Not A Small-Town Girl

they nervously said, "Mr. Darling, Miss Darling, it’s our hospital’s oversight that led to the incident with your grandparents."

Joseph and Danielle knew the hospital wasn’t to blame. "Don’t worry; this wasn’t your fault," Joseph assured them.

"Thank you for understanding," they replied, bowing before leaving the room.

"Let’s head home," Joseph suggested.

Outside the hospital, Julian greeted them. "Miss Darling, good to see you."

Danielle smiled. "Hi, Julian."

"Joseph, are you going back to the office?" Danielle asked sweetly.

Joseph ruffled her hair affectionately. "No, I’m having dinner with you."

"Julian, take Danielle’s car. She’ll ride with me," Joseph ordered."Yes, Mr. Darling," Julian replied.

In the car, Danielle hesitated before asking softly, "Joseph, do you love Sienna?"

Sienna had come over yesterday, and Danielle didn’t get a great vibe from her. But as long as Joseph was happy, she figured they’d manage to get along eventually.

Joseph chuckled at her curious expression. "No. Our relationship was an accident."

Danielle’s eyes widened. ’Joseph isn’t one to settle for less-so why stay with Sienna?’ she wondered.

With a sigh, Joseph explained, "At a banquet years ago, someone drugged me. I was disoriented and ended up with a girl that night. When I woke up, Sienna was there. Although my memories of that night are hazy, I’m certain she wasn’t the girl. Still, I’ve felt obligated to her since."

"Did you check the hotel surveillance?" Danielle asked, suspicion creeping into her voice. Joseph’s expression darkened. "The footage was conveniently corrupted. I found nothing."

’How convenient, Danielle thought. ’A drugged Joseph, broken surveillance-there’s more to this.’ After a moment, she said, "Joseph, let me investigate. I know a bit about computers."

If the hackers heard her, they’d scoff. If the legendary Knight only "knew a bit," they might as well quit tech altogether.