An Understated Dominance - Chapter 20
The next morning, in the luxurious private room at the Mirage, Natasha said, “Mr. Rhys, thank you for protecting me. Here is the canscora you wanted. Please take a look.”
She placed a beautiful wooden box on the table and pushed it toward him.
“What’s this?” Dustin asked, opening the box. Inside, he found a blood-red canscora that looked like a dragon’s tooth. It was unusual and caught his attention. He took a gentle sniff, and its strong scent filled his nose. “It really is a canscora! Thank you, Ms. Harmon!”
Dustin’s face brightened. He had spent years searching for rare herbs, and now he had found another one. There were still five herbs left to collect. If he could find them all, there was hope!
“You’re welcome. You deserve it. Actually, I should be thanking you,” Natasha replied with a smile.
“Ms. Harmon, I have a favor to ask. If you find any rare herbs in the future, please contact me right away. I’m willing to pay well for them!” Dustin said seriously.
“Of course! But I’m curious, why are you collecting these herbs?” Natasha asked hesitantly.
“To save someone,” Dustin answered after a moment of thought.
He continued, “I have a friend who is seriously injured, and I need these rare herbs to help him.”
“Oh no! What happened to him? Even you can’t cure him?” Natasha was surprised. She had seen Dustin’s remarkable medical skills before and knew he could perform miracles.
“Medical skills alone aren’t enough. I need specific herbs to treat him,” Dustin explained, shaking his head. He knew that even the best skills couldn’t heal without the right tools.
“I understand,” Natasha said, nodding as she grasped the situation. “I’ll keep an eye out for any rare herbs and contact you immediately if I find anything.”
“Thank you,” Dustin replied gratefully.
“Go ahead, Ms. Harmon,” Dustin said with a slight nod. “No problem. Let’s keep in touch.” Natasha winked back. “Sure. We’ll keep in touch.”
Dustin didn’t stay long. After chatting briefly, he excused himself and left. Twenty minutes later, he found himself in front of Peaceful Medical Center.
Carrying two bottles of alcohol, Dustin walked into the medical center. “Hey, drunkard! Look what I’ve brought you!” he called out as he scanned the room.
He followed the sound of snoring and soon spotted a man with a flushed face sleeping under a table. The man had one eye and a broken leg, looking like a disheveled beggar.
“Hey, wake up!” Dustin shouted, giving him a gentle push. The man rolled over and continued to snore loudly. “You seem to be sleeping pretty soundly,” Dustin remarked with a smirk.
Opening one of the bottles, the strong smell of alcohol quickly filled the room. The sleeping man suddenly jolted awake, hitting his head on the table with a loud thud, breaking it in half!
Ignoring the glass shards, he grabbed the bottle from Dustin’s hand and poured the alcohol into his mouth.
“This is some good stuff!” the one-eyed man sighed, 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!” Dustin insisted.
“Cut the nonsense! Why are you here?” the one-eyed man asked, glaring at him.
“I’ve found another rare herb,” Dustin replied, handing him a box containing the canscora.
“Huh?” The man opened the box and frowned. “Bastard, I told you not to search for…”
“I don’t need herbs anymore. I’m going to die anyway. Dying now or later doesn’t matter.”
“That’s your problem,” Dustin replied with a shrug. “I’m still going to look for herbs. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Why are you so stubborn?” the one-eyed man asked, starting to panic. “Do you know that the Rhys family controls all the important herbs for life-saving medicines? If you keep searching, they will find out!”
“So what?” Dustin said firmly. “I’m not the same person I was ten years ago.”
“Kid, I know you’ve improved and you’re better than them, but the Rhys family is too powerful. You can’t fight them. I don’t want you to get involved again!” the man said sadly.
“Life is about destiny. I’ve been hiding for ten years, and I’m tired of it. I want to live the rest of my life boldly!” Dustin declared with determination.
“You’re going to face many challenges if you choose this path. Your mother wanted you to live a peaceful life,” the man reminded him.
“My mother has passed away and she will never come back. You are the only family I have left. How can I just watch you die?” Dustin shouted.
“My life is worthless. It doesn’t matter!” the man replied.
“Then I’ll die with you!” Dustin exclaimed.
“Why are you so stubborn? Even if you don’t care about yourself, think about your wife. Do you want her to be a widow?” the one-eyed man urged, knowing he had to make a strong point.
He had noticed Dustin’s ambition three years ago, and he even picked a beautiful woman for Dustin to marry, hoping it would settle him down. He always used this argument during their fights, and it usually worked!
“It’s no use. We’re divorced,” Dustin said, shaking his head.
“What? Divorced?” The one-eyed man was shocked.
Now, he couldn’t use Dustin’s wife as a reason anymore.
Dustin was ready to go all-in, and he wouldn’t hold back.
“I’ve made my decision. Whether you like it or not, I’m going through with it. You know me well enough,” Dustin said with confidence.
“Fine. If that’s what you want, then do it,” the one-eyed man replied, waving his hand dismissively. “The worst that could happen is me losing another leg and going completely blind.”
“You won’t go blind. I promise to keep you safe,” Dustin said, clenching his fist with determination in his eyes. Ten years ago, the one-eyed man had saved him. Now, it was Dustin’s turn to protect him.