Not A Small-Town Girl

eaten with David, but she didn’t want her to feel like she’d missed out.

Danielle had planned to have her chat with Joseph and head upstairs, but somehow they all ended up sitting at the dinner table.

"Joseph, eat more," Danielle said, picking up some of his favorite dishes and placing them on his plate.

"You don’t have to worry about me. You should eat more yourself. You’re too skinny," Joseph said, pushing the plate back toward her.

"Yeah, Danielle, you really should eat more. You’re too thin," Vivian agreed, giving her a concerned look.

Audrey had just finished changing into a new dress when she heard the laughter and chatter coming from the living room.

She felt more and more like a ghost in this family. Everyone was downstairs eating, and no one had bothered to call her. Even her mom, Vivian, who usually didn’t bother with dinner, was sitting at the table, enjoying the meal.

"Danielle, you’ve done such a great job with Grace Group. The new collection this month has been a huge hit. A lot of my friends bought it, and some didn’t even manage to get their hands on it. I couldn’t get one either," Vivian said proudly.

Danielle’s brand was a huge success, and to think it was her daughter who’d built it from the ground up.

"Mom, Dad, Joseph, I’ll design something special just for you guys next time," Danielle offered sweetly, smiling at them all.

"Really? Wouldn’t that be too much work for you?" Vivian asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. How could she not be proud of her daughter’s one- of-a-kind designs?

"Thank you in advance, Danielle," Howard added, beaming with pride.

"Danielle is so talented. There’s nothing she can’t do. Grace Group has massive potential, especially internationally. Their skincare line just launched, and people are lining up at stores to get their hands on it," Joseph chimed in, not sparing any praise.

"Yes, yes! The new skincare line is incredible. I’ve been using Grace Group’s products myself," Vivian said, backing Joseph up.

"This kid is just too amazing-she’s got a real head for business, totally takes after me," Howard said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What do you mean ’takes after you’? I’m smart too, you know!" Vivian shot back, playfully nudging Howard.

The two of them bickered back and forth, each claiming that Danielle’s intelligence had come from them.

"Danielle, I want to nurture your talents. Darling Group has so many subsidiaries. Pick one and get some hands-on experience," Howard said.

"One company is already enough for her to handle. Do you want to push her into those small subsidiaries? That’s overkill," Vivian said, shaking her head.

"What small subsidiaries? Those companies make good money!" Howard argued though he wasn’t entirely convinced himself.

"Don’t even think about putting my daughter in charge of those small companies. She’s already busy enough," Vivian said firmly, giving Howard a pointed look.

"Alright, alright. I won’t. As long as Danielle is happy, that’s all that matters," Howard said, giving in with a chuckle.