Not A Small-Town Girl

Danielle sat on the couch, quietly watching Audrey's tear-streaked face. She hadn't seen Audrey in so long that she almost forgot what she looked like.

Audrey was fumbling with Xavier's body, her actions not so much a medical check-up, but more like she was about to tear him apart. His wound was pulled, and he grimaced in pain, gritting his teeth, unable to even speak, beads of sweat dotting his forehead.

Danielle's brothers were about to step in, but someone moved faster.

"If you don't want your hands anymore, I'll gladly cut them off," Jaden growled, yanking Xavier away from Audrey's grasp.

Audrey froze, completely caught off guard. 'I was just trying to check on Xavier. Why was he yelling at me like that? And why were the brothers standing there, letting him snap at me? Are they treating me differently just because I wasn't their biological sister?'

"Did the wound open up?" Jaden asked softly, turning to Xavier.

"I'll take a look," Danielle said, quickly standing up from the couch, worry evident in her eyes.

"I'm fine, just a little pain earlier," Xavier replied, not wanting his family to fret over him.

"Xavier, let Danielle check," Joseph said calmly, his lips barely parting.

"Audrey, what do you think you're doing? Can't you see Xavier's hurt? You need to be more careful!" Matthew's voice was stern, his face darkening with disapproval.

"I was just worried about Xavier! I wasn't trying to hurt him!" Audrey protested, her voice trembling. "Why is everyone yelling at me? I didn't mean it like that! Jaden screamed at me, and none of you said anything. Why's it always like this? Just because I'm not your biological sister, you can all ignore me?"

She felt like she was being pushed aside, no matter how hard she tried to show she cared. Was this how they all truly saw her-an outsider who no longer mattered now that the real daughter had returned?

"Audrey, Matthew and Mr. Johnson are just concerned about Xavier. His wound is fresh, and you were too rough. You didn't see him sweating from the pain?" Elliot tried to reason with her.

"I'm sorry, Xavier," Audrey said, her voice softening. "I was just so worried, I didn't control myself. Can you forgive me?" Her apology was drenched in self-pity, and her eyes welled up with tears, making it seem like she was the victim.

Danielle's brothers exchanged looks, clearly believing Audrey was in the wrong. Still, Audrey only stood there, feeling even more wronged, fighting back her tears. She tried to get them to speak up for her, but none of them seemed to care. They just watched her suffer in silence.

Ever since Audrey arrived at the Darling family, Xavier's opinion of her had been nothing short of disdain—and now, it was even worse.

"Stop flitting around in front of me. If you do it one more time, I'll forgive you. Keep

it up, and I'll send you straight to the afterlife," Xavier snapped.

Audrey, feeling even more wronged, could hardly hide her

embarrassment. She glanced at the several brothers around her, hoping one of them might say something to ease the tension, but it was like they hadn't received the memo. They just stood there, as if nothing was happening at all.

"Xavier, don't say things like that," Audrey said, her voice tight with emotion. "We grew up together, you know how much my brothers love and spoil me. I was just anxious, that's all."

She glanced meaningfully at Danielle, but Danielle didn't even look up from her phone. It felt like hitting a wall.

Joseph's face darkened at Audrey's words, his eyes flicking to Danielle, before glaring at Audrey.noveldrama

At that moment, Audrey's assistant stepped forward, trying to defend her. "How can you treat your own sister like this? Audrey came straight from shooting her night scenes, barely had time to rest, and rushed over here. Why are you being so harsh with her?"

The assistant's words were sharp, and the room fell into a tense silence. The Darling brothers' expressions hardened at the audacity of the assistant's defense.

Danielle finally put her phone down and glanced at Audrey, her expression cold. "Audrey, if you're really here to check on Xavier, then stay quietly for a while. If you're just here tomake a scene, you can leave. Do you even know this is a hospital room? Stop crying and acting like this isn't a place for others to see."

Audrey's eyes flashed with fury. 'Finally showing your true colors, huh? Trying to rally the brothers against me, aren't you? This little schemer, she's getting more and more unbearable.'

But deep down, Audrey didn't mind that Danielle was being cold to her-she actually wanted it. If Danielle kept antagonizing her, the brothers would see who the real troublemaker was.

"I was just concerned about Xavier. I'm also your sister, how can you stop me from seeing him? You're so selfish! You never want me around at home, and now you're stopping me here too. What do you want me to do? You're so unreasonable!"

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her voice quivering, and if one didn't know the truth, it would seem like Danielle was the one being oppressive.

"Audrey, stop twisting Danielle's words. If she were really as selfish and domineering as you say, she would have been out of this family the moment she returned," Austin replied, his tone firm. He knew exactly what Audrey was doing.

"Audrey, you're really something. Always acting like we owe you something. Let's be honest—if it wasn't for the Darling family adopting you, where would you be now? We've given you everything.

"How many rich daughters have a life like yours? Anything you want, you get. Meanwhile, everything that was meant for Danielle was stolen from her. If she hadn't been lost, our parents would never have adopted anyone else. But we did, and we gave you everything we could.

"But you still can't stop being jealous of her. You're upset because Danielle's back and now you think we don't need you anymore. This isn't about her—it's about your lack of gratitude."

Xavier's chest heaved with anger, his body tensing, as he listened to the conversation. He had wanted to say these things for a long time, but never had the chance until now. No one, not even Audrey, was going to bully Danielle anymore.

The room fell silent, with everyone reflecting on Xavier's words. The Darling family had always rallied behind Danielle, but no one had ever stood up for her like that. Danielle, usually the one to protect them, had never known what it was like to have someone speak up for her.

But Audrey, in her own twisted way, thought, "So this is how it is now? They think

I'm in the way? Well, I won't go down without a fight. Just because they found their biological daughter doesn't mean they can cast me aside. I won't let them."