An Understated Dominance - Chapter 148

“What, me?” Julie asked, surprised as everyone turned to look at her. She felt stunned and couldn’t think of what to say. She was just there to watch the show, so why was she being dragged into this mess?

“Tell us everything you saw, and don’t hold back, Julie. I want to see how this punk can talk his way out of this!” Florence said, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, Julie! Just tell us what you know. We need to reveal this punk for all his lies!” the Nicholsons chimed in.

“Um—” Julie began, but then she hesitated.

Her hesitation made the crowd uneasy. Matt, in particular, felt his heart racing and sweat forming on his forehead. He was already terrified after Dustin revealed the truth; if Julie also spoke out against him, he would be in big trouble.

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

“Stop this nonsense, Dustin! Save some face for yourself,” Dahlia reprimanded him with a frown.

“There’s no need to be afraid, Julie. Your aunt will support you no matter what, so just tell us what you saw!” Florence said, suddenly acting protective.

“About last night…” Julie started, pausing for a moment. After a few seconds, she gathered her courage and looked everyone in the eye. “Last night, I saw nothing and don’t know anything about what happened. All I know is that Dustin was the one who beat up Ms. Hummer!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Dustin froze. He never expected Julie to turn the story upside down like that in front of everyone.

“Did you hear that, Rhys? This is the whole truth! I can’t wait to see how you’re going to talk your way out of this!” Florence shouted, her voice even louder than before.

“Not only are you ungrateful, but you even repay kindness with evil, Dustin! You’re truly shameless!” The Nicholsons shook their heads in disappointment, looking at him with disdain.

Now that the proof was clear, there was no way for him to argue his way out of this situation.

“Ugh.” Dahlia sighed, disappointment showing on her face. She had given him so many chances to back down, yet he remained as stubborn as ever. It was almost as if he wanted all of this to happen.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done anything to offend you, so why do you keep slandering my name, Dustin? Luckily, Julie has a good character and helped me clear my name today. If not, I don’t know how I could recover from this!” Matt said, pretending to be angry. He had been on edge the entire time, but now he felt secretly relieved.

“You know exactly what you did, so stop pretending,” Dustin snapped, then turned to Julie. “And you, I don’t understand why you’re lying. You know what kind of person Matt is. If you want to see your cousin get hurt, I have nothing else to say.”

“Stop talking nonsense! What did I lie about? You were the one who hit Ms. Hummer!” Julie insisted stubbornly.

“Rhys! Now that your plan to slander has failed, are you threatening people? Do you really think we’re afraid of you?” Florence shouted angrily.

“Stop this madness, Dustin! Stop making a fool of yourself!”

“Already!” Dahlia exclaimed, wishing Dustin could see the truth of the situation.

Dustin sighed. “Since you all don’t believe me, let’s pretend I didn’t say anything today. I’m leaving now.” He turned to walk away, feeling disappointed. He never asked for thanks or rewards, but their reaction hurt.

“Hold it right there!” Matt shouted. “You’ve slandered my name before, and now you think you can just walk away without apologizing? Aren’t you being a bit pretentious?”

Matt had never liked Dustin, but he usually kept his feelings hidden. Now, with a chance to confront him, he wasn’t going to let it pass.

“You want me to apologize? Why should I? You don’t deserve it,” Dustin scoffed.

“You’re not going anywhere until you apologize!” Matt growled, blocking the doorway with a fierce look.

Having practiced martial arts for years, Matt felt confident he could easily handle Dustin.

“Is that so? Let’s see if you can really stop me,” Dustin replied coldly, then pushed past Matt and walked out the door.

“Thinking of leaving? I’d like to see you try!” Matt yelled angrily as he grabbed Dustin’s shoulder and shoved him hard, hoping to teach him a lesson.

“How dare you touch me?” Dustin said coldly as he turned around. With one swift motion, he slapped Matt hard across the face, sending him flying backward. Two of Matt’s teeth flew out of his mouth.

“Y-you…!”

“Are you really going to hit someone right now, Rhys?” Florence gasped in shock. She couldn’t believe Dustin would be so bold as to attack someone in public.

“He’s an animal! Just an animal!” she exclaimed.

Chapter 148

“Matt saved your life, and this is how you repay him? You’re worse than a dog!”

Angry shouts erupted from the crowd directed at Dustin. Everything would have been fine if he hadn’t touched Matt, but once he did, everyone felt free to voice their outrage.

“Are you out of your mind, Dustin? Why are you hitting people now?” Dahlia frowned as she rushed to help Matt up from the floor.

It was unbelievable that he had turned his embarrassment into anger and resorted to violence in public.

“Can’t you see he started it?” Dustin shot back, grimacing.

“He barely touched you! Why did you have to retaliate so harshly?” Dahlia asked, glaring at him.

“So, it’s okay for him to act that way, but when I respond, I’m the worst person ever?” Dustin sneered.

“You’re just trying to twist things! I demand that you apologize to Matt right now!” Dahlia insisted, her eyes narrowing.

“What if I don’t want to?” Dustin replied, his expression hardening.

“Then I’ll make you!” Dahlia yelled, and in a fit of anger, she slapped him across the face.