Chapter 75 "You better know it," Vivian replied, satisfied.
Danielle couldnât help but blush at all the praise from her parents. Her cheeks turned pink, and she suddenly felt a little shy under their loving gaze.
Audrey stood at the top of the stairs, listening to her parents and Joseph lavish praise on Danielle. A sharp wave of jealousy washed over her, and she had to fight the urge to storm down and rip Danielle apart right then and there.
Why did Danielle get to intern at Darling Group, having to flatter Joseph and beg for his approval, while Audrey got nothing?
Danielle hadnât done a single thing to deserve such treatment. Their father had casually allowed Danielle to pick any subsidiary she wanted, while Audrey was treated like just another employee at the company. And Joseph? He didnât treat her any differently from anyone else. It was like she wasnât even his sister.
Her eyes welled up as she clenched her fists so tightly that her nails bit into her palms.
The meal in the dining room had come to an end.
"Danielle, letâs go to the study," Joseph said, sensing that his sister had something important to talk about.
"Why donât you and Mom and Dad come too?"
Danielle suggested. She thought it would be better if her parents knew what was going on, especially since the Dixon family was likely going to come knocking afterward. Itâd be better for everyone if they were prepared.
"Alright," Joseph agreed.
Audrey overheard their plans and quickly slipped away to hide. In the study, Joseph, Howard, and Vivian sat down, wondering what Danielle had to say.
"Joseph, about the banquet, the investigation is over. It turns out Sienna was involved in what happened," Danielle began, her voice steady but serious.
"What investigation? What happened with Sienna?" Vivian asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. She didnât understand what Danielle meant.
"At the banquet that year, Joseph was drugged... the next morning, he woke up to find himself with Sienna. But thereâs more to the story than that,"
Danielle explained, treading carefully around what was obviously a personal matter for Joseph.
"So, thatâs why you suddenly started seeing that girl from the Dixon family?" Vivian asked, still piecing things together.
"Danielle, what do you mean by âmore complicatedâ? Is someone trying to hurt Joseph?" Howard and Vivian exchanged puzzled glances.
"Iâve got a video I fixed up for you to watch."
Danielle pulled out her phone and projected the footage she had managed to recover earlier that day.
Outside the study, Audrey was pressing her ear to the door, trying to catch every word. But the thick walls made it impossible to hear anything.
She thought, âWhat secret is Danielle about to reveal? Why does she need to bring Mom and Dad and Joseph into the study to talk about it privately?
âIs she talking behind my back? Badmouthing me? Of course, that made sense-Danielle is from a small village, so it isnât surprising that she is so petty.â
Inside the study, the three of them watched the video in shocked silence. Josephâs face darkened, his anger practically radiating from him as if he wanted to rip everything apart.
Sienna had been a master manipulator. Sheâd even tried to emotionally blackmail him at the office that day, pressuring him into marriage. All along, sheâd been lying to him. If it werenât for Danielle finding and restoring this video, he might have ended up marrying that poisonous woman.
As he watched, all the guilt heâd carried for years- feeling pressured by Siennaâs constant moral guilt trips-began to make sense. It had all been part of her plan.
At the same time, a weight lifted off his shoulders. It wasnât Sienna who had been manipulating him.
The sight of the small figure in the video almost made him feel grateful.
Howard and Vivian, too, were stunned. They hadnât understood why Joseph had suddenly been with Sienna, but now everything was starting to fall into place.
"Danielle, who is this woman?" Josephâs voice cut through the silence, cold and controlled.
"Her name is Ruby Dixon. Sheâs 24, the daughter of the Dixon family. After her mother became seriously ill, Ruby disappeared without a trace. That same year, Robert brought home a new woman- Emily, Siennaâs biological mother-and a girl about Rubyâs age. Emily became Rubyâs stepmother, and she treated her terribly, constantly abusing her.
"Rubyâs position in the Dixon family quickly plummeted. She was treated worse than the servants, which is why someone from the Dixon family ended up working as a waitress at a hotel. Then, about four years ago, she met Joseph... but not long after, Ruby vanished," Danielle explained, sharing the details she had uncovered.
Vivian frowned, her expression full of sympathy. "Iâve heard of Ruby, the eldest daughter of the Dixon family. Her life was so tragic. Her mother was from a good family, but when she fell ill, Ruby pretty much vanished from the public eye.
"Her father, Robert, built his career with his father- in-lawâs help, but as the Lin family business grew, Robert started getting involved with other women.
"After Rubyâs mother got sick, Robert brought home Emily, Siennaâs mother. Emily was extremely ambitious-like a fox in disguise.
"I canât for the life of me understand why men always pick women like her over women with real class. It just baffles me!" Vivian ranted, growing more frustrated as she spoke. She shot a glare at both Howard and Joseph.
Howard thought, âI didnât do anything wrong. Iâve been loyal!â
Joseph thought, âSeriously. Iâm the victim here, and now Iâm getting blamed by Mom too?â
"Honey, Iâm not like Robert. From the very beginning to the very end, itâs always been you. My heart and mind are filled with nothing but you," Howard quickly reassured.
He was desperate not to be mistaken for someone who could change his affections on a whim.
"Hmph." Vivian gave him a playful side-eye.
"I swear, Iâll love you for the rest of my life. Youâre my queen, and whatever you say goes," Howard said, pulling her close and planting a kiss on her cheek.
"What are you doing? The kids are right there."
Vivian had been teasing him, but she never expected him to be so bold in front of their son and daughter.
Danielle thought, âAm I in the wrong scene here? Werenât we supposed to be talking about Joseph? Why are Mom and Dad acting like this...
Not A Small Town Girl (Danielle and David)
ï¤Chapter 74 Joseph thought, âThis is ridiculous. Just ridiculous.â
Vivianâs face flushed slightly as she noticed their kids watching. She felt a little embarrassed and muttered, "Itâs all your fault."
"Itâs my fault," Howard said with a soft smile, seeing that his wife was embarrassed. His eyes were full of affection. "Ahem, ahem. So, Joseph, whatâs your plan now?"
"First, we need to figure out if the Dixon family is involved, or if this is Ruby and Siennaâs scheme-or maybe just Sienna on her own. "Sienna came to my office today and proposed marriage. If Danielle hadnât come through with the video, we might be in a very different situation..." Josephâs words trailed off, but everyone knew exactly what he meant.
"Finding out if the Dixon familyâs involved isnât hard. We just need to see where they stand- whether theyâre trying to use this to force Joseph into marriage," Danielle said, her voice cool and collected.
"If anyone tries to manipulate my son, I wonât let them get away with it," Vivian said fiercely, her anger bubbling up.
"Joseph, do you need me to track down Rubyâs address?" Danielle offered, her tone thoughtful.
"No need," Joseph replied coldly, his eyes distant, his thoughts elsewhere.