. This type of curse has been in his body for some time but has remained dormant. It only awoke recently."

"Soul Venom? What kind of curse is that? Can you break it?" Danielle asked, genuinely confused. She didn't know much about curses.

Danielle nodded. "Okay, then you can come."

"I'm going too," David chimed in. "What if that evil person tries to curse you too?"

The other brothers wanted to join but hesitated. They weren't as skilled in combat and decided to stay behind with Orion to watch over Howard and Vivian.

The group got into their cars and sped toward the villa in the suburbs. Danielle drove with the precision of a racecar driver, weaving through traffic as if the roads were her own personal racetrack.

Elliot clutched the seatbelt, his knuckles white. He had to remind himself to breathe—Danielle's driving was like something out of an action movie.

David raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Danielle's driving is pretty good. Could she be...?"

Danielle noticed Elliot gripping the seatbelt and called out to him, "Don't worry, Elliot. I'm a safe driver."

Her reassurance only made things worse. Elliot felt like he might as well be sitting in a jet instead of a car. The speed at which the buildings flashed by felt like they were melting into streaks of color.

"I'm not scared," Elliot said, trying to hide his discomfort.

"Not scared?" David chuckled. "Then why are you holding onto that seatbelt like your life depends on it?"

Elliot shot David a glare, silently wishing he would mind his own business. "I'm just... holding onto something, alright?"

David smirked, "There's nothing wrong with admitting it. We're not going to laugh at you."

Danielle glanced at David and rolled her eyes, amused. "Oh, please. David, you're practically begging for attention."