Chapter 16 – 20
Chapter 16 – 20 An Understated Dominance
Chapter 16
“What the hell? Why did he bring so many people?” Chris gulped, feeling faint for some reason. Weren’t they supposed to fight one-on-one? Edward had disrespected the rules of a fair fight by involving a gang. Though Chris was cursing in his heart, he had no choice but to face them head-on. No matter what, he couldn’t lose face in front of Dahlia.
“That’s them. Surround them!” With a wave of his hand, the bodyguards led by Edward dashed forward at once, surrounding Chris, Dahlia, and Lyra.
“What are you doing? I’m warning you, don’t you dare touch me. My father is David Nolan, the president of Nolan Pharmaceuticals!” Sensing that he was at a disadvantage, Chris hurriedly threatened them with his father’s status.
“So what?” one of the bodyguards yelled. “Do you know who you’ve messed with? He is Sir Spanner’s son, the heir of Drey Group!”
His words caused an uproar among the crowd.
“Sir Spanner? Is he talking about Trevor Spanner, King of the Underworld from East City?”
“It must be him!”
“Poor guy. I can’t believe he messed with Sir Spanner’s son. Looks like he’s doomed.”
Everyone started whispering to one another, expressing their fear.
“You… you guys work for Sir Spanner?” Chris stammered out of intimidation.
Trevor, also known as Sir Spanner, was East City’s infamous King of the Underworld, second only to the Mighty Three. He was a man of ruthlessness who showed no mercy to those who wronged him. Under his command were hundreds of subordinates specialized in blackmail and other types of crimes. In simpler terms, Trevor would be the most feared villain in a story. Whoever offended him would face consequences worse than death.
“Fuck, I’ve made a huge blunder this time,” thought Chris in a cold sweat.
“What’s wrong? I thought you were confident. Are you scared now?” Edward closed in on Chris, his eyes filled with viciousness.
“Um, this is a misunderstanding…” Chris forced a smile, sounding extremely submissive.
“Misunderstanding, my ass!” Edward roared in fury, slapping Chris across the face twice, leaving his face marked with red fingerprints. Suppressing his exasperation, Chris bit the bullet and smiled apologetically.
“My father is acquainted with Sir Spanner. Could you let this slide for once? I’ll make it up to you.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re not in the position to ask me for that.” Edward forcefully poked Chris on the forehead with his index finger. With each poke, Chris was forced a step back. At this very moment, Chris had his tail between his legs, not daring to make a sound.
Lyra couldn’t take it anymore and shouted, “Hey, you bunch of thugs! Do you think it’s cool to bully others?”
“Why? Are you angry?” Pushing Chris aside, Edward headed in Dahlia and Lyra’s direction with an evil smirk.
“This is the Harmon family’s territory. Don’t you dare cross the line!” Lyra warned sternly.
“You think I’m afraid of the Harmon family?” Edward scoffed and said, “Besides, you guys were the ones who started the fight. I’m only acting out of self-defense. What is the Harmon family going to do about it?”
“What… what bullshit are you spouting?” Lyra started to become frantic.
“Hmph, looks like you’ve not understood the situation. Let my men knock some sense into you if that’s the case!” Edward gestured for his bodyguards to make a move, and two of them stood forward menacingly.
“Stop right there!” Dahlia suddenly interrupted with a cold voice. “This has nothing to do with her. Let her go.”
“Does that mean you will take the responsibility?” Edward let out a cruel chuckle. Sure. I’ll let her off the hook, but in return, you have to sleep with me tonight. If you manage to satisfy me, I’ll pretend that none of this happened.”
“You’re shameless!” Dahlia raised her hand to slap him, but Edward caught her wrist just in time.
“Bitch, how dare you hit me again? Boys, tie her up!”
“Yes, sir!” Several bodyguards complied and immediately seized Dahlia.
“Let go of her, you thugs!” Just as Lyra was about to rescue Dahlia, Edward ruthlessly kicked her to the ground.
“Mr. Nolan… Please save her!” Lyra cried out in pain, unable to get to her feed. Helplessly, she could only beg Chris.
“Edward, let’s talk this out. Why involve the women?” Chris tried to persuade Edward. For Dahlia’s sake, he had to resort to pleading for mercy.
“Fuck you. I’m not done with you yet, and you’re trying to save someone else?” Edward cussed.
“No, no! That’s not what I meant. There’s no need to get violent. We can settle this peacefully,” Chris explained politely.
“Shut your trap!” Edward’s heavy slap sent Chris stumbling to the ground. “Say one more word and I will kill you.”
Chris shrank back and kept silent. Although he cared about Dahlia, he had to save his skin first. After all, it was unreasonable to offend Sir Spanner over a woman.
“Hmph. Turns out you’re just a coward!” Edward jeered, “I don’t understand why these women would stick with you.”
Chris felt insulted, but he couldn’t do anything about it.
“You two, stop struggling already. Take them away. I’m going to have a blast tonight.” Then, Edward ordered his men to tie Dahlia and Lyra up and bring them away.
“Mr. Nolan! Please, help us!” Lyra screamed at the top of her lungs. However, Chris didn’t react as he kept his head bowed. His cowardness made the people around shake their heads. Obviously, Chris was too timid to do anything. Just when everyone thought that Dahlia would inevitably be violated, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Edward and blocked his path.
“You’re not allowed to touch her.”
“What the fuck? Are you trying to be the hero too?” Edward sneered.
“I advise you to let her go before things get out of hand,” Dustin stated coldly.
Edward chuckled with indifference.
“What if I refuse?”
“Then, go to hell!”
Chapter 17
“Then go to die!” Dustin stated expressionlessly, but his hard gaze was unnerving.
“Go to hell?” Edward burst out laughing.
Even the group of bodyguards standing behind him burst into laughter; all of them looked at Dustin as though he were an idiot.
“You little punk! Don’t you know who I am? You’ve got some nerve speaking to me that way,” Edward said cockily.
“I don’t know who you are, and I couldn’t care less. You have three seconds to let her go, or else,” Dustin stated plainly.
His words instantly caused a stir; even the people who were holding Dahlia were shocked.
None of them expected that Dustin would say such a thing; he was remarkably brave compared to the silent Chris.
However, such bravery was useless.
“You really don’t know what’s good for you. You’re going to die!” Chris‘ face was full of resentment because Dustin’s show of bravado only made his cowardice even more apparent.
Naturally, Chris was irritated and even filled with resentment when a good–for- nothing like Dustin was braver than he was.
“Are you fucking insane?” Edward looked Dustin up and down before continuing, “So you want to play hero, huh? Fine! I’ll see just what you’ve got!”
With that, he raised his hand and gave another signal.
Two burly bodyguards swiftly charged forward at the same time to tackle Dustin. Both of them were 6.3 feet tall, extremely muscular, and the size of a bear. They each had an imposing presence.
Dustin looked like a mere child in comparison, so everyone present assumed that this confrontation would be over without suspense.
They were wrong.
As they drew nearer to him, Dustin delivered two swift punches that connected loudly with each of the men’s faces.
And just like that, the two huge men collapsed to the floor as though they had been struck by lightning and were motionless.
“Huh?”
Everyone was visibly shocked by what they had just seen.
No one understood what had happened as, in the blink of an eye, both of the bodyguards were on the floor.
Meanwhile, Dustin was standing there unscathed.
“Fuck! What did that punk just do?” Edward’s expression sank.
The two men who had just fallen were his most capable bodyguards; they could take on a group of people on their own without any problem.
Hence, it was strange that they were both laying unmoving on the floor after just one face–off.
“This is your last chance. Let her go,” Dustin threaten coldly.
“In your dreams! Get him!” Edward retorted angrily and waved his hand to signal his men.
The remaining bodyguards behind him immediately surrounded Dustin, but he merely scoffed and attacked first, not wasting any more time on words.
His movements were as fast as lightning, and his attacks were extremely fierce. Each of his punches connected loudly with its target.
The burly bodyguards were utterly defenseless, like sheep waiting to be slaughtered, in the face of Dustin, who was like a ferocious tiger.
Muffled grunts could be heard, and in the short span of a few breaths, they were all lying on the floor.
The hall was completely silent as the last bodyguard dropped to the floor with an audible thud.
All the guests had their jaws slack and were staring at Dustin with wide eyes as though he were an anomaly. None of them would’ve ever guessed that he was so fearsome.
He had effortlessly taken down so many men with his own strength, just like in a movie scene.
“How is this guy so strong?” Chris‘ eyes were wide open in disbelief.
“How can it be? Is this really that piece of trash, Dustin Rhys?” a dumbfounded Lyra wondered out loud, feeling unsettled.
“He… knows how to fight?” Dahlia had an indecipherable expression on her face once she came back to her senses.
They had been married for three years but she never knew that Dustin was such a formidable fighter.
“Was he just really good at hiding it? Or was it because I never cared enough to notice?” she wondered.
“Y–you! Who are you!” Edward started panicking at this point and he involuntarily took two steps back.
“I… am your reckoning,” Dustin stated as he slowly advanced toward Edward.
“Stay back!” Edward shouted as he suddenly pulled out a switchblade and held it against Dahlia’s throat. “Come any closer, and I’ll slit her throat!”
“The thing I hate most is being threatened.” Dustin’s expression turned cold and in a flash, he charged forward and grabbed hold of Edward’s hand that was holding the knife.
Then, with a forceful twist, the switchblade fell to the floor with a loud clattering sound.
Edward was stunned for a moment before he let out a piercing shriek, similar to that of a pig being slaughtered.
“Argh-”
“Shut up.” Dustin cut Edward off with a slap to his face just as his shriek barely left his mouth.
Edward’s expression instantly soured, as though he had just tasted shit.
“You… you’re dead meat! All of you are dead meat!” Edward somehow mustered up the courage to throw out a threat.
“Is that so?” Dustin questioned stoically as he kicked Edward over with one foot.
Seeing this, Dahlia immediately stood in front of Dustin to block him. “Stop! You can’t harm him, the consequences will be too severe!”
“I don’t care,” Dustin stated indifferently.
“But I do!” Dahlia’s expression was grave. “Do you even know that we will all suffer the consequences with you if you beat him up?”
Dustin frowned upon hearing her words.
He thought she was concerned for his well–being, but it turns out she was only concerned for herself.
“Stop while you’re ahead, Dustin. Don’t drag us down with you!” Lyra called out.
“That’s right! I see you’ve grown tired of living to dare lay a hand on Mr. Spanner!” Chris called out before hurriedly helping Edward to his feet and explaining, “We have nothing to do with Dustin Rhys hitting you just now, Mr. Spanner.”
His words weren’t just to shift the blame onto Dustin; they were also a direct accusation.
Dustin narrowed his eyes, feeling as though a weight had been placed on his chest. The only reason he had taken action earlier was to save Dahlia, but he was now being painted as a violent villain in the end.
It was hard for him not to feel displeased about this.
“You little punk! You’re good at fighting? So what!” Edward, having mistaken Dustin’s silence for terror, instantly rediscovered his confidence. “Let me tell you, power and status are what matter in society. You better believe I’ll make you meet a tragic end if you dare lay another hand on me!”
Dustin didn’t say anything in return, but his furious expression could be seen in his eyes.
“What’s the matter? Scared?” Edward grinned. “Since you’ve got no guts, get on your knees and bow down to me! I might just let you off if you put me in a good mood.”
Chapter 18
“Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and beg Mr. Spanner for forgiveness!” Chris chimed in, taking advantage of the situation to add to Dustin’s humiliation.
Chris was green with jealousy when Dustin was showing off earlier, so he was now trying to get some payback.
“Will he kneel? Or will he not? If he does, he will forever be too ashamed to show his face. But if he doesn’t, he might be dead or maimed once Edward retaliates,” Chris thought.
“Hey punk, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance to make amends! I’ll spare you if you grovel at my feet today. If not, don’t blame me for being merciless.” Edward jabbed Dustin’s chest with his finger with a smug expression on his face.
“What does it matter if he knows how to fight when he has no power and no status? In the eyes of the public, he’s nothing more than a foot soldier,” he continued mentally.
“Are you aware that you’re playing with fire?” Dustin asked as he looked at Edward’s finger.
“Playing with fire?” Edward smirked. “Not only do I want to play with fire, but I also want to play with your woman! Believe it or not, I’m going to have my way with her tomorrow while you watch. And not only me, but my men will each get a turn as well, and I want you to watch it all helplessly. I want you to understand what it’s like to despair, to believe that living is worse than death!”
Dustin’s expression instantly turned thunderous at Edward’s words, and he could no longer hold back his rage.
“You asked for this!” he shouted as his hand shot forward to forcefully grab Edward by the throat and lift him above his head.
He then raised his other hand and ruthlessly landed two punches on Edward’s abdomen.
Edward made a gagging sound as he felt his stomach churn, making him want to vomit, but he found that he couldn’t as his throat was being constricted.
His face soon turned red as he felt himself suffocating. Suddenly, he had a sense that he had made a grave mistake.
“Stop it!” Dahlia yelled, moving forward to intervene.
Dustin ignored her and dealt another vicious punch, this time to Edward’s crotch. The gruesome sound of flesh being minced could be heard before blood flowed to the floor.
Edward let out a groan as his body spasmed. He was in such excruciating pain that he couldn’t cry out even though he wanted to, and in the end, his head lulled to one side as he fainted.
Everyone was stunned as they stared at the bloodstained area.
Not even in their wildest dreams would they ever imagine that Dustin could be so cruel as to discontinue Edward’s family line with a single punch.
After all, he was Sir Spanner’s son! Sir Spanner was the kind of man who would come after you for touching even a strand of hair on his son’s head, much less injuring him.
Safe to say, from today onward, Dustin had incurred Sir Spanner’s vengeful wrath.
“Have you lost your mind!” Dahlia’s expression changed drastically as she forcefully shoved Dustin. “Do you even know what you’ve done? You’ve just gotten yourself into deep shit this time!”
An apology or money could be used to rectify the situation if it was only a light injury or bruise, but there’s no way Trevor will let things slide so easily now that Edward has been beaten to such a state.
“All I did was take care of one of society’s scum, is that so wrong?” Dustin shot back, perfectly composed.
“That’s not the point, the point is you shouldn’t have harmed him!” Dahlia rebuked, frowning.
“Hey Dustin, you shouldn’t drag us all down with you if you’re so eager to die! Do you know what the consequences of harming Sir Spanner’s son are?” Chris‘ face was flushed with rage.
Although Dustin was the one who had harmed Edward, Chris had also shoved Edward previously; hence, he’s also worried that he wouldn’t be able to get away with it when Sir Spanner investigates and finds out about it.
“Alright, that’s enough! Since it’s come to this, you should hurry up and run. Get as far away from here as you can while there’s still time!” Dahlia reacted quickly.
She knew that once news of Edward’s maiming got out, Sir Spanner would surely be furious. And when that time came, Dustin would be at a dead end once he mobilizes all of his forces.
“I don’t think I need to,” Dustin stated, his demeanour still indifferent.
“Stop acting tough! Sir Spanner is more powerful than you think, your martial arts. skills won’t be enough to save you!” Dahlia chastized.
Even if he knew how to fight, he couldn’t stop bullets!
“He’s not the type of person to listen to reason, Ms. Nicholson, stop wasting your breath. Furthermore, we should not interfere in matters unrelated to us in order to avoid bringing trouble upon ourselves.” Lyra quickly interjected.
“That’s right, this guy can’t run!” Chris said, suddenly blocking the exit as though something had occurred to him. “What are we going to do if he runs away? What if Sir Spanner exacts his revenge on us instead? Won’t we just become the fall guys!”
“Mr. Nolan has a point!” Lyra chimed in, coming to the same realization. “If Dustin runs away, we’re going to be the ones who suffer!”
“What are you talking about? Dustin just saved us!” Dahlia’s brows furrowed.
“Nobody asked him to, he’s the one who poked his nose into our business!” Lyra scoffed.
“Exactly! And seeing as he has brought this upon himself, he should be the one to face it!” Chris chimed in self–righteously.
“Both of you-”
Dahlia’s pretty face turned cold as she started to speak when Dustin interrupted her.
“You all can be at ease. I will take responsibility for my actions; I won’t implicate any of you.”
“This is a matter of life and death! Could you please drop the macho act!” Dahlia raised her voice, slightly annoyed.
“You don’t need to worry about what happens to me, Ms. Nicholson. This has absolutely nothing to do with you, so just sit back and watch,” Dustin declared loudly,
“What do you mean by that? Do you think I’m worried about being implicated?” Dahlia asked, frowning.
“Is that not the case?” Dustin looked directly at Lyra and Chris as he said this.
Dahlia was at a loss for words after his subtle hint. Although the thought never crossed her mind, the same couldn’t be said for her secretary, who had already drawn a line early on.
In Dustin’s eyes, he thought her secretary’s words were the same as hers.
“I don’t care what you think; you have to leave today!” Dahlia’s tone suddenly became forceful.
“And I don’t care what you say, I’m not leaving.”
With that, Dustin turned and walked out to the flower garden.
“You!” Dahlia was fuming.
“Why is he so rebellious?” she wondered.
Chapter 19
The hall was in an uproar because of Dustin’s actions.
The timid guests had long left, in fear of becoming caught in the crossfire.
As for the unconscious and critically injured Edward, his bodyguards had immediately taken him to the hospital.
“This is troublesome.” Dahlia had a concerned look on her face as she scowled.
Sir Spanner was infamous for being cruel and ruthless, and he surely wouldn’t be inclined to just let things go when his son had been beaten into such a state.
Dustin may not have much longer to live.
“Lyra, I want you to find out if there’s any way this can be resolved peacefully,” Dahlia suddenly said.
Lyra was puzzled. “What do Dustin’s actions have to do with us, Ms. Nicholson? Why do we need to expend effort for his sake?”
Dahlia had a frosty expression as she retorted, “He saved my life earlier. Should I just watch him die?”
“That’s not what I meant, I just think it would be very unwise to cross Sir Spanner at this point. Moreover, no one would willingly get involved in this mess,” Lyra explained.
“It doesn’t matter, we have to try.” Dahlia had a resolute look in her eyes.
“… Very well then,” Lyra responded, having no choice but to comply. She then immediately started making calls to all their connections.
However, all the big bosses immediately hung up from fright once they had gotten a grasp of the situation, and none of them dared step in since Sir Spanner was involved.
“You see, Ms. Nicholson? It’s not because we don’t want to help, but because we can’t,” Lyra said, waving her hands.
“Try again,” Dahlia ordered, frowning.
“There’s no point-” Lyra shook her head as she began to speak when she noticed Chris off to the side. “Hey, maybe Mr. Nolan will be able to help us.”
“Me?” Chris asked, surprised, as he pointed to himself.
“Yes! Didn’t you say before that your father was friends with Sir Spanner? Your father might be able to mitigate the situation, right?” Lyra asked expectantly.
“Err…” Chris was taken aback.
His father did indeed know Sir Spanner, but their relationship was strictly all business. There might be a chance of mitigation if it were just a small matter, but Edward had been severely harmed, so how could Sir Spanner possibly be persuaded to refrain from retaliating?
“I’ll owe you big time if you’re able to help with this, Mr. Nolan!” Dahlia exclaimed earnestly.
Looking at her expectant expression, Chris couldn’t help having a dilemma. This was his best chance of wooing her, so naturally, he wasn’t willing to let it pass him by.
“I can give it a try, but I can’t guarantee anything. After all, it is Sir Spanner.” Chris eventually agreed after briefly mulling it over.
Dahlia visibly relaxed. “I understand. I’ll already be so grateful as long as Dustin doesn’t lose his life!”
“Alright, I’ll try my best,” Chris said casually, nodding.
It would be great if it worked out, but there weren’t any cons if it didn’t. After all, Dahlia already owed him a favor by asking for his help.
Meanwhile, at a lounge in Mirage.
Natasha’s lips curled into a meaningful smile as she watched the events unfold on a monitor.
She had a clear view of Edward being beaten and almost gave in to the urge to clap her hands and cheer.
She had always found some members of the Spanner family to be as annoying as flies, but she hadn’t been able to take any action toward them due to certain reasons.
Thankfully, Dustin did not disappoint. She was quite delighted with his performance today.
“Ms. Harmon, I’m afraid Mr. Rhys does not have enough influence to protect him from Trevor’s wrath. Should we assist him?” Alfred Jarvis, a butler who was standing by her side, suddenly asked.
“Let’s not be hasty. Have someone monitor him–it’s too soon to say if Trevor outmatches him.” Natasha’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Dustin’s imposing figure on the screen.
“Oh? Do you think so highly of him?” Alfred asked, slightly bewildered.
Natasha smirked. “More like intrigue–I have a feeling that he’s full of surprises.”
“You don’t actually have feelings for him, do you, Ms. Harmon? Please keep in mind that you already have a fiancé-”
“Hmm?” Natasha cast a chilly glance in Alfred’s direction, and he instantly went silent from fear.
“Remember this: You are in no position to say anything about my personal affairs; just focus on performing your own duties well.”
“Yes, Ms. Harmon.” Alfred didn’t dare say anything further as he felt a chill run down his spine.
Midnight at the district hospital.
In an instant, Edward was surrounded by a crowd of people as the emergency operating room’s doors opened, and he was wheeled out on a hospital bed with his lower half completely bandaged. At the forefront of the group was a tall and brawny man with a full beard and mustache.
It was none other than East City’s King of the Underworld, Trevor Spanner.
“Doctor! How’s my son!” Trevor asked first.
The doctor sighed. “His life is not in peril, however, the damage to his genitals is quite extensive. I’m afraid he won’t be able to regain full function.”
“What!” Trevor’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
Won’t be able to regain full function? Didn’t that just mean he’d become impotent!
“Don’t you all know how to do your jobs? You can’t even treat such a light injury?” Trevor yelled, grabbing the doctor by the collar of his shirt.
“We’ve tried everything we could, sir, but I’m afraid the injury is just too severe. Preserving his life was no easy task either,” the doctor replied with a tinge of exasperation.
The doctor had never encountered something so tragic–the patient’s genitals had been reduced to a pile of mush. If he hadn’t arrived at the hospital in time, he might have even lost his life.
“You’re useless! Get out of my sight!” Trevor, whose expression was frighteningly thunderous, bellowed as he shoved the doctor aside.
If the best doctors at the district hospital couldn’t do anything, then his son really was invalid.
“Talk! What the hell happened!” Trevor abruptly turned and demanded angrily from the bodyguards who stood behind him. “Edward was fine, why has he been beaten to a pulp!”
“Sir Spanner, he…” One of the bodyguards mustered up the courage to summarize what had happened.
Trevor’s temper immediately flared once he finished listening, and he raised his hand and brutally slapped the bodyguard across the face.
“Useless pieces of shit! What’s the point in hiring all of you if you can’t even defeat one man!” Trevor roared out.
However, his rage didn’t subside at all, so he slapped each of them multiple times.
The bodyguards lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
“Why are you still standing there? Go gather more men and bring that punk to me! I don’t care who he is. I’m going to cut him into pieces for daring to harm my son!”
Trevor’s forces began mobilizing with his one order.
It would appear that a turbulent storm was rapidly brewing.
Chapter 20
The next morning, in the most luxurious private room at Mirage.
“Mr. Rhys, thank you for protecting me. Here is the canscora you wanted. Please take a look.”
Natasha put an exquisite wooden box on the table before pushing it forward.
“Huh?”
Dustin opened the box and saw a blood–red canscora in it.
The herb was crooked, like a dragon’s tooth. It had an interesting appearance.
He gently sniffed it, and its unique stench filled his nose.
“It is really a canscora! Thank you, Ms. Harmon!”
Dustin’s face lit up. He had been searching for various rare herbs all these years. Finally, he found another one.
There were still five herbs left. If he could collect the remaining five herbs, there would be hope!
“You’re welcome. You deserve it. Come to think of it, I should be the one thanking you.” Natasha smiled.
“Ms. Harmon, I have a favor to ask. Can you contact me immediately next time if you find such rare herbs? I am willing to pay heavily for them!” Dustin looked serious.
“Of course I can do that. But I’m curious about the reason you’re collecting these herbs.” Natasha asked hesitantly.
“To save someone.”
Dustin hesitated before saying, “I have a friend who is seriously injured. I need these rare herbs to save him.”
“Oh, what disease did he get? Even you can’t cure him?” Natasha appeared surprised.
She had witnessed Dustin’s medical skills before. It was not an overstatement to say that he could even bring the dead back to life.
“Medical skills alone are not enough. I need various herbs to heal him.” Dustin shook his head.
One could not make bricks without straw. No matter how good his medical skills were, he could not cure many diseases without the proper herbs.
“I see.”
Natasha nodded as realization dawned upon her. “Alright. I’ll keep an eye out for you.
I’ll contact you immediately if there’s any news.”
“Thank you in advance, Ms. Harmon.” Dustin gave a slight nod.
“No problem. Let’s keep in touch.” Natasha gave a wink.
“Sure. We’ll keep in touch.”
Dustin did not stay for long. After making some small talk, he excused himself and left.
20 minutes later, in front of Peaceful Medical Center.
Holding two bottles of alcohol, Dustin strolled into the medical center.
“Hey, drunkard, look what I’ve brought you!” He exclaimed while scanning the area.
He followed the sound of a man snoring, and soon he saw a drunk man with a flushed face under a table in the medical center. The man was one–eyed and had a broken leg. He looked like a shaggy beggar.
“Hey, wake up!”
Dustin pushed him.
The man ignored him, turned around, and continued sleeping. His snore became louder.
“You seem to be sleeping rather soundly.”
Smirking, Dustin opened a bottle of alcohol. The fragrance of the alcohol spread across the room. The next second, the sleeping man was jolted out of his sleep. He bumped his head on the table with a bang and broke the table in half!
Ignoring the glass shards on the floor, he instantly snatched the bottle in Dustin’s hand and poured it into his mouth.
“This is some good stuff!” The one–eyed man exhaled a sigh of relief, feeling refreshed.
“This alcohol cost me a lot of money. You’d better save some for later.” Dustin reminded him.
“Come on.” The man rolled his eyes. “You’re a wealthy guy. Two bottles of alcohol are nothing to you.”
“Even so, you can’t waste them!”
“Cut the nonsense! Why are you here?” The one–eyed man glared at him.
“I’ve found another rare herb.”
Dustin handed him the box with the canscora.
“Huh?”
The man opened the box and immediately frowned. “Bastard, I told you not to search for herbs for me anymore. I’m going to die anyway. Dying now and dying later doesn’t make a difference.”
“That’s your problem, but I’m going to continue searching for herbs. It has nothing to do with you.” Dustin shrugged.
“Hey! Why are you so stubborn?”
The one–eyed man began to panic. “Do you know that the Rhys family controls all the main herbs needed for the production of life–sustaining medications? They will eventually find out if you keep searching for herbs!”
“So what? I’m not the same person I was ten years ago,” Dustin answered.
“Kid, I know you’ve progressed and are better than them, but the Rhys family is unbeatable. Nobody can fight against them. I don’t want you to get involved again!” the man said sombrely.
“Life is guided by destiny. I’ve been hiding for ten years, and I don’t want to hide anymore. I want to live the rest of my life confidently!” Dustin was determined.
“You will face many hardships if you choose this path. Your mother wanted you to live peacefully like a normal person.”
“My mother has passed away and she will never come back. You are the only relative I have left in this world. How can I watch you die just like that?” Dustin shouted.
“My life is worthless. It doesn’t matter!”
“Then I’ll die with you!”
“Gosh! Why are you so stubborn? Even if you don’t think of yourself, you should consider your pretty wife. Do you want her to become a widow?” The one–eyed man used his trump card.
He had already noticed Dustin’s ambition three years ago, so he had even chosen a pretty lady to marry Dustin so that Dustin would settle down. He would use this method every time they got into an argument, and it always worked!
“It’s no use. We’re divorced.” Dustin shook his head.
“What? Divorced?” The one–eyed man was stunned.
No way. He couldn’t use Dustin’s wife as an excuse anymore.
Without any ties, Dustin would go all–in soon!
“I’ve already made up my mind. No matter if you agree or not, I will do it. You know my character,” Dustin said firmly.
“Whatever. If that’s what you want, go ahead.” The one–eyed man waved his hand. ”The worst that could happen would be me losing another leg and becoming completely blind.”
“You won’t become blind. I’ll make sure you stay alive.” Dustin gently clenched his fist as determination filled his eyes.
Ten years ago, the one–eyed man had protected him. Now, it was Dustin’s time to protect him.
