Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)

When the auction ended, Juniper began to feel her anger rise. "What the hell are those idiots doing? Do they even know what the Crimson Lily is? If it
wasn’t for them, it would’ve been ours, no question. It was practically in our hands!" she fumed, clearly pissed off.
She went on for a while, ranting, until she finally noticed Danielle sitting next to her, effortlessly relaxed with a little smirk on her face. She looked like
someone who hadn’t been caught up in the chaos at all.
"Aren’t you pissed, Danielle? We got totally screwed out of the Crimson Lily!" Juniper asked, still a little confused by her friend’s cool attitude.
Danielle just shrugged, her tone completely casual. "The Crimson Lily just wasn’t meant to be. Let’s forget about it. The party’s starting. We should
go."
Meanwhile, in the VIP box, David sat back on the black leather sofa, one long leg casually crossed over the other. He held a glass of red wine, his
gaze fixed ahead, exuding the kind of regal energy that made people take notice.
After a beat, he spoke up, his voice calm but authoritative. "Who’s in room number two?"
Nathan, standing nearby, replied, his voice respectful. "It’s someone using the alias ’Anonymous’ from Black Web. He’s the founder, and a total
mystery.
"You remember the miracle healer who did the surgery on the old man? That was arranged through Black Web. But we have no clue what
’Anonymous’ wants with the Crimson Lily."
David pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, but Nathan couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
As night fell, the manor was lit up beautifully. The main hall, in particular, was lavishly decorated, and the fountain at the entrance to the hall was set
alight with spotlights, reflecting a multitude of shimmery colors and splendor.
Laughter could be heard echoing through the halls as the attendees exchanged name cards and traded banter, most of which was about business.
"Danielle, let’s grab a bite," Juniper said as they entered the hall and laid eyes on the array of hors d’oeuvres and pastries. Both women shared a love
of sweets, and they kept to themselves in an inconspicuous corner as they sampled the offerings.
"Juniper, this strawberry shortcake is to die for. Try it," Danielle gushed. It seemed like she had transformed into a girly teen again under the spell of
the desserts.
"Oh my god, you have to try this Orange Swiss Roll, too," Juniper said as she took a big bite.

David had made his way to the main hall as well. Dressed in his custom-made suit that accentuated his figure, he kept a close eye on the two ladies
while sipping on his wine.
Nathan stood at his side, a little puzzled as to why his boss had decided to attend the party but refrained from socializing with anyone. In the past,
David had never bothered with such meaningless networking sessions.
"Mr. Charrington, would you like to go over and exchange greetings?" Nathan asked carefully.
All the company directors present had noticed David’s arrival as soon as he stepped into the hall, but they lacked the courage to approach him. David
was overwhelmingly intimidating.
A middle-aged man walked towards David then, deciding that he simply had to say something to him. He knew this was his once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to perhaps be granted an opportunity to work with David’s company.
"Good evening, Mr. Charrington. I’m Adam Boyd, the president of Boyd Technology. Our company has been working on a new product recently, and I
wondered if you might be interested to know more?" he said respectfully as he handed his business card to Nathan.
David didn’t respond, so Nathan received the business card and spoke on his behalf, saying, "Mr.Boyd, Mr. Charrington will not be talking shop
today."
The other company directors who had been readying themselves to approach David overheard Nathan’s remark and immediately stopped in their
tracks. All of them knew better than to go against David’s wishes.
David paid no mind to the group of men and walked over to Danielle. He stood before her and said, "Danielle Darling. Or should I call you the Miracle
Healer?"
Danielle looked up at David, her eyes alert but cold, as if she wasn’t surprised at all that he knew her name. "May I help you, Mr. Charrington?"
Seeing him up close, Danielle noted that David was extremely good-looking. His features were symmetrical, his jaw was sharp and angular, and his
skin was clear and smooth.
She thought, ’I might have been drunk that time, but it’s no wonder I mistook him for...’Her thoughts were interrupted by David’s magnetic voice. "I’d
like to get acquainted with you, as well as express my gratitude to you for saving my grandfather’s life."
The Danielle who was drunk and had let him hold her that day was a far cry from the Danielle in front of him now. He noticed how she had a deep
calm about her while being coolly distant. When their eyes met, they felt all the noise around them fade out, like there were only the two of them in
that massive hall.

Danielle let out a laugh. "You paid for my services, and I delivered. There’s no need for gratitude. I’ve something to see to, so please excuse me."

She pulled Juniper along with her as she made off without waiting for David’s reply.
Juniper gave Danielle a knowing look as she asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Did seeing Mr. Charrington remind you of your drunken
behavior that day?"
"You’re thinking too much," Danielle replied.
Back in the main hall, Nathan boldly let David know his opinion. "Mr. Charrington, Miss Darling doesn’t seem so receptive to you."
"Don’t make me send you off on a business research trip to the middle of nowhere," David replied. He didn’t wear any emotion on his face, but in his
mind, an idea had formed.
When Danielle returned home, Vivian and Howard buzzed around her excitedly and led her to the living room to sit.
"Danielle, we were planning to throw a homecoming party for you next month, but your grandparents aren’t in the best health right now, so we might
have to postpone it," Vivian said in a soft voice with guilt written on her face.
"What’s wrong with them?" Danielle asked worriedly. This was the first time she’d heard them mention that Alice and Caleb were sick.
Howard explained with a dejected look, "They met with a car accident a few years back, and have since become bedridden and unresponsive.
They’ve been reliant on medication all this while, but recently they’ve been showing signs of decline. It doesn’t look good.
"Apparently, there’s a miracle healer who can cure all sorts of illnesses as long as the patient is alive. We’ve been trying to locate this person all these
years but we haven’t had any luck.
"No one’s ever seen this miracle healer either, so maybe it’s nothing but an urban legend and there’s no such person."
"Can I go to see them tomorrow?" Danielle immediately asked. She had to see them in person to obtain a proper diagnosis.
"Of course, we’ll accompany you to the hospital tomorrow." Vivian and Howard were relieved that their daughter was so understanding.
"We’ll go to the hospital tomorrow, and they’ll be better in no time. You guys should get some rest." Danielle was not the best at consoling others, but
she knew that healing her grandparents would be the biggest comfort for her parents.
"Sure thing. Goodnight, Danielle," Howard and Vivian said one after the other as they watched their precious daughter go upstairs to her room. They
were truly grateful that their daughter had matured into such a wonderful young woman.

They took their phones out and opened the Darling family group chat. Vivian was the one who dropped the bombshell with the message, [We’ve
finally found your biological sister. She’s back home now.]
Howard sent a text as well. [She’s the most beautiful, caring and understanding daughter a father could ever hope for.]
Howard and Vivian had been disappointed by their sons the last time they had sent them messages, so they had wanted to hold off on breaking the
news to them. Besides Joseph, the others hadn’t seen her yet.
In the end, they couldn’t stand the idea of Danielle thinking her brothers didn’t care about her.
They didn’t want her to feel unloved or uncomfortable just because of those annoying brats, and they expected their sons to treat Danielle with the
same love and attention they gave her.