Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David) novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

The rumors about David’s cold, ruthless nature- how he was known to be unforgiving, even brutal- flashed through Sarah’s mind. Her heart raced, realizing just how bad this could get for her.

In that split second, David’s reflexes kicked in. He rushed to Danielle’s side, pulling her toward him with one arm while pushing Sarah away with the other.

The swift movement caused some of the juice to splatter onto David’s custom suit.

As Sarah’s body spun from the impact, the juice that was meant for Danielle now flew straight toward Audrey.

Audrey stood off to the side, her gaze fixed on Danielle, eager to watch her make a fool of herself. But to her surprise, it wasn’t Danielle who messed up. It was Sarah, who-while balancing a tray of juice-ended up spilling it all over Audrey instead. In an instant, watermelon juice splashed across Audrey’s chest, staining her strapless dress. The juice trickled down her neckline, soaking into the fabric and clinging to her curves, leaving her looking more disheveled than anything else.

"I’m so sorry, Miss Darling, I didn’t mean it!" Sarah stammered, rushing over with napkins, desperately trying to blot at the mess. "I’m sorry."

Howard and Vivian stood frozen in shock, too stunned to move. They watched in stunned silence, unsure of what to do next.

Danielle, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised. Her gaze was cool and calculating, eyes fixed on Audrey with the quiet knowledge of exactly what Audrey had tried to pull. If David hadn’t intervened, Audrey would’ve been the one sidestepping the juice.

David, however, didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were locked on Danielle. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Danielle snapped back to reality, her gaze flicking down to David’s suit, which was now stained with juice. "I’m fine," she said quickly. "But your suit’s ruined."

David didn’t seem to care. He was more concerned with her. After ensuring she was unharmed, he let out a deep sigh. "As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters."

Meanwhile, Sarah was still practically bowing to Audrey in apology. "Miss Darling, I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault. I wasn’t careful, and now your dress is ruined."

Her apology was genuine, but inside, Sarah felt frustrated. She’d been bumped into earlier, which had caused her to spill the juice, but she couldn’t exactly say that. Either way, it was her fault for not holding the tray better.

"Audrey, go change your clothes," Vivian said, her eyes scanning Audrey’s soaked dress. It was far too revealing now, and inappropriate.

Audrey glanced around, her eyes landing on David, who was completely absorbed in Danielle. He wasn’t even looking at her, the one who had been splashed with juice. ’Why isn’t he concerned about me?’

Audrey thought.

Her blood boiled with jealousy, but she forced herself to stay calm, especially with her parents standing there.

Danielle must’ve felt Audrey’s glare because she looked up, meeting Audrey’s eyes for a split second.

Audrey froze. ’Has Danielle noticed something? No, it couldn’t be,’ she thought. After all, Audrey was the one drenched in juice, not Danielle.

"Mom, Dad, Danielle, David, I’m going upstairs to change. Excuse me," Audrey said, putting on her best polite smile as she excused herself, refusing to blame Sarah in front of everyone.

As she walked past David, she shot him one last look, but David didn’t even glance at her. He didn’t acknowledge her at all. Audrey’s chest tightened with frustration.

As Audrey made her way upstairs, she overheard Vivian’s voice, full of concern. "Danielle, are you okay? Did that scare you?" "I’m fine, Mom," Danielle answered smoothly, almost casually. "David helped me block it, but it’s his suit that got the juice on it."

For Danielle? What was it about this girl that made her worthy of such a gesture, while Audrey- polished, poised Audrey-was left out in the cold?

Audrey couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t trust herself to stay down there any longer. If she did, she might just grab that necklace and rip it off Danielle’s neck.

"What? David designed this himself?" Vivian and Howard exchanged a look, clearly stunned.

"This design is incredible-so fresh, so elegant, without being over the top. It outshines most of the designs out there. I never would’ve guessed David had such a talent for this. He’s amazing," Vivian said, her face lighting up with excitement. She couldn’t stop praising him. Howard nodded approvingly. "David, you went above and beyond by designing this necklace for Danielle yourself. Danielle, have you ever given David a gift?"

He couldn’t help but compliment David, while also nudging his daughter to think about returning the favor.

Danielle paused, considering his question. She realized with a start that it was always the men giving her gifts-she hadn’t given anything back.

Vivian and Howard exchanged a knowing look. They could tell immediately that their daughter hadn’t thought about reciprocating.

"Danielle, look at this-Charrington’s family heirloom is already yours, and now David has gone the extra mile to design a necklace just for you. You should think about giving him something too. Relationships are a two-way street, you know," Vivian said, her tone full of motherly wisdom.

David smiled warmly. "You’re too kind. I’ve given Danielle gifts, but I never expected anything in return. As long as she’s with me, that’s the best gift I could ever ask for."

Danielle felt a little tug at her heart. She liked what David had said. Maybe love should be a two-way street. She had to start thinking about giving back, too.

"David knows how to say the right things," Vivian said with a proud smile. "He’s tall, handsome, thoughtful, and charming-honestly, once you two get married, David is going to be such a great husband."