"Danielle shook her head hard, snapping herself out of the thought. No way was she going to lock herself in a cage like some animal.
"There had to be a better solution. She wasn't about to give up so easily.
"She took a deep breath, silently psyching herself up. 'Come on, Danielle. You've gotten through worse. You'll figure this out. You're a survivor.'
"Howard, Vivian, and Xavier sat in front of her, looking terrified, waving their hands in her face.
âWhat? What's going on?" Danielle blinked, snapping out of her daze.
âThat's what we were going to ask you!" Xavier said, eyeing her nervously. "You're shaking your head, then nodding, then smiling, then frowning. Are you... possessed or something?"
"Vivian leaned closer, pressing a hand to her forehead. "You don't feel warm, but, Danielle, what's wrong? You're freaking us out!"
âYeah," Howard added, his voice heavy with concern. "Is the poison getting worse? Do you still recognize us? Don't worry, we'll find an antidote as soon as we get out of here. You'll be fine. I promise."
"Danielle looked at their worried faces and felt a pang of guilt. She hadn't meant to scare them, she was just lost in thought.
âDanielle, how many fingers am I holding up?" Xavier asked, waving two fingers in front of her face. He noticed her staring blankly and couldn't help but worry. Their dad might be right. He had seen the poison acting up, and the memory haunted him.
"Danielle groaned, rubbing her temples. "Two, Xavier. You think the poison has fried my brain already?"
âEveryone, relax," Danielle said, glancing at her parents too. "The poison is under control for now. I was just thinking, okay? You can stop freaking out."
"Danielle rarely talked that much in one go, but if she didn't explain herself, they would probably think she was actually losing it.
"Vivian let out a breath, her hand over her heart. Seeing Danielle so out of it had terrified her. Whoever had poisoned her daughter would pay.
Clenching her fists, she silently vowed to find an antidote and make them regret it.
"Howard put a hand on Danielle's shoulder, his face serious but kind. "Listen, sweetheart. Your mom and I will find a cure for you, no matter what it takes. You're going to be okay, I promise."
"Danielle smiled faintly, grateful but uneasy. If the poison hadn't acted up unexpectedly earlier, nearly causing her to hurt her mom, she wouldn't have told them anything.
Danielle had lived with this poison for as long as she could remember. There was no cure, at least not yet. If Cloud hadn't been using every trick in the book to keep it under control, she'd have turned into a mindless killer years ago.
He was the reason she started studying medicine in the first place. She might be a miracle healer, but even she couldn't fix herself.
âListen," she said firmly, looking each of them in the eye. "You can't tell anyone about this. The fewer people who know, the better. I've made enemies, bad ones. If they find out, they'll use it against me. Please, promise me you'll keep this quiet."
"Danielle wasn't worried about herself. What really kept her up at night was the thought of those shameless people coming after her family instead.
âDon't worry, Danielle. We won't tell anyone," Howard said, his tone serious. He knew exactly what she was afraid of. If news of her poisoning got out, her company's stock would nosedive, and chaos would follow.
"If only they had found her sooner. She had been through so much on her own, running a massive company and carrying a weight no one should have to bear.
âOkay," Danielle murmured. When she looked at her father and saw the tears welling up in his eyes, guilt twisted in her chest. Her condition was clearly hitting her family harder than she had realized.
"She turned away, annoyed at herself for letting her emotions slip in front of them.
*****
"Outside Blackpool Village, a fleet of Rolls-Royces rolled up to the entrance, putting the whole village on high alert. The villagers grabbed sticks and gathered, ready for trouble.
"Even the Darling family's bodyguards, left behind on Danielle's orders, were on edge. They hadn't expected those thugs to return so soon after Danielle had put them in their place.
"So many people in camouflage uniforms spilled out of the luxury cars, lining up in perfect formation with pistols aimed at the villagers.
"The sight sent chills down everyone's spine. 'Are those guns real?'
"'Did Miss Darling hit those guys so hard this morning that their boss came back to wipe out the whole village?' they kept asking themselves, dread sinking in.
"Their faces turned ghostly white. The idea of making it out alive felt like a distant dream. The villagers gripped their sticks tighter, but it was laughable to think they would be any use now.
"The two bodyguards Danielle left behind stood firm, but against a squad of armed men, their confidence wavered. The odds weren't in their favor.
"Some of the villagers started whispering about resorting to witchcraft. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and protecting their village was all that mattered now.
"The Darling family bodyguards were ready to fight to the end when they noticed something strange. The entire scene had gone eerily still. The villagers looked frozen in place, as if time itself had stopped.
"The men with guns hadn't moved, holding their positions like statues. The bodyguards exchanged a nervous glance. Whoever owned this real estate company must be absolutely unhinged.
"If things escalated any further, this could end in a massacre.
"'You're being unreasonable, and we're not giving in,' the village chief said firmly, stepping forward to face the armed man without flinching.
"Inside the car, David twisted the tail ring on his finger, his eyes cold. "Oh, never give in?" he muttered under his breath. These fools dared to mess with Danielle, they were practically begging for death.
âHand her over, and I might let your village survive. Refuse, and none of you will walk out of here alive," the bodyguard captain said, pressing the barrel of his gun against the village chief's temple.
"If it came down to it, they would fight. Maybe it was even a good chance to put their witchcraft to the test.
âI have no idea who you're talking about," the chief replied evenly, refusing to budge.
"The captain's finger hovered near the trigger. "You sure about that? Because if you're lying, your whole village pays the price."
âWe're not afraid, Chief!" a villager yelled.
âYeah! We're ready to fight if we have to!" another shouted, gripping a stick tightly.
âBetter to fight than roll over for these goons," someone added, their voice fierce despite the fear in their eyes.
"The captain's gun was still aimed at the chief, his expression cold and ruthless. But before he could act, the Darling family bodyguards sprang into action, pushing through the crowd to stand in front of the chief.
Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)
ï¤Chapter 201 âEnough of this!" one of them barked, his voice cutting through the tension. "You think you're tough threatening villagers? Try that on me instead!"