Chapter 38 Elliot pushed open the door and walked in, noticing Lydia was there. "Sir, hereâs our detailed operation plan."
Garrett took the plan with a weary sigh. "Elliot, perfect timing. Tell Lydia to stop insisting on going to the border with you."
Elliot smiled softly. "Lydia, the borderâs too dangerous this time. Stay with the army and listen to me."
"Lydia, Iâm not just a medic. Iâm capable of taking care of myself-and of you. I wonât hold you back." Lydiaâs voice was gentle, her eyes locked on Elliot.
Elliot and Lydia had met when he first joined the army. The moment Lydia saw him, sheâd fallen for him. She pursued him relentlessly, and eventually, Elliot had agreed. Theyâd been together for years now.
"Lydia, staying with the army is the safest choice,"Elliot said firmly.
"Please, Elliot..." Lydia pouted, giving him a pleading look.
Garrett was speechless. âWell, well, well, he thought. âGirls will be girls.
Elliot was powerless against Lydiaâs pleading eyes. "Fine, get ready. Weâll leave later."
"Sir, donât worry. Iâll protect Lydia," Elliot assured Garrett with a respectful nod.
Garrett didnât object further, but still gave his instructions. "At the border, follow Elliotâs lead. Stay safe."
"Got it, Dad. Donât worry about me. Iâll protect Elliot too," Lydia teased.
"Sir, weâll be leaving in an hour. Weâre going to prepare," Elliot said calmly.
"Alright, take care," Garrett reminded them. "Understood."
Shadow Fortress.
Danielle finally had a quiet moment to eat, but then her phone rang. She glanced at the screen-David. âWasnât I just on the phone with him a few hours ago?â she wondered.
"Danielle, have you eaten yet?" Davidâs concerned voice came through.
"Yeah, Iâm eating now," Danielle replied, chewing as she spoke.
"Youâre having lunch this late? You need to eat on time and take care of yourself." If Davidâs subordinates heard this, theyâd probably drop their jaws.
"I know," Danielle said, realizing David was a little clingy.
David, on the other end, could only ease his longing through words. "Danielle, do you miss me? I miss you a little."
Danielle could tell, especially with the way he called every few hours. "Well, sort of," she replied. She hadnât really had time to miss anyone, so busy with work.
David didnât like her response. "Danielle, you canât just say âsort of. You should always be thinking about me."
"Arenât you busy with your trip?" Danielle changed the subject.
"Iâm always thinking about you, no matter how busy I am," David replied smoothly, his words dangerously sweet.
Danielle rolled her eyes.
Her phone was on loud, and everyone at the table could hear it crystal clear. âAre we eating lunch or listening to a romance novel?â they thought to themselves.
"Eat well, but donât forget to think of me," David said, sounding reluctant to hang up.
"Okay," Danielle replied, hanging up. She looked up to see her subordinates staring at her. "What is it?"
"Miss Darling, weâre just curious. Whoâs bold enough to be your boyfriend? I mean, what kind of guy gets to date you..." Denny rambled, thinking, âMiss Darling is stunning, but sheâs such an ice queen.
Doesnât this guy fear getting frozen out?â
Meanwhile, David, completely oblivious to anything around him, stared at his phone like a lovestruck fool, still smiling even after the call ended.
Nathan had finally managed to capture the traitor and rushed back to report. As he entered, he saw his boss staring at his phone, grinning like an idiot. âMy boss is smitten,â he thought. âMiss Darling must have some serious magic. Nathan had never seen him like this before.
"What are you standing there for?" Davidâs cold voice cut through the air.
Nathan glanced at his boss. There it was-the usual authoritative tone. "Boss, we caught the traitor. Also, the doctors at Fortress have made the antidote. The infected have already been treated."
"Well, I donât think I need to spell out how we deal with traitors, do I?" There was no need for David to get his hands dirty with this one.
Nathan, with his gentlemanly demeanor, was deadlier than he looked. Working at Davidâs side all this time had sharpened his edge.
"Donât worry, boss. For him, death would be a mercy." With that, he headed out to deal with the traitor.
Wulf Clan.
The Wulf Clan leader was sipping his coffee leisurely when one of his subordinates entered. "Sir, we found some soldiers near our lab. We captured them."
"Soldiers? How did they make it to the border? I thought they didnât care about this area," Jackson said, narrowing his eyes.
The man with the coffee shrugged. "They must have noticed the lab. It wonât be long before they send more."
Jacksonâs eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "If they want to die, weâll help them. Send those soldiers to the lab for experiments."
"Yes, sir."
"Keep an eye on the armyâs movements. And monitor Shadow Fortress and Hades Fortress closely," Jackson said coldly, his tone filled with menace.
"Yes, sir." The subordinate quickly left.
"Shadow and Hades are at the border. This fight will finish them for good, leaving the Wulf Clan in charge. Crazy how Shadow survived our plane bombing and even struck back. Can you believe that?" Jackson said to the man beside him.
The Wulf Clan had bombed Danielleâs plane the day she arrived, but they hadnât expected it to land. Shadow Fortress planes were state-of-the-art, nearly indestructible. The fact it had been damaged at all showed just how much firepower theyâd used.
Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)
ï¤Chapter 37