An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 141 -150

  written by Marina Vittori

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 141

“Who is it?” The sudden explosion caught everyone by surprise. Initially, they thought someone had committed suicide by jumping off the building.

However, after a good look, they realized the figure who had jumped off the building was still standing tall. In his hand, he was holding a black umbrella as he stood in the rain, giving off an overwhelming and mysterious aura.

“Mr. Rhys! This man’s dangerous, run for your life!” Stephan screamed his lungs out.

that the White Dragon guild was here, why did he join the fray instead of escaping? Was he looking for death?

“Punk, are you that Dustin guy?” Dracor sized Dustin up, noting his thin and frail build. “Yes, it’s me,” Dustin replied.

“You got some guts for not running away from the sight of me, punk!” Dracor smirked. “Why should I run? I was waiting for you,” Dustin said nonchalantly. “Really?” Dracor raised his eyebrows. “Interesting. It’s been a long time since I have last seen an arrogant punk like you.”

“Mr. Rhys, he is too powerful for you! With his impenetrable skin and overwhelming energy, even if we combine our attacks, we are no match for him! Go and get support from the Harmon family while I’ll hold him back!” Stephan scram

bled to stand up, using the last ounce of his strength to help Dustin escape. “Mr. Chapman, it’s alright. Leave the rest to me.” Dustin smiled, touched by his resolution.

It was commendable that Stephan was prepared to die to protect him, even though he was ordered by someone else.

“Mr. Rhys, you’re still unaware of the situation. Not only is this man the guild master of the White Dragon guild, but he is also the best martial artist in Swinton! He is head and shoulders above both of us! Just escape while you can!” Stephan urged.

Although Dustin was a martial artist as well, he could only harness internal energy.

On the other hand, as a high–level martial artist, Dracor already had the ability to manifest his energy externally.

In addition, he fortified his body to be as impenetrable as steel. Even among the high–level martial artists, he was considered one of the best. Defeating a lower–level martial artist like Dustin would be a walk in the park! “Mr. Chapman, don’t worry. I can deal with this,” Dustin reassured him.

“Mr. Rhys, you are biting off more than you can chew! You are still young and trainable. If you survive, there is still hope for you to defeat him one day! However, the most important thing right now is to stay alive!” Stephan was getting anxicus.

Dustin couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Were his words that unbelievable? He didn’t even care if he went up against a godlike opponent. Defeating a high–level martial artist was nothing.

“Shut your yapping! Today, both of you will die here!” Dracor snapped his fingers. At his signal, his disciples swarmed all at once toward Dustin. “Mr. Rhys, run! I’ll hold them back!” Stephan gritted his teeth and rushed into the middle of the crowd. He had to buy more time so that Dustin could escape.

Although Stephan was badly injured, he was still able to tackle a large number of men by mustering up his remaining energy.

As Dracor’s disciples were defeated one by one. Stephan’s last– ditch effort angered Dracor. “What a reckless idiot!” Dracor’s expression darkened. He leaped into the air and dove at Stephan with his palm open. “Come at me with all you’ve got!” Stephan countered with his fists.

As Stephan’s fist and Dracor’s palm came into contact, a loud blast was heard as their energies repelled each other.

Stephan flew into the air like a punching bag, blood spurting from his mouth. Before his limp body crashed on the ground, Dustin caught him single– handedly and nullified Dracor’s attack. He placed Stephan down and patted him on the back gently. After that, Dustin stood up and walked confidently toward Dracor. “Wait a minute, Mr. Rhys! I know you have some skills, but you are no match for Dracor! He is definitely not an opponent either

you or I could handle! He is a monster! Quick, grab this opportunity to escape before it’s too late!” Stephan shouted frantically, ignoring the blood dripping down his face.

“Don’t worry, Stephan. On the contrary, he is no match for me.”

Heavy raindrops splashed on his umbrella as Dustin continued walking toward Dracor. “Punk, you should have listened to his advice! Now, it’s too late to regret it! You lost your chance!”

Dracor laughed menacingly. He dug his heels into the ground and shot out like an arrow in Dustin’s direction. He was planning to use his momentum and crush Dustin with his body of steel! “Mr. Rhys, be careful!” Stephan’s lace turned pale.

Dracor was a high– level martial artist and one of the best in Swinton. Going squarely against an opponent of his caliber was just looking for trouble! Just as Stephan thought that Dustin would die on the spot, a miracle happened!

Even though Dracor had smashed into Dustin’s body like a tank, he did not move an inch. He reached out, grabbed Dracor by the neck, and lifted him off the ground.

Dracor’s muscular body dangled in the air like a chicken awaiting slaughter, his feet kicking frantically. However, he could not escape from Dustin’s iron grip. “Mr. Chapman, what were you saying just now?” Dustin turned to Stephan an

d asked nonchalantly, an umbrella in one hand and Dracor hanging helplessly from the other. Dustin couldn’t catch what Stephan had said to him just now because of the heavy rain.

Looking at the scene before him, Stephan was dumbstruck. Dracor was dangling helplessly in the air like a puppet.

Never in his dreams had Stephan imagined that the proud and arrogant Dracor Milfroy would be restrained by Dustin with just one hand. Everything happened so quickly that Dracor had no chance to retaliate. Besides, it had to be said that Dracor wasn’t an average, run–of–the– mill fighter. He was a high–level martial artist with formidable energy! How could Dustin single–handedly defeat a martial artist like him? This was ludicrous! 

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 142 

“Let me go…” Dracor flailed helplessly, his face red as he gasped for air. At that moment, not only was he bewildered by the sudden twist of events, but he was also filled with dread!

He thought that he was a big fish in a small pond like Swinton. Who knew that he would end up sparring against a divine–level martial artist here? A divine– level martial artist in his twenties? It was unheard of in all of South City. How could such an invincible lighter appear in Swinton? “Fuck, this punk is incredible! Even our guild master was defeated by him!” The disciples of the White Dragon guild whispered among themselves in disbelief. Seeing as their leader had been defeated, some of them slipped away as fast

as they could. “Dracor, seems like your disciples aren’t as

loyal to you as you thought.” Dustin smirked. “Who–

Who the hell are you?” Dracor gritted his teeth as his veins popped from the pressure. He didn’t have the energy to struggle any further. “That’s not important right now. Go and send this message to Edwin. Tell him to bring his daughter and apologize to me. Otherwise, I will have a personal chat with

him!” With that, Dustin punched Dracor in the stomach. Dracor spat out a mouthful of blood as his internal energy dissipated instantly! “H–How could you drain my energy?” Dracor widened his eyes in fear. “Why can’t I? You have lost fair and square!” Dustin swung around and threw him into the air carelessly.

“Guild master!” The remaining disciples ran up to Dracor and helped him up. Although they were indignant, they kept a safe distance from Dustin. “Today, I’ve lost. I admit my defeat. Boys, let’s go!” Dracor wiped away the blood from his face as he and his men left with their tails between their legs. “Mr. Rhys–

Did you thrash Dracor Milfroy?” Stephan’s eyes were wide with shock and amazement. “I told you. He is no match for me.” Dustin smiled easily. He handed a gemiphen pill to Stephan. “Mr. Chapman, take this healing pill and have a good rest. You will recover from your injuries and be as good as new

tomorrow.” “Thank you, Mr. Rhys!” Stephan popped the gemiphen into his mouth without hesitation. After a few minutes, he felt a sensation of warmth spreading outward from his stomach. He could visibly feel. the energy from the pill healing his wound from the inside out. His internal bleeding stopped, and soreness slowly disappeared from his limbs.

“Wow, this pill is incredible!” Stephan blinked in surprise at how fast his Injuries healed.

“Mr. Chapman, sorry for the inconvenience. You should go back and have a rest now,” Dustin said with a smile. “Yes, sir!” Stephan nodded and made his way home. With Dustin’s overwhelming powers, his help was obviously unnecessary.

That night went by in a flash. The next morning, in a VIP room at East Swinton Hospital. “Mother, bad news! Something terrible has happened!” James rushed into the hospital room in a hurry, sweat pouring from his forehead. “What’s the matter? Why are you so out of breath early in the morning?” Half– asleep, Florence jumped out of  her skin at James‘ sudden outburst.Some other relatives who were resting in the room looked displeased at his disturbance.

“It’s true!” James was gasping for air. “I received news that the Hummers were going to boycott us, the Nicholson family! Half of the businesses in Swinton have us blacklisted and are unwilling to engage with our company!” 

“What? Boycott us? James, are you joking? How could this be?” Florence was taken aback at the shocking news. She could not believe that was happening.

“Why would I joke about this?” James pulled a long face.

“Quine Group’s stock prices have been plummeting since this morning. If this continues, we will be bankrupt in three days!”

When James announced this, the room erupted into chaos.

“How could this happen? Why would Mr. Hummer boycott us?”

“That’s right, we have nothing against the Hummers. There’s no reason for him to do this!” Everyone was at a loss about this situation. Edwin Hummer was one of the Mighty Three!

With his connections and influence, it would be as easy as pleto destroy the Nicholson family! “James! Tell me exactly what happened! Did we do anything to offend Mr. Hummer?” Florence said anxiously as beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

“It’s not us, it’s Dustin who offended him! I heard Dustin showed up at the Hummers‘ party last night and beat up Ms. Hummer. The Hummers are boycotting us for revengel”

“That idiot again? Useless bastard! Why do we have to clean up his mess? Now the Nicholson family would have to pay for his deeds! Is there any justice left in the world?” Florence spat in anger. “Why? We have already cut off ties with Dustin. Why would the Hummer family go after us? This isn’t fair!”

“That’s right! The Nicholson family has nothing to do with Dustin any longer. He should be punished for what

he had done!” “There’s no use complaining. Let’s think about how to placate Mr. Hummer’s anger!” The ruckus started up again as everyone had something to say. However, no one had any concrete ideas about how to solve this issue.

Dahlia, the backbone of the family, was still unconscious. With their status, none of them had any right to meet with Mr. Hummer.

“Is something the matter?” At that moment. Matt walked into the hospital room. “Matt, thank goodness you are here! You have to help us, the Nicholson family is in a crisis!” Florence ran up to him. Matt was her last hope The rest of them turned to Matt expectantly, nodding in agreement.

“Mrs. Nicholson, I will do my best to help. You have to tell me what’s going on. ” Matt said comfortingly. “It’s all Dustin’s fault! Here’s what happened— Florence did not hold back and

briefly explained everything that had occurred.

“I understand.” Matt nodded thoughtfully. “Are you asking me to meet with Edwin and beg for the Hummers‘ mercy?”

“Yes, that’s right! Aren’t you acquainted with Mr. Hummer? As long as you take our side, I’m sure Mr. Hummer will relent!” Florence pleaded. “Mrs. Nicholson, it’s not that I refuse to help. However, Ms. Hummer is still unconscious after getting beaten up so badly. If I go to Mr. Hummer at this time, I’m afraid he would turn his anger on me.” Matt replied awkwardly.

“Matt! If you could help us through this crisis, you would be our family’s savior! Aren’t you interested in Dahlia? Both of you can register to be married immediately once she regains consciousness!” Florence

reassured him. “That That doesn’t sound like a good idea. I don’t want to take advantage of this situation. Why don’t we consider this again after Dahlia regains consciousness?” Mall asked. “What’s the big deal? Both of you are mutually interested in each other. It’s just a matter of time before

getting engaged! Once we survive this crisis, both of you should get married as well!” Florence promised with determination. “Well I’ll do my best.” Matt nodded with a torn expression. However, on the inside, he was elated.

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 143 

In an office of the Hummers Hospital, Edwin was resting

with his eyes closed on a chair. Suddenly, a knock was heard.

“Come in.” Edwin opened his eyes and saw Fletcher walk in with a grave expression. “What’s wrong?” Edwin asked, worried. “Sir Hummer, we received news last night that Dracor was severely injured.” Fletcher reported. “What? Dracor was beaten up? Who was the perpetrator?” Edwin’s face twitched.

“It was Dustin!” “Dustin again? How could that punk have such overwhelming powers?‘ Edwin frowned. Dracor was his right–

hand man. Being the best martial artist in Swinton, no one could withstand his attacks. Merely the mention of his name was enough to strike fear into the hearts of his opponents.

Usually, Dracor could easily unravel any sticky situation that Edwin had assigned him to. How could such a capable fighter like him fall into Dustin’s hands?

It was incomprehensible! “Sir Hummer, Dustin told Dracor

to send you a message,” Fletcher continued hesitantly. “What is it?” “Dustin insisted that Ms. Hummer had to apologize to him personally. Otherwise, he would pay you a visit!”

“That punk had the nerve to threaten me? He must have a death wish! Edwin slammed his fist on the table in anger.

He was the one who beat Tina up. Now, he expected the Hummers to apologize to him?

Dustin was going too far! “Sir Hummer, please calm down. His abilities are far superior to any of ours, so it is best not to fight with him head–on.” Fletcher reasoned with Edwin.

“Then should we just let him go?” Edwin demanded. “Of course not!” Fletcher shook his head. “Although Dustin is a formidable martial artist, he is but one man. We can use

our influence to drive him out of Swinton,”

“Continue.” Edwin nodded to Fletcher to continue. “Eternumax, the medicine produced by our company, is sought after by many families, especially the Harmon family! We can use this to negotiate and get their cooperation. With their support, we can take Dustin on!” Fletcher smirked.

“That makes sense. Il Natasha agrees to abandon him, dealing with Dustin alone would be a piece of cake!” A smile played on Edwin’s lips. –

“That’s what I thought! Nonetheless, the prescription of Eternumax is still in our control. After we are settled with that punk, it would make things easier for us to turn against the Harmon family as well. Fletcher cackled gleefully. “Good idea. I’ll contact Natasha right away!” Without any delay, Edwin took out his phone and dialed Natasha’s number.

“Hello, is this Ms. Harmon? I’m calling about a business deal.”

“Yes, yes! This is about the Elernumax!” “If both parties could reach an agreement, this would be a huge boost to our wealth and reputation!” “Regarding my conditions—

it’s very simple. As long as you turn your back on Dustin, we can be loyal business partners!” As the conversation continued, Edwin’s expression turned sour. His face was livid when he ended the call, “Sir Hummer, how is it? What did Natasha say?” Fletcher asked out of curiosity.

“She told me to get lost!” Edwin answered. “What?” Fletcher was speechless at her reply. “This woman must be blindly in love with that punk! What foolishness to forsake such a lucrative deal for a man!” Edwin gritted his teeth in anger.

“Women tend to be emotional. She will regret it once Eternumax takes the world by storm!” Fletcher chimed in.

Edwin didn’t reply, as he had too many things on his mind.

These few days, nothing seemed to be going right for him.

“Sir Hummer, terrible news!” At this moment, a doctor ran into the room hurriedly. “Ms. Hummer’s condition has suddenly taken a turn for the worse!”

“What do you mean? She’s in danger? How could this have happened? Wasn’t she fine yesterday?” Edwin Jumped up from his chair. He grabbed the doctor by the collar and roared.

“Ms. Hummer is suffering from a strange condition that can’t be cured medically. Y–

You would understand once you see it for yoursell,” The doctor stammered. “Show me!” Edwin growled. He followed the doctor all the way to the intensive care unit. Tina was lying on

the hospital bed. Her face was twisted with agony, and she appeared very weak. “Tina, how are you feeling?” Edwin knelt beside her bed, his face filled with worry.

3

“Dad— I don’t feel so good, it hurts Tina whispered weakly, as it her life was hanging on a thread. “What the hell happened? Why would my daughter deteriorate into such a poor state?” Edwin glared at the doctor.

“Sir Hummer, we have fixed the fractures on Ms. Hummer. Her injuries should be healed in a few days. However, she has other injuries that we can’t fix.” “What other injuries?” Edwin furrowed his brows. “Sir Hummer, please have a look.” The doctor removed the blankets from Tina ’s body.

On her abdomen, there were a few purple bruises. It seemed like she was hurt by a heavy object. The size of the bruises was at least 3 inches long and slightly sunken inward.

“Isn’t that just a bruise? What’s there to be worried about?” Edwin asked, puzzled.

“Sir Hummer, this isn’t a normal bruise. It’s a symptom of a rare curse. The person who left the curse has. blocked Ms. Hummer’s blood circulation. If this continues, the organs in her body will malfunction and die. According to my experience. Ms. Hummer’s life would be in serious danger!” The doctor explained gravely. “What?! How could this be? Is there no cure?” Edwin was taken aback at the startling news.

“Unless the person who placed the curse lifted it, there’s no cure!” The doctor sighed and shook his head. 

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 144

“What do you mean it can’t be cured?” Edwin repeated.

“Are you telling me that only that Rhys punk can cure my daughter’s sickness ?” He furrowed his brows as the

color drained from his face. “You certainly need the right person for the right job, so we’ll have to track him down no matter what it takes.” The doctor confirmed. “I can’t believe this bastard! How dare he use such underhanded tactics!” Edwin growled through gritted teeth as his eyes flashed with anger. “What should we do now, Sir Hummer?” Fletcher asked. They had failed to bribe Natasha, and Dracor was now in critical condition from getting beaten up. It seemed

like both civilized and uncivilized methods had failed to work. Dustin seemed to be a thom in their side lately. But most importantly, Tina’s life was literally in that man’s hands.

So, even if they had any countermeasures up their sleeves, they were still afraid of making the first move.

After remaining silent for a while. Edwin finally decided. “Call that punk and get ready to negotiate with him!”

“Yes, Sir!” Fletcher obliged. He then proceeded to hastily ask someone for Dustin’s number.

After dialing the number, he swiftly handed the phone over to Edwin. “Hello, who is this?” Dustin’s voice came from the other end. “Edwin Hummer speaking.” Edwin greeted coldly while holding back his anger .

“Let me a ask you one thing, kid. Did you harm my daughter

in any way, or did you not?” “So it’s Sir Hummer on the line. Well if you’re referring to the curse, then yes, they were from me,” Dustin replied dryly.

“You got a lot of f*cking nerve, boy! How dare you lay your hands on my daughter?!” Edwin roared while gnashing his teeth. “Why don’t you ask your daughter about the things she’s done? How would she have ended up like this if she hadn’t pushed her weight around so much?” Dustin retorted indillerently.

“Hmph, you’re the last person I want to talk to about this right now! You’d better cure my daughter right this instant!” Edwin ordered. “What makes you think I should do everything you ask right away? Don’t you think you’re being a little too cocky right now?” Dustin scoffed. “So you want to bargain first, don’t you? Fine, we can do that! As long as you cure my little

girl, I promise not to hold you accountable for anything else in the future! Edwin barked. “Heh, that’s it?” Dustin sneered in reply. “I’ll also lift the ban on the Nicholsons immediately so that the whole family can get back on track.”

“I’m afraid you’re still mistaken about what I truly want. I do not need these, Dustin replied. “What do you want then?” Edwin growled. “It’s simple. I just want your daughter to apologize to me,” Dustin said. “What?! You want her to apologize to you?!” Edwin shrieked, his face turning cold in an instant.

“Is it unreasonable to ask for an apology from someone who assaulted you for no reason?” Dustin asked rhetorically.

“Who do you think you are, kid? How dare you request that a Hummer apologize to you? What makes you think you deserve the honor?” Edwin roared while burning with anger.

While he did not intend to pursue the matter, which was already out of the reach of the law in the first place, he felt that this man was full of himself for thinking that the Hummers owed him an apology! “If you refuse to give me an apology. I’ll just save my breath then. However, you can’t blame me for not reminding you that your daughter won’t be able to hold on for much longer, Dustin said, then immediately hung up the phone after

.

“Does this punk think that he can push me around?!” Edwin bellowed.Edwin was so furious, he almost smashed the phone in his hands onto the ground. Who did he think he was. exactly?

He was one of the Mighty Three, the richest man in his city, and was also known as an important figure in the Underground World,Within his domain, it could be said that he was the one who called the shots and that he could get anything he asked for at the drop of a hat.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had been humiliated like this. What would happen to the Hummer’s reputation if

word got out that they visited the Nicholsons to offer an apology? Would they still have any dignity left after that?

“I feel it would be wiser to be the bigger person in this situation, Sir Hummer. We should agree to his terms first in order to save Ms. Hummer.” Mr. Lawson advised from the side. “If we agree to his terms now, won’t any Tom, Dick, and Harry gain the right to shit and piss on the Hummer name from then on?” Edwin snapped in a booming voice. “This is just one way to slow him down, Sir Hummer. Once we manage to save Miss Hummer first, we can still take our time in thinking up ways to get back at that punk,” Mr. Lawson suggested.

Edwin fell silent after hearing that. His

suggestion was reasonable, but the prospect of giving up the reputation of the Hummers to lower themselves to offer an apology to others was an unbearably uncomfortable thought to him. “Dad, it hurts It’s so painful! Save me! Tina Hummer moaned profusely as she laid in bed.

Looking at his daughter’s pain– stricken face, Edwin took a deep breath and finally decided to settle on a compromise.

He dialed Dustin’s number once again and spat into the phone. “I’ll adhere to your terms , kid, but you’d better not play tricks with me!” “The apology has to be sincere. If you insist on acting like this, then we have nothing else to talk about,” Dustin said indifferently. “How dare you-“Edwin stopped as the corner of his eye began to twitch.

“Fine, you win! I’ll send someone over today at noon to give an apology in person!” He roared while forcefully holding back his anger. “I’ll be waiting.” Dustin replied. During noontime, inside a VIP ward in East Swinton Hospital, Dahlia had woken up a long time ago, and the redness and puffiness on her cheeks had already faded quite a bit. Her hands were still wrapped with bandages, so she was advised not to move around too much for the time being. When Dustin walked through the door with a fruit basket in hand, he noticed that members of the Nicholson family had gathered together and were discussing something.

Even old Mr. Nicholson, who had been living in seclusion, had shown up. “The nerve of you to show your face here, Rhys! Do you have the slightest idea about the amount of damage you’ve caused us? Because of you, the Hummers banned us! Are you happy now that the Quine Group is on the brink of collapse?” Florence yelled at him the moment she laid eyes on him. She went from her initial state of calm to jumping to her feet and spewing expletives

.

The others remained silent but eventually started donning indignant looks on their faces. Even Dahlia was frowning at him. She received news of the Nicholsons‘ ban from the Hummers the moment she woke up, and the reason for that was that Dustin had allegedly given Ms. Hummer a beating.

Although she knew that she herself was the person he had done it for. But his ‘help‘ had ultimately sent the entire Nicholson family to the fiery depths of an inlerno instead!

“Alright, alright, stop bickering already. We all know that Dustin did all that to stand up for Dahlia, While it was somewhat impulsive, I’d like to think that he did it with pure intentions in mind,” Old Mr. Nicholson tried to calm everyone down.

“Are you honestly still speaking on his behall when things have gotten to this stage, Dad? Do you only intend to stop when the

family is in shambles? Florence said through gritted teeth.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of the problem with the Hummers, Dustin spoke up calmly. “What do you mean you’ve taken care of It? What’s your solution? If you were that capable in the first place.

would the Nicholsons still be banned by now? You’d better scram right now. I don’t want to see your face anymore! Shoo!” Florence screamed. In the middle of her rage, she grabbed the fruit basket from Dustin’s hands and smashed it onto the ground.

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 145 

“That’s enough! Now’s not the time to point fingers. Since we’re in a tight situation now, what everyone needs to do is help one another out and ride out the storm together, not grab each other by the throat!” Old Mr. Nicholson yelled after witnessing Florence’s burst of rage.

“Easy for you to say. This is the Hummer’s ban we’re talking about. Who knows, all of us might go bankrupt in a couple of days and no longer have a place to call home in Swinton anymore!” Florence snapped in fury.

“That’s right! If it wasn’t for Dustin, who kept stirring up trouble and dragging us down with him, how could the Nicholsons even have ended up in this situation today?” James spoke, and the rest agreed with him. “What’s going on, Dustin? I believe that you can enlighten all of us here?” Dahlia suddenly

piped up. She was giving him a chance to explain himself properly. “Tina was unruly and unreasonable, which is why I decided to put her in her place,” Dustin replied bluntly.

“See, everyone heard that, right? He beat up the girl first, so he was the one who instigated this whole thing in the first place. So, he’s entirely to blame for the ban on the Nicholson family!” Florence shouted even more fiercely. “You’re a thorn in our sides, Dustin! You owe us an explanation for every affliction you’ve caused all of us!”

“I suggest kidnapping him and handing him over to the Hummers so that we can quell their rage!”

A bunch of chatter erupted from the crowd, and it could be seen that most of them were in favor of kidnapping him.

“You are too impulsive, Dustin! Do you even know who Ms. Hummer is? What makes you think you’re worthy of going head–to– head with her? Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused?” Dahlia scoffed with a frown.

“So what you’re telling me.Is that I should’ve just sat there and watched as you got brutally beaten up and humiliated?” Dustin sneered coldly. It didn’t matter if Florence and the others didn’t understand, but if Dahlia still insisted on pinning the blame on him, then he’d feel that all his efforts were for nothing.

“Don’t you twist my words! I am trying to tell you to consider the consequences first before doing

19 anything! Not only did you get us into trouble, you even hurt your reputation in the process!” Dahlia retorted with a scowl

on her face. “I’m not the type to dwell on the details. All I know is that I’ll get revenge on anyone who crosses me!” Dustin said in a cold voice. “You guys heard it yoursell! This kid is still as stubborn as ever! Thus, we must hand him over to the Hummers! “Florence instigated as she gestured at two

of the younger Nicholsons. The two immediately understood her intention and placed their hands on each side of Dustin’s shoulders.” You’d better be more cooperative with us, or else you’ll get what’s coming to you!” Dustin frowned and was ready to pounce on them when Julle suddenly burst into the room with a panicked look on her face. “This is bad, Auntie! The Hummers have brought their men here to kill us all!*

“What?!” A collective gasp arose from everyone in the room as the news startled them.

They thought it was already bad that the whole family got banned, but they never expected the Hummers to be this cruel. They were already knocking at their doors. Were they trying to drive them into a corner?

“It’s over, it’s over! We’re dead meat this time!”

“How could this happen? Why can’t the Hummers give us a break for once?”

The crowd panicked and started jumping to their feet anxiously. “It’s all because of that damn bastard! It’s all his fault!” “That’s right! The Hummers must have come for Dustin, so let’s hand him over and we’ll be all right!”

Everyone in the crowd immediately turned their gazes to Dustin, causing a million laser–like glares to land on him at the same time. In their opinion, if they could sacrifice Dustin to save themselves, that would be the best course of action.

Just as the crowd was still in an uproar, a group of people from the Hummer family started boldly entering the venue.

The leader of the procession was Tina, who was sitting in a wheelchair, Following behind her were a few representatives from the Hummer family, as well as a few escorting bodyguards.

At the time. Tina looked weak, as her eyes were half shut and half open. Both of her hands and feet were in casts, her entire face was bruised and swollen, and her features seemed to have been disfigured completely. If someone were not closely acquainted with her, they would have a hard time telling between her current and actual looks.

“M–Ms. Hummer?” The crowd let out a gasp.

Everyone from the Nicholsons was taken aback as they stared at the nearly paralyzed and disfigured Tina. Although they knew that she’d gotten her ass beaten, they didn’t expect it to be that bad. Her face had swelled up so much that it almost resembled a pig’s head. If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed that the young, spoiled–to–the–core lady of the Hummer family would even live to see such a day. Wasn’t this Dustin fellow too much for doing that though? “D–Dustin—

Don’t tell me you were the one who beat Ms. Hummer up this badly?” One of the Nicholsons asked shakily as he looked at the others in shock.. “Rhys! You’d better admit everything by your own choice later and not drag us into this!” Florence shouted as

she broke into a nervous sweat.The situation was much direr than she had anticipated. James went straight to the point. After walking three steps forward, he immediately fell to his knees with a loud “Thud” in front of the Hummers. The inertia generated by his fall caused his torso to slide forward by a

few inches.

“Ms. Hummer, this has nothing to do with us! It was Dustin Rhys who beat you up, so if you want to plot your revenge, please just plot it on his head. Please spare our family!” James pleaded in desperation. Upon witnessing this, the majority of the Nicholsons unanimously approved of his actions on the inside. They admired him for his humble and responsible nature and thought of him as one of the good men in the Nicholson family. He was probably the type to rush forward in the face of danger too. They were certain that the Nicholson family would continue to thrive and prosper, what with such an outstanding individual in the family.

“Huh?” A collective gasp arose from the people from the Hummers. When they all saw James kneel on the floor, some of them exchanged glances with one another, completely dumbfounded by what had just happened in front of them.

Shouldn’t they be the ones apologizing? How come it’s the other way around now? What the hell was happening now?

“I suppose you must be mistaken about something, kid?” The butler of the Hummer family asked with perplexed look on his face. Even though he had imagined countless horrible scenarios that could come out of this, this wasn’t in his predictions at all “Oh right, before I forget” before the butler could finish his sentence, James immediately assumed that the butler wasn’t planning on letting them go.

He turned around and started flailing his hands in the air. “Someone, anyone!

Bring Dustin to me! I’ll get him to bow down to the Hummers and beg for their forgiveness!”

“Heh, I’ll do it myself,” Dustin said, shaking off the two men before he trudged forward. “Everyone! That’s him! He’s the one who beat her up- James shouted while pointing at Dustin. When the Hummers finally saw what had unfolded in front of their eyes, their expressions changed dramatically and all of them fell to their knees with a loud ‘Thud“.

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 146 

“Huh?!” James” jaw dropped to the floor looking at the representatives from the Hummer family kneeling

toward him. Everyone’s eyes were as big as saucers as they stared in disbelief. Who would’ve thought that the high and mighty Hummer family would ever kneel toward them in their lives?

Were these mega–bigshots ever this humble before? What was wrong with them today? Were they sick or something?

“What’s happening? Didn’t the Hummers come to retaliate? Why are they all kneeling?”

“What are the Hummers doing? This isn’t some kind of reverse psychology tactic, right?”

“Something’s fishy here. I think this is part of their plan!”

As the Nicholsons continued to stare at the Hummers who were kneeling in front of

them, not only were they not the least bit happy about this, but this even fright

ened them tremendously.

Some of their legs even gave out as time passed. That was because the scene in front of them was too overwhelming for them to handle.

To think that a mega bigshot would kneel for them? They couldn’t even see it happening in their dreams.

“Forgive me. Ms. Nicholson. The Hummers were the ones who were at fault last night. Thus, we are gathered here today for the young lady to offer her sincere apologies to you in person. I hope you can forgive us, Ms. Nicholson.” After Fletcher took the lead and spoke up, he immediately bent down and kneeled on the ground

with the utmost sincerity. “Our sincere apologies, Ms. Nicholson!” The representatives from the Hummer family shouted. All of them kneeled in unison afterward, without much thought for their reputation.

Such a turn of events dumbfounded the Nicholsons yet again. So, it was true! The Hummers were apologizing

to them! But the question now was, why? “W–

why are you all? What is going on, Mr. Lawson?” Dahlia stuttered while lying on her hospital bed. She was

so antsy about the situation that she immediately got out of bed. Weren’t they here for revenge? Why were they kneeling toward her? “The Hummers aren’t unreasonable people. We admit our mistakes when we’ve done wrong, so we hope that you can forgive us for our trespasses, Ms. Nicholson, Fletcher replied with his head lowered. “What are you talking about, Mr. Lawson? Please get up quickly! I’m afraid there has been a

misunderstanding. We’d already be glad if the matter was dropped entirely. What other reason do we have to accuse the Hummer family of?” Florence apologized profusely with a big smile after she came to her senses.

“Yes, she’s right! Please get up from the floor, Mr. Lawson!” The Nicholsons were still in a state of shock even now.

To them, it was already a huge relief that the Hummers were willing to let the matter slide. They wouldn’t ever have the guts to coerce them into apologizing to them.

“As long as you continue to refuse to accept our apology, we’ll continue kneeling like this until the end of time. Ms. Nicholson.” Fletcher insisted stubbornly.

“Please get off the floor, Mr. Lawson. Let’s just pretend none of this ever happened, alright? Dahlia spluttered. somewhat at a loss for words.

Even though Tina was the one who was at fault, she ended up being the one who suffered more severe injuries

than Dahlia. While she was expected to recover in about three to five days, she doubted if Tina could even get out of bed by herself without resting in bed for hall a month first.

This was the main reason she was so speechless when she heard that Tina, a member of the usually pigheaded Hummer family, was even going to apologize to her. “Thank you, Ms. Nicholson, for being so kind to us!” Fletcher exclaimed as his

face lit up with joy. He proceeded to give her a bow before gesturing for the representatives from the Hummer family to get up off the floor.

“This is great. So it was a misunderstanding, after all. We should be fine now.” Florence let cut a long sigh of

relief. Although she didn’t know what had just happened, it was obvious that they managed to tide through this time

of crisis unscathed. “That’s right! Peace and harmony bring wealth, after all!” James grinned, even though his back was drenched in a cold sweat. Just when everyone thought that they were sale, Dustin suddenly spoke out, “ Wait a minute. Tina was the one who beat Dahlia up, so it’s only fair that she

apologize too,” The crowd immediately burst into an uproar the moment they heard that. Some of the representatives from the Hummer family started exchanging glances with frowns on their faces.

Meanwhile, it felt as if the Nicholsons had been struck by lightning, as all of them remained frozen on the spot.

Was that man batshit crazy?! The Hummers had already announced that they planned to drop the matter entirely, so why was it that this man still insisted on courting death on their behalf?

It was one thing to beat her up and cause such a huge disaster to happen in the first place, so why did he still insist on getting an apology out of Ms. Hummer when the Hummers had already decided to drop the matter? The f*cking audacity of this bastard!

“Rhys! Have you been kicked in the head by a donkey? If you don’t know what to say, then shut up!” The moment she reeled back from her shock, Florence barked at him out of fear,

“You little shit! If you want to f*cking kick the bucket so much, why don’t you keep us out of this!” James

cursed and felt like going up to him to throw hands. “Some balls you got. Rhys! The Hummers let you off by the grace of their hearts, and yet you still dare to say that so shamelessly! Do you want to die so badly?”

To them, Dustin was a lunatic who spouted nonsense. Both parties had already reconciled with one another, so why bother stirring up trouble again? What if this angered the Hummers? Then, who would be the one to take the fall?

“Is it not right to seek an apology from someone who beat you up? Am I wrong?” Dustin asked plainly. “Shut the f*ck up, Rhys! You’re a nuisance. You’re going to get us killed!” Florence jumped to her feet and cursed.

“Dustin! Please stop this, okay?” Dahlia pleaded as she broke out in a cold sweat too. She hadn’t expected the man in front of her to spew such outrageous words from his mouth in their current predicament.

“Fine. I’ll shut up. I’ll leave the rest up to all of you,” Dustin replied. Without saying anything more, he retreated to a corner, by his own admission. “I think his brain must have been fried, Ms. Hummer. Thus, you shouldn’t pay

him any mind.” Florence immediately lunged forward to apologize, as she was afraid of offending the Hummer family.

“Yes, yes! This guy is a psychopath. He no longer has dealings with the Nicholsons.” James was also full of smiles as he feigned humility. However, instead of feeling any sort of relief, the representatives from the Hummer family turned

extraordinarily gloomy instead. After Fletcher whispered a few words to Tina, who was nearly fully paralyzed in her wheelchair, Tina gritted her teeth and finally opened her mouth to croak something. 1–I’m sorry…it was all my fault,” She said, out of breath. The whole room fell dead silent the moment she finished. Florence and the rest were even more shell–

shocked, as their expressions immediately twisted into shock.

Did the spoiled young lady of the Hummers, the one who called all the shots in Swinton, actually just apologize?

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 147

When Tina and her entourage left the scene, the Nicholsons still felt like they were in a daze. They were still reeling at the fact that the high and mighty young lady of the Hummer family had not only pardoned their wrongdoings but was also the first to humble herself and apologize to them in person after getting her ass whooped.

It was truly unfathomable! “What’s wrong with the Hummers today? Who knew that they could even be this humble?”

“I know, right? If I hadn’t pinched mysell,I would have thought I was dreaming !”

“Could it be that Ms. Hummer genuinely realized her mistakes, and that’s why she came over to apologize in person?”

“Nonsense! You overestimate how righteous the Hummer family can be!” The Nicholsons erupted into a flurry of discussion, and it seemed like it wasn’t about to die down soon.

“This can’t be Dustin’s doing, right?” Julle asked herself with a suspicious look ; she felt uneasy on the inside. Ever since last night’s beating session, Dustin had displayed a kind of calm that was uncommon in most people. As if he was confident that everything was going fine as planned.

So, either he was completely aware of the situation, or he was too good at hiding his emotions. Then again, when she thought back to the fact that he’d been married to his cousin for three years and hadn’t accomplished much over the years, she found it incredibly hard to believe that he was the guy who brought the Hummers to their knees.

Amid all the confusion, Matt Laney, who was dressed to the nines, suddenly strolled into the room. “Huh, so everyone’s already here. Just in time, too. I have good news for you

all the ban by the Hummers has officially been lifted!” Matt announced the news with a big grin. “I understand everything now! So, everything that happened just now was because of you, right Matt?” Florence probed, as she assumed she’d succeeded in connecting all the dots. Her gaze instantly perked up too.

“That’s right! How did I forget that we still have Matt here with us!” James exclaimed after coming back to his senses.

“No wonder the Hummers apologized to us! So, after all, it was because Matt was secretly helping us behind the scenes!”

“Exactly! Who else could be this capable apart from Mr. Laney?” At that moment, all of the Nicholsons had starstruck looks on their faces. So the reason why the Hummer family decided to offer an apology was that Matt had pressed them to do so.behind the scenes.

That’s right! That must be the case! “What’s wrong? What just happened?” Matt asked around, confused. To think that they just bombarded him with things he didn’t understand. Even if he had sharp wits, he was still unable to piece together everything that had happened yet.

“You don’t have to hide anything from us anymore, Matt. We all saw what you did. If not for you, how would Ms. Hummer even have apologized to us?” Florence said with a relieved look on her face.

“She apologized?” Matt repeated in disbelief, and his heart rate started to increase.

He knew exactly the kind of person Tina was. To think that an obnoxious woman like her had shown up at one’s door to apologize in person?

“Exactly, Matt! This time, not only did you tide the Nicholsons through our storms, you even managed to surprise our family. You are a great benefactor to our family!” James praised enthusiastically. *Thank you, Mr. Laney! You saved our whole family!” The Nicholsons shouted

as they stretched out their hands to thank him profusely.

“Um—” Matt trailed off in confusion. Immediately after reeling from his stupor, the ever–quick–witted Matt flashed a big smile. “No need to be so polite, everyone. It was just something easy to take care of, I didn’t even do much.”

Although he had no idea what the context behind this was, he felt like he should just accept the Nicholsons” gratitude towards him.

After all, who would think of turning down another’s kindness?

“You’re too modest, Matt! If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid the Nicholsons might

have ended up in shambles!” James continued boasting.

“Please, please, this is nothing.” Matt grinned and shook his head. His modest

and courteous appearance was worthy of nothing but praise, after all. “You got lucky this time, Rhys! I didn’t expect you to get away with this! What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and bow down to Matt and give him

your thanks now!” Florence yelled as she shifted her sharp gaze toward Dustin. “You want me to bow down to thank him? On what grounds?” Dustin sneered out of the corners of his eyes. “Hmph, you’d better not be ungrateful! You were the one who beat someone up and caused such havoc in the first place, so if it weren’t for Matt, who saved your ass, do you think that you could even be standing here right now?” Florence retorted with a glare.

“That’s right! If it weren’t for Matt, you would have died a hundred Ilmes over for beating someone up by now!” James echoed in agreement.

“You guys give Matt too much credit. He’s not even remotely as capable as you think he is,” Dustin replied

with a cold expression. 

He was even impressed at the mental gymnastics they performed to get to this point. To think that they dared to prop him up and hail him as if he were a savior without knowing the full story yet. And worst of all, Matt was just standing by and taking it all in. “Hmph! Are you telling us that you’re more capable than Matt? Why don’t you look into the mirror and reflect on the kind of person you really are?” “Yeah! People like you only know how to cause trouble and nothing else!”

“To think that there are people in this world who could be so heartless! Not only did he not thank his savior, he even talked shit about him! How disgusting!” The Nicholsons berated Dustin. They despised people like him who were hellbent on repaying good with evil from the bottom of their hearts.

“Is it so hard for you just to thank someone, Dustin? If it weren’t for Matt, you might have been killed by now!” Dahlia suddenly piped up. To her, Dustin was still being ignorant until

the bitter end. Compared to Matt saving his life, what was a mere thank you?

“I would have if he had actually helped me. But he didn’t. In fact, not only did he not help me, he was the one

who started this whole fiasco in the first place!” Dustin replied flatly. “What do you mean?” Dahlia frowned. “Iran a background check and found out that Matt and Tina are lovers. Tina deliberately targeted you out of jealousy, thinking that you and he had some hanky panky going on behind the scenes. So, that was what led to the assault! In a nutshell, he’s the true culprit all along!” Dustin declared firmly. “Bullshit! Rhys! Not to insult you or anything, but Matt is an upright guy. He’s not as bad as you say he is!” Florence cursed and jumped to her feet without waiting for Matt to respond.

“That’s right! I think you’re just jealous! You probably

planted all kinds of evidence to frame him, knowing how much better he is than you!” James scolded.

“Oh, Dustin. Who knew you’d be so despicable!” The Nicholsons scoffed.“Why do you always insist on causing havoc, Dustin? Can’t you be more mature and sensible for once?” Dahlia spat with a scowl However, it was fairly obvious to her that he had done all of that as a result of his jealous rage.

“Don’t believe me? Just ask Julie. She was the one who saw it all last night!” Dustin defended himself and pointed at something. Everyone’s gazes immediately shifted to see what he was pointing at. 

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 148

“What, me? When all eyes fell on her, Julie couldn’t help but be stunned and speechless for a while. She was just here for the show, so why did she get implicated in this whole mess when she was just another person in the crowd?

“Tell us everything you saw, and don’t try to hide anything, Julie. I want to see how this punk can still argue his way out of this!” Florence ordered as she crossed her arms.

“Yeah, Julic. Just tell us everything that’s or your mind. We must expose this punk for all his lies!” The Nicholsons spoke out in agreement. “Um–But before Julie could say anything, she stopped herself. Her response made the people in the crowd feel like she’d be a loose cannon. This was especially true for Matt, as he stood there with his heart pounding out of his chest while his forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

He’d already been scared shitless when Dustin spoke out the truth just now, so if Julie also knew something and exposed him for being the one who lied instead, he’d lose lace!

“I believe you know what happened yesterday the best. Julie. So, it’s time to tell everyone the truth,” Dustin

added flatly. “Stop this nonsense at once. Dustin! Save some face for yourself already.” Dahlia chided with a frown.

“There’s no need to be afraid, Julie. Your aunt here will back you up no matter what you say, so just tell us what you saw!” Florence said, acting all protective all of a sudden.

“About last night Julie started and trailed off. After hesitating for a few seconds , she mustered up the courage to continue with a firm gaze. “Yesterday night, I saw nothing and know nothing about the events that went down. All I knew was that Dustin was the one who beat up Ms. Hummer!

”

The moment she finished, Dustin froze on the spot. He didn’t expect Julle to completely flip the story on its head in front of so many people like that. “Did you hear that, Rhys? So, this is the whole truth! I can’t wait to see how you’re going to argue your way out of this!” Florence shouted even louder than before.

“Not only do you not know how to be grateful, but to think that you even resorted to repaying good with evil, Dustin! You really are shameless! The Nicholsons spal and shook their heads. They stare at him with looks of contempt and disdain.

Now that the evidence was conclusive, no amount of arguing could ever get him out of this mess. “Ugh.” Dahlia sighed as a look of disappointment appeared on her lace. She had given him so many chances to back down, and yet the man still insisted on being as stubborn as ever. It was almost as it he wanted all of this to happen to him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever offended you, so why do you insist on slandering my name, Dustin? It’s a good thing that Julie has an upright character and helped me clear my name

today. If not, I doubt if I could even recover from this!” Matt spat, feigning anger. He’d been on tenterhooks the entire time, but he can’t help but be secretly relieved now.

“You know exactly what you did. So stop pretending in front of me already.” Dustin snapped before turning his gaze to Julie. “And as for you. I don’t understand why you’re lying right now. I’m sure you know the kind of person Matt is very well. But if you insist on standing there and watching your cousin jump into a firepit, then I’ve got nothing else to say to you.”

“Stop spouting nonsense! What did I lie anout? It was clearly you who hit Ms. Hummer!” Julie insisted obstinately. “Rhys! Now that your plan to slander has failed, are you resorting to threatening people? Do you honestly think that we’re afraid of you?” Florence shouted in fury. “Stop this insanity, Dustin! Stop making a fool of yourself already!” Dahlia cried. She only hoped that could see himself and the reality of the situation now. Dustin “Since you guys don’t believe me, let’s just pretend that I said nothing today. I’ ll be taking my leave now,” Dustin shook his head as he decided not to argue

with them any further. He then turned around to leave.

He never asked for any reward or even gratitude, but he felt disappointed by their response today. “Hold

it right there! You’ve slandered my name on multiple occasions, and yet you still think of running away without giving me an apology first? Aren’t you being a little pretentious right now?” Matt ordered.

He had never liked Dustin, but to keep up his gentlemanly facade, he always tried to brush his ill feelings toward him aside. So, now that the opportunity to take out his anger had come, he naturally didn’t want to let it go so easily.

“You want me to apologize to you? What makes you think that you’re worthy of it?” Dustin sneered. “You’re not allowed to leave if you don’t apologize to me today!” Matt growled

as he used his body to block. the doorway, his gaze menacing.

He had practiced martial arts for a few years, so he thought it would be a breeze to put an average man like him in his place.

“Is that so? Then, I’d like to see if you can actually block my path. Dustin snorted coldly before pushing past

Matt and walking out of the door.

“Thinking of leaving? I’d like to see you try!” Matt shouted in rage as he grabbed Dustin’s shoulder with one

hand and shoved him hard. He thought that he could teach him a lesson by doing that.

“You dare lay a finger on me?” Dustin said coldly as he turned around. He then proceeded to give Mall a heavy

slap on his face, the sheer force of which sent Mali llying into the air.

Two teeth could even be seen flying out of his mouth.

“Y–you actually dare to hit someone at this moment, Rhys?” Florence gasped in horror. She didn’t think Dustin

would be so bold as to assault someone In public.

“An animal! He’s an animal!”

“Matt saved your life with good intentions, and yet you still did this to him! You’re worse than a dog!”

Everyone started cursing at Dustin angrily. Everything would’ve been fine if he hadn’t laid a finger on Matt, but now that he had, everyone no longer held back their verbal assaults.

“Are you out of your mind. Dustin? Why are you beating people up now?” Dahlia scowled. She quickly went to help Matt up from the floor. To think that he’d turned his embarrassment into anger and had even resorted

to beating people up in public. This was unheard of!

“Can’t you see that he was the one who threw hands first? Dustin retorted with a grimace. “He merely grazed you, so why did you have to return the favor so harshly?”

Dahlia probed with an icy glare. “So, are you telling me that it’s fine if he does it? But when I do it back, I’m committing the greatest sin in all of humanity?” Dustin snickered.

“You’re clearly just trying to force a point here! I hereby order you to apologize to Matt right now!” Dahlia glared.

“What if I don’t want to?” Dustin frownes slightly. “Then, I’ll make you!” Dahlia shouted. With that, she slapped him in the face in a fit of rage.

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter 149 

“Slap!” A crisp noise sounded as Dahlia’s hand landed heavily on Dustin Rhy’s face. Due to the excessive force she applied behind the slap, the wounds on her hand that had just healed got torn open again, causing a stream of fresh blood to flow down her fingers.

Dustin touched the side of his face that burned from the slap and merely stood right where he was with a neutral expression on his face.

He could take all the misunderstandings and contempt from other people, but he refused to accept the fact that his ex–wife had just slapped him on behalf of another man.

“Why? Why do you insist on being this way?” Dahlia said through gritted teeth as her eyes filled with tears and immense disappointment overtook her. She couldn’t understand for the life of her why Dustin had become the person he was today. He was close- minded, full of jealousy, and a gossip monger; he was even repaying kindness with evil now. All kinds of bad attributes were concentrated in the body of this man. She wan

ted this slap to serve as a wake- up call to him!

“Hmph. Do you want to fight me, kid? Aren’t you a little too young for that?” Matt couldn’t help but sneer at him

as he witnessed the two of them turn against each other.

Although he had just lost two teeth, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat triumphant on the inside when he saw

Dahlia slap Dustin to stand up for him. “That was a good slap! He deserves to be slapped!” Florence cheered as her

eyes lit up. “That’s right! If you don’t teach him a lesson, are you still considered human at that point?” James parroted out loud. “Ha—” Dustin suddenly let out a tired sigh after a long time of silence.

After getting married for three years, the two had barely quarreled, let alone thrown hands at one another. Thus, this would be the first and last time this happened!

“That slap just now was for everything I’ve ever done to you in the past. From now on, you and I don’t owe each other anything anymore,” Dustin said quietly. Dustin took a deep breath before calmly turning around to leave.

There was no anger, no complaints– just an unexpected feeling of quiet indifference. “Huh?” Dahlia gasped in shock as she stared at his defeated back. She’d been rendered speechless for a while. “Knock, knock.” Just then, they all heard a knock on the door. It turned out that Mr. Fletcher, who had taken his leave earlier, had returned.

“Huh? Where did Mr. Rhys go?” He asked as he scanned the room. “Why are you looking for that punk, Mr. Fletcher?” Florence asked in surprise.

“Oh, Sir Hummer told me that he hopes to dispel all the bad blood the Hummer family has with Mr. Rhys, so he specially requested me to send him a gilt,” He replied. “A gift?” Everyone looked at one another in confusion. “You have got to be kidding us, right, Mr. Fletcher? How is that punk worthy of receiving a gift from Mr. Hummer himself?” Florence asked in disbelief. “What do you mean “how is he worthy‘? Don’t you know that he was the reason why the Hummers decided to lift the ban against the Nicholsons? And that he was also the one behind the apology? Mr. Fletcher replied,

dumbfounded by their reactions.

“What?” A collective gasp could be heard

in the room the moment he finished his sentence. The crowd was dumbfounded and filled with disbelief.

They didn’t hear him wrong, right?

The person who had saved the Nicholsons and coerced the Hummers to give a public apology was Dustin? The trash that they’d scoffed at and despised? H–how was this possible!

“Y– you’ve got to be joking, right, Mr. Fletcher? Are you telling us that Dustin was the one who saved us?” Florence asked with widened eyes, she found this fact difficult to accept.

“Who else do you think it was?” Mr. Fletcher asked seriously.

“No, that’s impossible! Wasn’t Matt the one who helped us? How was it that trash Dustin instead?” James shouted in alarm and shook his head so vigorously it looked like a rattling drum.

“Matt Laney? He’s nothing more than a washed–

up member of some family, so how capable can the man be? Obviously, not enough for the Hummers to lower their heads.” Mr. Fletcher scoffed before shooting Matt a look

of disdain. Hearing that, every head in the crowd turned to look at Matt simultaneously.

For a moment, Matt’s cheeks turned bright red, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward.

His reaction immediately proved that what Mr. Fletcher said was true. “How could this have happened? Could it be that I’ve misunderstood him?” Dahlia muttered to herself after a

bolt of realization hit her. With that, she instantly rushed out of the room and chased after Dustin in the direction he seemed to have left 1. in.

When she chased him to the gate, she looked at the figure about to get into the car. She immediately ran up to him and grabbed him by the sleeve. “Dustin! Wait. I misunderstood you just now, I was too impulsive. I had no idea that you did all of this for us. especially the part where you had to carry so much on your shoulders. But why didn’t you explain it to us? You were obviously the one who saved everyone, so why didn’t you clarily it with us?” Dahlia cried while biting her lips. Her face was twisted in pain.

“What use was there to explain everything? When have you ever belleved me ?” Dustin shot back as he shook his head. There was no greater sorrow than death, and he had been completely let down by her.

“You should’ve made it clear to me at the very least. How can I believe you when you don’t tell me anything?”

Dahlia complained angrily. “I don’t care if you believe me or not anymore. We’re done here. Let go of me. ” Dustin retorted as he broke away from her grasp with force. His gaze toward

her made her feel like he was looking at a stranger.

“What do you want from me, Dustin? Can’t you just stop being so impulsive all the time? Can’t you just ask yourself if there’s anything wrong with you? After all, you were the one who went out and beat up people who disagreed with you. If not for luck, do you think you could’ve gotten out of there unscathed? All I’

m asking is for you to be more mature and sensible. Am I wrong for wanting that from you?” Dahlia shouted as his words

struck a nerve inside her, causing her emotions to go out of control. “Yeah, you’re right. It was all my fault. I totally deserved that slap, don’t I?” Dustin said coldly.

“You- ” Dahlia wanted to say more but stopped herself. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. “You’ve always been this arrogant and self– righteous woman to me, Dahlia. You were never one to admit your mistakes first. This has proven to be true on multiple occasions, especially when you just

need to put a bit more thought into something or perform a simple background check to get the desired outcome. But as usual, you prefer to do nothing and only listen to the words you like to hear. This is why even now, you still have

zero faith in me.“Haven’t you noticed? You’ve been living in your little bubble all this time, and you shut yourself off from anyone who tries to get near you. I admit, I tried my best to get to you back then, but now I’ve decided to stop trying. I’ve decided that this will be the last time I ever help you. I wish you all the best in your future

endeavors.”

With that, Dustin got in his car and sped off.

Meanwhile, Dahlia looked as if she had been struck by lightning, and she stood quietly in place and did not

say anything for a long time.I

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry! I had no idea that things would ever turn out like this! ” She lamented to herself.

“I just wanted you to succeed too. My only wish was for you to get ahead in life. I really had no idea that you’d suffered this much. I was wrong; I was the on e who was wrong all along! From the day of our divorce until now, I knew that

I was the one who was in the wrong all along! I remember telling you that no one would be able to make me fall in love again, but in reality, there was already someone there all along. “And that person was you! But knowing that in mind, do you know why I gave you up again at the last second? That’s because Dustin, can’t you see that I’ m still hopelessly in love with you?” She painfully admitted.

An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori Chapter -150

After staggering back to her ward, Dahlia felt as if her soul had left her body. She had a dead expression on her face, and her eyes were dull. She didn’t realize that her bandaged hand

was still dripping with blood. She remembered Dustin’s disappointed gaze on her before he left, and it felt like a knife that kept stabbing at her heart. She knew that the two of the

m had grown further and further apart. In the past, she had always been career– oriented, as she was determined to carve her own path, which is why she ignored and sacrificed many things along the way.

However, since the day of their divorce, she slowly started to realize something. It turns out that there are things in life that were more important than one’s

career. However, it was a shame that she only realized this

now. “Honey, I just heard that- Florence said as she burst into the room upon seeing Dahlia enter inside moments

before. “I just heard that it was that Rhys kid who was the one who laid hands on Ms. Hummer and used her life as bait

to get the Hummer family to apologize to us. He was merely using underhand ed tactics the entire time!”

“That’s right! This Dustin guy, to make a name for himself, committed such heinous and shameless acts

without a care for his reputation at all! James echoed.

Initially, they were shocked to find out that Dustin was the one who had helped them behind the scenes, but after digging for more details, they realized that it wasn’t that the Hummers were scared of Dustin, but that it was Dustin who used despicable means to get them to do what he wanted, which was why they came and

apologized in person.

So although it seemed as though he was a force to be reckoned with, in reality , he had merely backed them into a corner!

“Mom, can you all just leave, please? I just want to be alone for now,” Dahlia responded flatly, she didn’t even

flinch at the news. “Honey, even if we’ve misunderstood Dustin, so what? The matter still stands

that he’s the one who’s at fault here. He was just making up for his mistakes. We don’t owe him anything!” Florence continued.

“I’m tired, Mom. I just want to rest now. Please go outside,” Dahlia requested again.

“But honey…” Florence whined. “Just leave me alone!” Dahlia yelled sternly.

Seeing the scowl on her face, Florence said nothing more and proceeded to usher everyone out of the room.

“Who would’ve thought that the biggest contributor to the matter would be Dustin, while the person who

surprised us the most was Mr. Laney.” *Fucking big shots! To think we let him scare us like that. It’s already a good thing that we didn’t disturb him for anything!”

“And as for Matt. I suspect that he’s so blinded by love for Dahlia that, to win her over, he resorted to trickery and lies,” Florence explained.

“If you ask me, a man like this who risked his life for love and even put his reputation on the line is truly worth giving yourself to for life!”

“All of you should learn from him from now on!”

After their session of mental gymnastics, everyone turned from discussing how despicable Matt was to putting him on a pedestal instead. But the thing was, many of them seemed to agree with this.

Back inside the ward, Dahlia sat frozen on the bed with an empty gaze for a long time. She had no idea how much time had passed since the first tear started dripping down her face and when her shoulders started shaking profusely.

Finally, not able to withhold her emotions anymore, she cradled her head between her knees and violently broke down in tears!

She didn’t shed a tear when the company was in danger. She shed no tears when somebody brutally humiliated her. She also didn’t cry when she was beat

en up or tortured in a variety of ways. This was the first time she had ever cried this hard and this heart breakingly.

Over at the Hummer Villa, Tina was sitting in her wheelchair with a look of resignation and anger.

“Dad! The Hummers have never suffered such great humiliation before! You must avenge me no matter what!” She ordered with gritted teeth.

“Of course, we have to take our revenge, but you shouldn’t underestimate this punk either. Thus, we must be fully prepared if he stirs up havoc again.” Edwin said seriously. He definitely wouldn’t let anyone who dared to lay a finger on

the Hummers go that easily.

“Isn’t Mr. Lawson proficient in mystic arts? Why don’t we

just have him use the most powerful mystic arts on Dustin so that he gets tortured half to death?” Tina suggested, her voice full of resentment.

“It’s no use. Not only is he a powerful martial artist, but he’s also equally proficient in poison. He even managed to break the venomous mystic arts I used on the Harmons, so I’m afraid I can’t do anything toward him at the moment.” Fletcher, who was standing at a corner, answered.

“Then what should we do? If we don’t cut him into pieces, I don’t think my hatred toward him is ever going to subside!” Tina shouted with a fierce gaze.

“There’s no need to rush things. Just hold it in for a few more days. I’ve already informed your brother about this matter. After he clears customs in a few days, he’ll make his return to Swinton, and that’s when he’ll exact your revenge for you. When that time comes, I doubt if the punk can make any waves, no matter how strong he is!* Edwin said as he narrowed his eyes.

What he was most proud of in his life was not his status as the richest man in Swinton, but rather the fact that

he was the father of an excellent individual named Joshua Hummer.

Joshua grew up practicing martial arts and was so talented that at the age of 15, he was able to defeat all of his challengers in the entirety of Swinton.

When he was 18, he had the honor of joining Boulderthorn and was trained under Clement Lincoln.

Now at the age of 25, he was already in the top ranks and dubbed to have a promising future. Not to mention that he was also known as one of the top ten young martial arts masters in the province..

In no time, he was even expected to surpass Tyler, who was regarded as a natural talent!

“Perfect! Then, I will let Dustin live for a few more days. Once Brother returns, I will make sure he’ll be begging for his life once I’m done with him!” Tina laughed maniacally.

To Tina, her brother was a god who had the power to do anything for her. No matter how difficult the task was, he could get it done as if it was a walk in the park. Thus, wouldn’t it be a breeze to deal with a mere martial artist this time around?

“Sir Hummer, since Joshua is scheduled to return, then we shouldn’t fear Dustin anymore. I propose that our main target now be the Harmon family instead! The production of Eternumax is being rushed and is taking shape now, so now should be the ideal time for us to launch our attack.” Mr. Lawson suggested.

“Good idea! Schedule a press conference to announce our new pill in three days then. Since Natasha is willing to give her face away. I’ll make sure she never recovers from this! Edwin proclaimed as he balled up one of his hands into a fist. He had balled it up so hard that one could hear his finger bones crackle. At best, Dustin was just a stumbling block, while Natasha was a thorn in his side. He must get rid of both of them as soon as possible!