Chapter 28 "Xavier, is Egbert your rival?" Danielle asked casually.
"He wishes!" Xavier scoffed. "Heâs just a petty jerk whoâs always trying to compete with me. I wouldnât be surprised if he leaked those photos. Heâs probably trying to stir things up because my movieâs about to drop." His expression darkened as he blamed Egbert for ruining their shopping trip.
Danielle calmly pulled out her phone and sent a message: [Send me all the dirt on Egbert from the entertainment industry.]
Emery, on the other end, quickly took action and responded: [Iâve sent Egbertâs file to your email. His personal life is a mess.]
[Okay.] Danielle glanced through the email and smirked. If Egbert wanted to play dirty, sheâd make sure he regretted it.
Not long after, Twitter exploded with scandalous headlines-[Egbertâs Secret Marriage Revealed], [Egbertâs Multiple Affairs During Marriage], [Egbert Caught Kissing a Man Abroad], and [Egbert Exploited Rookie Actresses].
The posts were shared by the infamous hacker Knight.
[Whoa, what did Egbert do to tick off Knight? This is brutal!]
[I canât believe it. He always acted so classy, and now this, huh?]
[Cheating, exploiting rookies, and hitting on both men and women? Oh my!]
The same fans who once defended Egbert now turned against him, their outrage taking over the comments.
Meanwhile, in Egbertâs office, chaos erupted. "Who leaked this? Get those posts down now!" Egbert roared, throwing anything within reach as his manager and assistant stood frozen, too scared to speak.
"We canât take them down," his assistant finally stammered, drenched in nervous sweat.
"What do you mean you canât?" Egbertâs bloodshot eyes bored into him, his fury boiling over.
If they couldnât remove this, heâd be ruined. He couldnât imagine who would go to such lengths to destroy him.
"The posts came from hacker Knight," the assistant explained hesitantly. "Even the platforms canât remove them. No one messes with Knight."
"When did I ever offend a hacker?" Egbert muttered, pacing furiously. "Contact him now. Iâll pay whatever he wants. And find some big news to bury this!" He tried to reassure himself that everything would be fine.
Meanwhile, Xavier noticed the trending scandals about Egbert. "Danielle, did you see this? Karmaâs got Egbert good. Whoever Knight is, theyâre my hero," Xavier said with a grin, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Danielle didnât respond, keeping her expression neutral.
Feeling playful, Xavier snapped a photo of Danielle from behind and posted it online. [Day off, shopping with my sister. Didnât expect to trend.]
Fans erupted in excitement, and their comments kept popping up below the post.
[Even from the back, Xavierâs sister is gorgeous!]
[I saw Xavier at the mall today and got his autograph-his sister is even more beautiful in person!]
[I wish I had a beautiful sister like her.]
[Xavier posted! Canât wait for his new movie!]
[Always supporting Xavier!]
Satisfied, Xavier didnât bother checking his phone after posting. He already knew how his fans would react.
Ramona, seeing the post, immediately mobilized the PR team to share highlights of Xavierâs awards and career achievements, effectively steering the conversation in his favor.
The shift in public opinion was swift. As fans showered Xavier with love, they redirected their anger at Egbert, flooding his Twitter with insults.
Egbert, already reeling from the scandals, hit his breaking point.
And just like that, Xavierâs critics flipped their tone. One moment they were tearing him down; the next, they were singing his praises. Such was the internetâs fickle nature.
[Danielle, dinner tonight?] David stared at the text heâd just sent.
Danielle replied curtly: [Maybe another time.]
"Danielle, letâs head home," Xavier said with a smile.
"Okay," Danielle answered.
Davidâs response was almost immediate. [But I really want to have dinner with you.]
Danielle hesitated, then typed back: [Alright then.]
David replied quickly: [Great. Iâll pick you up later.]
Danielle simply responded: [Okay.]
Meanwhile, Xavier glanced at her. Remembering her driving earlier, he decided he wouldnât let her take the wheel again. "Danielle, Iâll drive us home."
"Sure," she agreed without hesitation.
At the Darling family home, Sienna said politely, "Mr. and Mrs. Darling, I heard Josephâs sister has been found. Joseph and I have been meaning to visit, but this is the first chance weâve had."
"You didnât need to bring anything. Itâs lovely to have you here," Vivian replied warmly.
Joseph sat quietly nearby, lost in his thoughts.
Audrey came down the stairs, her face lighting up when she saw Sienna. "Sienna, youâre here!"
"We heard Danielle was back, so we thought weâd stop by. We just havenât seen her yet," Sienna explained, her tone measured.
"Danielle went out with Xavier this morning," Joseph said flatly.
"Yes, they left pretty early," Audrey added. As if on cue, the front door opened, and Xavier and Danielle walked in, chatting and laughing.
"Danielle, youâre back. Are you tired?" Vivian asked, pulling her daughter into a gentle embrace.
"Are you hungry, sweetheart?" Howard, who had been quiet until then, smiled warmly at her.
"Did you have a good time shopping?" Joseph asked, his eyes filled with affection as he looked at Danielle.
Sienna caught Josephâs expression and narrowed her eyes at Danielle, her face darkening with jealousy.
"Iâm not tired or hungry. It was a nice day," Danielle replied with a soft smile.
Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)
ï¤Chapter 27 Xavier spread his arms dramatically. "What about me? No love for your favorite son, huh? Arenât you all worried about me?"
"You dragged Danielle out all day. And you want us to care about you now, huh?" Howard said flatly to Xavier.
Vivian turned to Danielle. "Danielle, this is Sienna, Josephâs girlfriend," she said, gesturing to the woman sitting on the sofa.
Danielle turned her gaze to Sienna, taking in her appearance. Sienna had soft, wavy flaxen hair and a polished demeanor. Her eyes appeared kind, but there was an unmistakable sharpness behind them.
"Danielle, itâs so nice to meet you. Iâm Sienna, Josephâs girlfriend. Welcome home," Sienna said, her tone sweet but slightly pointed, emphasizing her connection to Joseph.
Danielle had met plenty of women who hid their true nature behind a polished exterior. It didnât take much for her to see through Siennaâs facade, but she was surprised that Sienna was Josephâs type.
She raised an eyebrow slightly and responded nonchalantly, "Hello."
Without sparing her another glance, Danielle walked past Sienna and sat at the far end of the sofa.
Sienna clenched her fists subtly. Danielleâs indifference made her feel small, as though she were being mocked just by Danielleâs presence.
"Danielle, do you not like Sienna? Sheâs really nice once you get to know her," Audrey chimed in, her voice dripping with false sweetness. Danielle turned to Audrey, her brow furrowing as if Audrey had just said something incredibly stupid.
"Audrey, watch your mouth," Xavier said coldly, his expression darkening. "Danielle just needs time to adjust. Donât make things up."
"I wasnât trying to cause trouble," Audrey said softly, lowering her gaze like a scolded child. "I just wanted Danielle and Sienna to get along. I meant well." Her voice quivered, as though she were the victim.