Not A Small-Town Girl

It wasn’t long before the butler ushered Orion into the living room.

Danielle stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Orion, thank you for coming. These are my brothers—Elliot, Matthew, Austin—and my fiancé."

The men all nodded in acknowledgment, murmuring, "Thank you for coming."

"Orion, would you like some coffee?" Danielle poured a cup for him with a smile.

"Let’s skip the coffee for now. Show me your parents— the sooner we address this, the better," Orion replied, eager to examine the curse.

"Right, I’ll take you upstairs to see them. They’re definitely cursed, but I’m not sure what kind of curse it is exactly."

Danielle led Orion upstairs, with her brothers and David trailing behind. They arrived at Howard and Vivian’s bedroom.noveldrama

"You can wait outside," Joseph instructed the maids.

"Yes, Joseph," they replied, and quietly exited the room.

Orion stepped forward and immediately recognized that Howard and Vivian were indeed cursed. He opened his mouth, and a small snake slithered out, landing neatly in his hand.

He muttered something under his breath, and the snake gave a subtle nod.

The room was filled with stunned silence. Only David, who had seen Orion’s familiar snake before, remained calm. The rest of them were frozen, mouths agape, hands quickly covering their faces in horror. They had no idea what this was about, but it was certainly terrifying.

Still, no one interrupted. They just watched in quiet awe.

The small snake—almost eerily obedient—crawled up to Howard’s wrist, shrinking as it went. Eventually, it was tiny enough to look like a bug.

The room’s occupants swallowed nervously. The idea that something so small could change size was unnerving. And now, it was inching up Howard’s arm...

The snake bit down on his wrist, then continued shrinking, following his veins into his body.

Austin squeezed Elliot’s arm, paralyzed with fear. "It’s inside him now... Is he going to be okay?"

Orion produced a flute and began playing an eerie melody, one that no one understood, but it seemed to make the snake react.

Even Joseph, who was usually unflappable, couldn’t help but feel a shiver down his spine.

Danielle, though trusting in Orion, was mostly focused on her parents’ well-being. Inside, she was furious at Judy for doing this—what kind of sick person curses someone like this?

David instinctively pulled Danielle into a protective embrace, covering her eyes. He didn’t want her to be frightened.

Danielle, however, rolled her eyes, brushing his hand away. "Stop, you’re blocking my view. I’m not scared of that snake. I’m just annoyed you’re trying to protect me."

David’s mouth opened in response, but Danielle pressed her little hand against his lips, stopping him. "No talking. Don’t even try any funny business."

David nodded miserably, not able to get a word in. The other brothers, seeing this small exchange, could only look away. Danielle really had David wrapped around her finger.

The music stopped, and the snake slowly began to crawl out of Howard’s wrist. Orion cupped it in his palm and began communicating with it through his mind.

"Miss Darling, your father is cursed with Soul Venom. This type of curse has been in his body for some time but has remained dormant. It only awoke recently."

"Soul Venom? What kind of curse is that? Can you break it?" Danielle asked, genuinely confused. She didn’t know much about curses.