Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David) novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78

David, who had been quiet the whole time, walked over to Danielle, gently pulling her hand into his.

"Did it hurt? Next time, just let me know if you want to hit someone. Look, your hand’s all red," he said, his voice soft, full of concern as he rubbed her hand, clearly upset for her.

"I’m fine," Danielle replied.

Skylar’s eyes flickered between them, still in disbelief. Wasn’t she the one who’d just been slapped? But here they were, David more concerned about Danielle’s hand than the fact that she’d just been struck.

"Sarah, go to my room and bring me the acupuncture kit," Danielle instructed, her voice unwavering.

"Yes, Miss," Sarah said, hurrying off.

Danielle picked up the silver needles, her gaze flicking to Audrey, still pretending to be unconscious.

Danielle knew Audrey wasn’t out cold. She’d only feigned it when she realized her parents were about to come down the stairs.

"Miss, do you think it’ll hurt with such long needles?" Sarah asked nervously, eyeing the gleaming silver in Danielle’s hands.

"Usually it doesn’t," Danielle said, her voice steady. "But it depends on the injury. For someone like Audrey, with her... condition, it’s going to hurt. A lot." Danielle’s lips curved into a faint smile as she watched Audrey’s lashes flutter.

Danielle moved swiftly, pushing the needle into Audrey’s pressure point with practiced ease.

Audrey’s face went pale, and sweat instantly beaded on her forehead, trickling down her temples. If she wasn’t gritting her teeth so hard, she would’ve given herself away.

Danielle was doing this on purpose, targeting her at her weakest moment. It was clear as day.

Danielle didn’t take her eyes off Audrey’s reaction, a wicked smile tugging at the corners of her lips. ’Oh, she can handle pain, can she? Fine, let’s see how long she can keep this up, she thought.

With that thought, Danielle pulled out a few more needles and thrust them into Audrey’s pressure points, each one deeper than the last.

"Danielle, how many more needles are you planning to use?" Howard’s voice cut through the tension, his eyes glued to Danielle’s precise movements.

Danielle was unfazed, her voice calm and controlled. "Depends on how long Audrey takes to wake up."

Audrey was on the brink of collapse, the pain from the second needle far worse than the first. It felt as though ice-cold knives were slicing through her skin.

Before she could even begin to process the agony, she heard Danielle’s voice again. Audrey’s blood ran

cold.

She wondered, ’What does that mean? Is she going to keep doing this until I open my eyes?’ The thought of it made her blood boil.

"I trust Danielle’s skills," Howard said, his tone firm, his approval clear. They had all seen what she could do, especially after she helped Logan and Alice recover. They did not doubt her abilities.

Audrey’s grip on the bedsheet tightened, her nails digging into the fabric. She thought, ’How could they not see what is happening? Danielle is targeting me on purpose.

"The next few needles are going to hurt even more. But I’m sure she’ll be awake soon enough," Danielle said.

As though on cue, Audrey began to stir, just as Danielle was about to insert another needle.

"What... what’s happening to me?" Audrey whispered weakly, her voice barely audible. "Miss, are you alright?" Skylar rushed to Audrey’s side, her voice full of panic. "Miss Audrey Darling, are you okay?"

"I... I’m fine. I should thank Danielle for the acupuncture... She must have been so worried," Audrey said, her voice fragile as she sat up on the sofa. Her lips quivered as she forced a weak smile, her eyes red from unshed tears.

Danielle glanced at her, her expression dripping with disdain. She didn’t even try to hide her contempt as she looked at Audrey, almost like she was watching some tiresome play.

"You’re welcome. But next time, don’t faint so easily." Her tone made it clear she meant: [Don’t bother pretending to faint in front of me again.]

Two towering bodyguards stepped toward Skylar, their hands gripping her with terrifying force.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The slaps rang out, each one sharper and more punishing than the last.

The first slap split Skylar’s lip, blood trickling down her chin as she staggered back. She felt two teeth loosen in her mouth.

But the beating didn’t stop there. Another slap. Then another. They hit her more than ten times, each blow landing with brutal force, like the bodyguards were savoring the pain they were inflicting.

The room fell into a stunned silence. The weight of David kicking Audrey across the room still hung in the air, but now, Skylar was taking the brunt of the punishment. Skylar, who had always been by Audrey’s side. It was like they were hitting Audrey, too.

The bodyguards stood tall and silent, their presence overwhelming, as if the slightest wrong word would send them charging again.

Howard, Vivian, and Joseph were frozen, caught off guard by the sudden escalation.

"David, what the hell do you think you’re doing?

This is the Darling family!" Howard’s voice cracked with anger as he tried to regain control of the situation. "You can’t just go around hitting people!"

David turned to face him, his eyes hard as ice. "So, you know she spoke out of turn?" he asked, his voice a low growl.

"I thought you brought Danielle back here to love her, not to let people like her suffer. If you can’t protect her, I’ll take her with me. I’ll protect her myself." His gaze was like a bottomless pit, cold and unforgiving.

David had always been ruthless, always dangerous, but for Danielle, he’d tolerate nothing less than the best. And if the Darling family made her suffer even a little, he would make them regret it.

"David," Vivian said, her voice trembling with urgency as she stepped forward. "Danielle is our daughter. We love her! You have to calm down. We won’t let anyone hurt her, I promise."