Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David) novel Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Danielle felt a little uncomfortable. She thought, ’Why does it feel like my parents are treating David like their son?’ Their praise was a bit overwhelming.

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. and Mrs. Darling," David said, his smile warm and sincere.

If the staff at Charrington Group could see their boss like this, they’d probably faint. Only Vivian and Howard seemed to think David was such a smooth talker. If they knew how he was at work... they might have a different opinion.

Upstairs, Audrey locked herself in her room, unable to put her emotions into words.

She thought, ’Why? Why couldn’t it be me?’

If it wasn’t for Danielle getting in the way, Audrey could’ve been the one with David by now. She believed that it was all because of Danielle. David, the always distant and cold figure, had designed a necklace for Danielle himself. He even spoke to her in those soft, sweet tones.

Audrey thought, ’Does David really like Danielle that much? They have only known each other for a short time...

Audrey’s eyes burned with jealousy, and her hands trembled as tears threatened to spill. She was the one who had known David first.

She thought, ’Why is everyone against me?’

She got juice spilled on her, and no one even cared to check if she was okay-yet they were all fawning over Danielle, who had been just fine.

In her eyes, Danielle got all the attention. She didn’t even try to be nice, but everyone seemed to adore her. Audrey had done her best to be kind and fit in, but it felt like no one even noticed her.

And what if the high society crowd found out that Audrey wasn’t even the real Charrington daughter, but just adopted? And that Danielle, the true heir, was now David’s fiancée? Audrey would be the subject of ridicule, and her place in the social scene would be lost.

This was all Danielle’s fault. Audrey couldn’t let her steal what was hers.

She thought, ’I’ll make sure she’s gone for good this time.’

A dark glint flashed in Audrey’s eyes as she pulled out her phone and typed a message: [Sir, Danielle is going abroad tomorrow.]

She didn’t even know who this person was. He’d contacted her out of nowhere, offering to help. As long as it meant getting rid of Danielle, Audrey was willing to do whatever it took.

[What do you want to do?] The response came almost instantly.

[I want Danielle to never come back from abroad. I want her gone for good. Can you help me?]

There was a long pause. Audrey’s heart raced. Is he

backing out? No. This was her chance. She had to convince him.

[I can’t make a move right now. But I’ll send you something soon that will help you. After that, your family will start favoring you over her. When that happens, you’ll be able to get whatever you want.]

Audrey stared at the message, feeling a mix of confusion and curiosity. What could this be? [Then I’ll wait for it. Thank you, Sir.]

She sent the message and sat there, waiting, but no further replies came.

David had already left, leaving only Danielle, Howard, and Vivian downstairs.

"Danielle, you’ve had a long day. Go upstairs and take a bath," Howard said, his tone warm but firm. He knew how hard his daughter worked. He never asked her too many questions about what she was up to-he just wanted her to be happy. "Yeah, Danielle, go upstairs and relax for a bit. You won’t be seeing much of us over the next few days," Vivian added with a hint of reluctance. She wished she could shield Danielle from all the pressures of life and let her enjoy being young, like a princess with no cares.

"Dad, Mom, I’m waiting for Joseph. I need to talk to him about something," Danielle explained, having already called Joseph after finding some important info on Black Web.

"That troublemaker," Howard muttered, pulling out his phone. "He knows his sister’s waiting for him and still doesn’t come back on time? I’ll call him right now!"

Just then, the door opened, and Joseph walked in, phone in hand. "Dad, why are you calling me?"

Howard’s patience was wearing thin. His son was always making Danielle wait.

"Danielle, you’ve done such a great job with Grace Group. The new collection this month has been a huge hit. A lot of my friends bought it, and some didn’t even manage to get their hands on it. I couldn’t get one either," Vivian said proudly.

Danielle’s brand was a huge success, and to think it was her daughter who’d built it from the ground up.

"Mom, Dad, Joseph, I’ll design something special just for you guys next time," Danielle offered sweetly, smiling at them all.

"Really? Wouldn’t that be too much work for you?" Vivian asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. How could she not be proud of her daughter’s one- of-a-kind designs?

"Thank you in advance, Danielle," Howard added, beaming with pride.

"Danielle is so talented. There’s nothing she can’t do. Grace Group has massive potential, especially internationally. Their skincare line just launched, and people are lining up at stores to get their hands on it," Joseph chimed in, not sparing any praise.

"Yes, yes! The new skincare line is incredible. I’ve been using Grace Group’s products myself," Vivian said, backing Joseph up.

"This kid is just too amazing-she’s got a real head for business, totally takes after me," Howard said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What do you mean ’takes after you’? I’m smart too, you know!" Vivian shot back, playfully nudging Howard.

The two of them bickered back and forth, each claiming that Danielle’s intelligence had come from them.

"Danielle, I want to nurture your talents. Darling Group has so many subsidiaries. Pick one and get some hands-on experience," Howard said.

"One company is already enough for her to handle. Do you want to push her into those small subsidiaries? That’s overkill," Vivian said, shaking her head.

"What small subsidiaries? Those companies make good money!" Howard argued though he wasn’t entirely convinced himself.

"Don’t even think about putting my daughter in charge of those small companies. She’s already busy enough," Vivian said firmly, giving Howard a pointed look.

"Alright, alright. I won’t. As long as Danielle is happy, that’s all that matters," Howard said, giving in with a chuckle.