At that moment, Danielle pushed open the door to the conference room.
Several hidden weapons and poison powder were aimed at Danielle, but she reacted with lightning speed. As she evaded the attacks, she swiftly yanked Emery, trailing behind her, out of harm's way.
Danielle swiftly drew a handful of silver needles from her pocket and hurled them at a few individuals in the room. The three who were enjoying the spectacle they had set in motion suddenly found themselves unable to move.
Their eyes darted wildly, their mouths unable to open as they stared at Danielle in disbelief.
Ignoring their gazes, Danielle sat at the head of the conference table with an impassive expression.
Everyone in the room immediately rose and greeted her with respect. "Anonymous."
"Sit," Danielle said with a wave of her hand.
Everyone sat down in unison, except for the three top dogs immobilized by Danielle.
Most of them were seeing Danielle's true face for the first time, but they had no doubts about her identity. After all, only someone like Anonymous could easily subdue three formidable figures with a single move. That was the kind of person they respected as a leader.
Danielle shot Emery a glance, and he then approached the three individuals and removed the silver needles. Only then could they move again.
"Anonymous, what's the meaning of this?" Nox demanded with a sinister smile.
"Consider this a little lesson," Danielle replied coldly. "I don't care who supports you behind the scenes. In Black Web, you play by my rules, or I won't hesitate to set you straight."
Danielle glanced at Nox, then swept her gaze across the room. Some were genuinely loyal to the Black Web, while others sought to exploit its information network for their own gain.
The members had all witnessed Anonymous's strength, but the organization's growing power had made some of them restless.
"I've heard rumors that all the assassins who took jobs through the Black Web were killed. Are you aware of this, Anonymous?" Xeno asked, feigning ignorance. "If the assassins couldn't count on us for information security, Black Web's credibility would be on the line."
"Oh? Who told you that?" Danielle raised an eyebrow, sounding surprised.
Observing her expression carefully, Xeno seemed to be discerning whether or not Danielle was behind it.
"Don't play dumb, Anonymous. With your authority, you have access to all the details about these assassins." Xeno sneered. "Their information has been leaked. How do you plan to handle it?"
Danielle scanned the room. "What about the rest of you?"
The room fell silent. The other members were too afraid to get involved in a conflict among the top brass.
"Anonymous, you're abusing your authority for personal gain," Nox spoke up, aligning with Xeno for once.
"Don't come at me with these accusations," Danielle retorted coldly. "Those assassins deserved to die."
'Every one of them had blood on their hands. They would do anything for money. And now, someone wants to speak up for them. What's their real agenda?' Danielle wondered.
"If that's your attitude, no one will take assignments from Black Web anymore," Nox said, twirling the with the playing card in his hand.
Danielle's fingers drummed on the table. "Are you doubting me?"
"Oh, I wouldn't dare. How could I possibly doubt Anonymous?" Nox replied sarcastically.
What Nox said was clearly contradictory. If he wasn't skeptical, he wouldn't have asked. He was just trying to get under her skin.
Before the tension could escalate, someone quickly changed the subject. "Anonymous, the recruitment assessment is starting soon. Will you be attending?"
Danielle nodded. "If I have the time, I'll participate."
"Anonymous, are you serious about recruiting? No one has passed your evaluation in the past three years," Nox said flatly.
Danielle shot him a sidelong glance. "Black Web doesn't need dead weight."
In other words, only those who could pass their rigorous tests had the talents they wanted. Lowering the bar wasn't an option.
"Black Web will be expanding its business," Danielle announced. "Emery will oversee the new project." This was her main purpose for attending the meeting.
"What kind of business? Why all the secrecy?" Nox asked nonchalantly.
"You'll know when the time comes. Any other questions?" Danielle glanced around the room.
"No," the members replied.
Despite her youth, Anonymous's commanding presence left everyone feeling inexplicably intimidated.
"Meeting adjourned," Danielle declared before striding out of the conference room.
"Ms. Darling, what's the new business line?" Emery asked as he followed her out.
"I'll send you the details tomorrow," Danielle replied.
*****
The next day, Geoffrey and Polly arrived at the Hillside Manor. They had no idea what torment Fiona had endured at the Nathor Palace.
'Fiona must have suffered in that bastard's hands. I have to get her out as soon as possible,' Polly thought.
Polly had spent hours the previous night crying to Geoffrey, exaggerating the situation until he agreed to accompany her to the Charrington Manor to plead for Fiona's release.
The last time they came to Charrington Manor was when David ousted Geoffrey from the Charrington Group. Logan and Tara's actions left them angry and helpless. They had no intention of helping their only son.
When the two arrived at Charrington Manor, Logan and Tara were just about to have breakfast, which showed how early they had come.
As soon as they entered, Logan knew what they were there for. If not for Polly's pregnancy years ago and his son's insistence on marrying her, he wouldn't have allowed her into the family.
Over the years, Polly's greed and lack of decorum had only proven his instincts right. Her sister, Fiona, was tactless to a fault.
"Logan, Tara, I'm really sorry for the trouble my sister caused at the party," Polly said apologetically. "I didn't know she would speak so recklessly. I'm here to plead with you to ask David to forgive her. After all, we're family, and things have become too tense.
"If David refuses to let her go, I will apologize to him. My sister is not in good health, so let me take the punishment in her place."
Tears streamed down Polly's face, a sight that would tug at anyone's heartstrings.
Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)
ï¤Chapter 180 Geoffrey felt a pang in his heart when he saw the tears in her eyes. He thought David was blowing things out of proportion. "You're his elder. How could you apologize to him? He's making too much of a fuss."
"Dad, Mom, you two were at the party. Why didn't you stop him? How could you let David take Fiona away?" Geoffrey bemoaned.
Tara shot Geoffrey a stern look, thinking, 'All it took was a few tears, and now he's under her spell. He even has the nerve to point fingers at us.'
Tara and Logan had been wise all their lives, yet she couldn't fathom how they had raised such a fool of a son.
"Are you blaming us?" Tara asked sharply.
Geoffrey flinched at Tara's chilling gaze. "No, that's not what I meant."
Logan glared at his foolish son. "I see you've got big plans."
Polly listened anxiously. 'Aren't we discussing Fiona? Why are they talking past each other?' she wondered.
Geoffrey held his tongue while Polly sent him silent cues.