Not A Small-Town Girl

Danielle’s anger simmered beneath the surface. She thought, ’So this is how it is going to go today, huh? All the blame shifts onto me?’

"You swear?" Danielle’s voice was icy, her eyes locking onto Skylar’s with a cold fury that could freeze the room.

"Miss Danielle Darling, I know you’re jealous of Miss Audrey’s beauty and talent," Skylar said, a sharp edge in her tone, "but you can’t just ignore the truth, can you?" She didn’t flinch. She had just taken a few hard slaps from Danielle, and the sting of them was still fresh.

David’s jaw tightened, his eyes darkening as he turned to Nathan. "You know what to do, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Charrington," Nathan responded smoothly.

The bodyguards, positioned silently by the door, shifted as if on cue. The air in the room grew thick, and heavy with the anticipation of violence. Anyone unfamiliar with David Charrington might have thought the Darling family was about to be torn apart. Nathan’s voice cut through the tension like a knife.

"Teach her a lesson."

bodyguards stepped toward Skylar, their hands gripping

Smack! Smack! Smack!

slaps rang out, each one sharper and more punishing than the

trickling down her chin as she

there. Another slap. Then another. They hit her more than ten times, each blow landing with brutal force, like the bodyguards were savoring the pain

The weight of David kicking Audrey across the room still hung in the air, but now, Skylar was taking the

overwhelming, as if the slightest wrong word

Joseph were frozen, caught

hell do you think you’re

voice cracked with anger as he tried to regain control of the