Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David) novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Danielle hung up the phone and returned to her experiment. She finished extracting Crimson Lily into the Miracle Antidote and, while waiting for it to blend, made a batch of Heart Elixir Pills. Both medicines were now complete and ready for use.

When Taylor saw Danielle step out of the lab, his excitement was hard to miss. "Danielle, when will you visit Fortress? There’s been some unrest there recently."

"What happened?" Danielle asked. She hadn’t been to the border in a while since it was usually well- managed unless something major occurred.

"Wulf Clan has been expanding its territory, causing

chaos. I also heard Hades is at the border now." Taylor was visibly excited as he spoke. He had originally been stationed at the border, but Danielle had reassigned him back here.

"Oh? Hades is at the border?" Danielle raised a brow. Shadow, Hades, and Wulf Clan usually maintained a balance there. Danielle had heard of Hades, the enigmatic leader of Hades Fortress, known for his mystique.

With Wulf Clan stirring trouble and Hades showing up, things clearly weren’t stable. Danielle decided she needed to head there soon.

"Get ready; we leave for the border tomorrow," she said. But first, she needed to visit the hospital.

"Got it!" Taylor grinned like a kid, barely concealing his excitement.

Danielle gave him a suspicious look. "Why are you so happy?"

"I’m not! Who said I’m happy?" Taylor quickly tried to mask his expression.

"Heart Elixir Pills and Miracle Antidote are done. I left them in the lab. Let Juniper know. I’ve got other things to handle." With that, Danielle hopped into her car, speeding off like a rocket. At Summit Hospital, owned by the Darling Group, Danielle walked into her grandparents’ room, where Joseph stood by the window.

"Joseph," she greeted softly.

"Danielle, you’re here," Joseph replied, his tone warm.

Danielle glanced around the room. "Let me check on Grandpa and Grandma first."

Placing her hand gently on her grandfather’s wrist, she took his pulse, then did the same for her grandmother. Her brows furrowed as she worked to lift their hypnosis.

"Grandpa, Grandma, it’s me, Danielle. Can you hear me? Try to blink or move a finger to respond. Repeat what I’m saying in your minds..." Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"How are they?" Joseph asked, noticing Danielle’s serious expression.

"They’ve been poisoned again. This time it’s stronger than before. Luckily, they had the antidote I gave them earlier; otherwise, the consequences would’ve been dire. I’ve partially lifted their hypnosis. They’ll need another session to fully wake up," Danielle said, her voice cold with resolve.

She grabbed her phone and sent a message. [Summit Hospital, 19th floor. Send discreet protection.]

"Julian, take Danielle’s car. She’ll ride with me," Joseph ordered."Yes, Mr. Darling," Julian replied.

In the car, Danielle hesitated before asking softly, "Joseph, do you love Sienna?"

Sienna had come over yesterday, and Danielle didn’t get a great vibe from her. But as long as Joseph was happy, she figured they’d manage to get along eventually.

Joseph chuckled at her curious expression. "No. Our relationship was an accident."

Danielle’s eyes widened. ’Joseph isn’t one to settle for less-so why stay with Sienna?’ she wondered.

With a sigh, Joseph explained, "At a banquet years ago, someone drugged me. I was disoriented and ended up with a girl that night. When I woke up, Sienna was there. Although my memories of that night are hazy, I’m certain she wasn’t the girl. Still, I’ve felt obligated to her since."

"Did you check the hotel surveillance?" Danielle asked, suspicion creeping into her voice. Joseph’s expression darkened. "The footage was conveniently corrupted. I found nothing."

’How convenient, Danielle thought. ’A drugged Joseph, broken surveillance-there’s more to this.’ After a moment, she said, "Joseph, let me investigate. I know a bit about computers."

If the hackers heard her, they’d scoff. If the legendary Knight only "knew a bit," they might as well quit tech altogether.