An Understated Dominance - Chapter 181

“W–was that really a charm?” Everyone stood still, staring at the red snake that Xavier had just thrown up.

One by one, their faces showed disbelief. No one expected Xavier, the respected heir of the Horst family with a bright future, to sink so low just to win someone over.

“Xavier, I can’t believe you’d do this!” Claudia shouted, her voice filled with shock and anger. She felt betrayed for trusting him and almost became part of his deceitful plans.

Xavier stood there, speechless and pale.

The truth was out in the open, and no matter how much he tried to deny it, it wouldn’t change anything.

“Hmph. Thank goodness Dustin saw through your tricks. If he hadn’t, Sheila would have fallen right into your trap!” Ruth said, her face twisted in disgust.

She despised men like Xavier—shameless and desperate enough to use underhanded tactics to win a girl’s affection. It was repulsive!

Sheila remained silent, looking at Xavier with a mix of disgust and awareness.

“So what if I gave her the charm? I did it because I really like Sheila! I’m the best match for her in all of South City! Uncle Caden even treats me like family! I just wanted to speed up our families’ marriage plans, so what’s so wrong with that?” Xavier shouted, clearly frustrated.

“Ugh, you’re such a hypocrite! It doesn’t change the fact that you resorted to such low tactics to get what you want. You’re disgusting!” Ruth spat on the ground.

“What do you—”

“I have true love for Sheila—nothing can compare to it!” Xavier said passionately.

Dustin shot back, “True love? If you really loved her, why did you kidnap Miss Murray in the first place?”

Xavier frowned, confused. “What are you talking about, kid?”

“Miss Murray was attacked twice, and your timing was too perfect. Someone must have tipped you off. Plus, the Serpent Love Charm and the Spider Venom you used came from the same source. It looks like you have connections to the Four Scoundrels,” Dustin explained calmly.

“That’s nonsense!” Xavier yelled.

“If you didn’t do anything wrong, why did you just kill that man?” Dustin challenged.

“I was just worried about Sheila’s safety, so I acted with all my strength!” Xavier insisted stubbornly.

“Is that so? We still have a survivor here. How about we call him to hear his side of the story?” Dustin said as he lifted the injured Wade with one hand.

Fortunately, Wade was still alive and could talk.

“Enough! This ends now!” Claudia shouted suddenly.

“Did you want me to explain myself? Why the sudden change?” Dustin asked with a smirk.

“You better stop if you know what’s best for you, Dustin! Fighting like this helps no one. This is a matter for just the three of us and our families.”

“We’ll figure this out ourselves, so we don’t need anyone from the outside interfering!” Claudia shouted at Dustin.

The Murray, Doyle, and Horst families had been close friends for a long time. Their lives were so connected that if one family faced trouble, the others would too. If the scandal broke today, it wouldn’t just hurt the Horst family’s reputation; it would also damage the Murrays and Doyles.

That’s why, even though it was tough for Sheila at the moment, they had to stop all questions right away.

“Wait, this guy is terrible, and you still want to help him? Have you thought about how Sheila feels?” Ruth yelled back in anger.

“Shut up! You shouldn’t get involved in our matters!” Claudia retorted, clearly annoyed.

“Why you—” Ruth was about to lose her temper again when Dustin stepped in, holding up his hand. “Just let it go. She’s right; this is their problem to fix. It has nothing to do with us.”

“But what about Sheila?” Ruth asked, frowning. She didn’t want her best friend to go through this.

“I’ll be fine, Ruth. I’ve decided to let my father handle it,” Sheila said, forcing a smile.