Not A Small-Town Girl

"I admit what? You didn’t even know where I was when I was flying fighter jets!"

Elliot flashed a confident grin, scoring a point.

"Oh, I was flying those when I was eight. What’s so impressive about that?" David replied seriously.

The two of them sat in the car, like two roosters fighting for dominance. Usually calm and reserved, they didn’t know why they were suddenly so competitive.

Danielle felt like her ears were buzzing with the sound of two little bees.

"Stop talking so much. He’s my Elliot, and you should address him as Elliot, too."

In the end, the battle was settled by Danielle’s reprimand, with David sulking, his lips pressed tight. Why wasn’t she helping him out? Why was she siding with Elliot? Life was so unfair...

The car slowed as they approached the suburban villa.

They all got out of the car, and one of Danielle’s men immediately stepped forward.

"Danielle, they’re inside. Should we rush in?"

"Mm." Danielle nodded and gave a brief overview of the plan.

Her men got to work immediately.

Meanwhile, inside the villa, Ivan and Judy were still waiting for news from their boss, both exuding confidence. They were sure the Darling family wouldn’t find them here. This was a retreat Ivan had planned carefully, and it was definitely safe.

"What are we having for lunch?" Judy asked, clearly relaxed now that they were out of the Darling family’s sight. Recently, she’d been pampering herself, buying new clothes just in time for meeting the boss.

Ivan glanced at Judy, who was still applying a face mask. "You go ahead. Until we hear from the boss, the less we go out the better."

But Judy, having shed her identity as a Darling family maid, refused to cook or clean anymore. "I’m not doing it. I just had a hand treatment yesterday. You do it, or we’ll order takeout."

Why did he have to do all the hard work with her? If she hadn’t exposed herself, neither of them would even be here.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Ivan didn’t expect Judy to get up to answer it, but she took off her face mask and dashed to the door.

What an idiot. Ivan shook his head. Did she really think the boss would show up here in person?

"Who is it?" Judy opened the door and, although she was about to open it directly, she asked cautiously, "Who’s there?"noveldrama

"Hello, this is from the property management. I have a parcel for you. Could you please come out and sign for it?"

"We didn’t order anything. Just throw it away."

Judy felt uneasy. Had Danielle found them?

"Ma’am, the delivery man insists you sign for it."

One of Danielle’s men continued to pressure Judy to open the door, using the tactics Danielle had taught him.

"A man? Could it be from the boss? Maybe it’s a package just for me." Judy’s mood brightened as she thought about it.

"What does he look like?"

"Ma’am, if you don’t want to sign for it, we’ll just throw it in the trash. We’re busy, and we don’t have time to chat."

Danielle’s man was getting impatient. Judy’s curiosity grew stronger. A package from the boss? She couldn’t let it be thrown out.

Just as she reached to open the door, Ivan sensed something was wrong and called out.

"Wait, don’t open it. We didn’t order anything. There’s something off about this."

Judy rolled her eyes. "Who said we ordered it? It’s from the boss, and it’s for me."

Ivan almost burst out laughing. "The boss wouldn’t personally deliver a package. If he had something to send, he would just come in himself, not send property management to do it. Can’t you think for a second?"