Chapter 229-2
Not A Small-Town Girl
----
Under the weight of his brothersâ glares, Austin finally
gave in.
But the entire exchange, the silent
battle of eyes between the brothers,
was crystal clear to both David and
Danielle. However, the two choseéto
preted they didnât notice, playing
alow the farce for a moment.
Austin cleared his throat. "Um, Danielle, that shiny
ring youâre wearing is really beautiful. Do you like
sparkly things? If you do, we can get you more
anytime."
âSparkly things? Austin couldnât just say it directly?"
Danielle thought.
----
Danielle casually twirled the ring on her finger.
âAustin, do you like diamonds too?"
"Well, I donât mind them. Just... it feels a bit weird for
a guy to wear them." Austin said, seriously discussing
diamonds with her.
Danielle smiled. "Not at all. If you like them, Iâll design
a diamond bracelet for you."
She had plenty of diamonds, after all. She could
make one for each of her brothers and even for their
parents, as gifts.
Austinâs eyes lit up. He would be the first to receive a
diamond bracelet from Danielle! How exciting!
âReally? Wouldnât that be a waste of your time?" he
asked, his voice full of excitement.
----
"Itâs not a waste. Once I finish the design, Iâll get it
made," Danielle replied, pleased with the idea.
Just then, a few of her brothersâ eyes shot to her.
âThey get it now. Time to ask about the ring.â
âEveryoneâs getting a unique design," Danielle added,
trying to ease the tension.
The rest of heNbrothersâincluding
David grinned. Fo a split second,
they thought theyâd be the first to
receive bracelet, but now they.
well, , they had to face the realty that
they wouldnât be so special after all.
----
Austin, noticing the glances from his brothers,
reluctantly spoke up, hoping to get the focus back to
the ring.
"Danielle, did you buy that ring yourself?â Austin
asked hesitantly.
----
âNo. David gave it to me," Danielle answered.
âWhat? Danielle, if you want a diamond ring, we can
get you one too. You shouldnât be accepting a ring
from a man like that without reason," Joseph
interjected, his voice heavy with concern.
Danielle shook her head with a smile. "It wasnât
without reason. He proposed to me, and I said yes.
Isnât the ring beautiful?"
At that, Matthew nearly spat out his coffee, eyes wide
in disbelief. He proposed? Last night? You said yes?
Elliot, equally stunned, asked, "You agreed to marry
him already? How long have you been back, and this
guyâs already trying to steal you away?"
"Yeah," Danielle said, her cheeks puffed as she
chewed on her bread. âLast night."
----
"I didnât tell you guys because it happened so
suddenly. I knew youâd all support me, though. You
wouldnât want to ruin my happiness." David spoke
smoothly, almost too calmly.
Even Danielle, who was eating, paused. She blinked
rapidly, taken aback by how easily David had spun
that conversation. It was impressive.
For amomentmer brothers didnât
know whetker to express their
happiness.or anger. They didnât wait
to spoilBanielleâs joy, but at the
samectime, they were angry about
i ee everything was moving.
----
Joseph cleared his throat. "Weâre okay with it, but...
what about Mom and Dad? They donât know yet,
right?"
Josephâs question shifted the focus to Howard and
Vivian. While the two families were technically
engaged, none of them wanted Danielle to rush into
marriage.
David smiled and continued peeling shrimp for
Danielle. "Your parents will understand. Theyâll bless
us. Iâm sure of it.â
Just then, the new butler came in respectfully.
âMadam, the person has arrived."
âGreat, please bring them in," Danielle said, wiping
her hands and getting up to leave the dining room.