An Understated Dominance - Chapter 205

Dahlia frowned as she slowly returned to her senses. Watching her mom, Florence, hop around with so much energy surprised her. “Mom, I thought you said you broke your hands and feet? How can you stand?”

Florence’s smile froze for a moment. “Huh? Oh, when I saw Julie, I got a little too emotional and forgot about the pain for a bit. I should really lie back down and rest.”

With that, she limped towards the bed.

But it was clear to Dahlia that her mom was not convincing anyone.

“Mom, are you really fine and just pretending to be hurt in front of me?!” Dahlia’s expression darkened.

“How can I be fine? Didn’t you see how Dustin hit me?” Florence held her head, pretending to be in pain again. “My head is starting to hurt again!”

“You said you have a concussion and broken limbs. Where’s the hospital case file? Show it to me!” Dahlia insisted.

Florence and James exchanged a look, both speechless.

Dahlia noticed their silence. “So, you two have been lying to me the whole time? Why?” She bit her lip.

“Fine. I’m not hurt! So what?” Florence admitted, dropping her act. “Even though I’m okay, it’s still true that he attacked us. You saw the video. That can’t be fake!”

“That’s right! Dahlia, look at my face. He did this to me!” James added, playing along.

“Give me your phone!” Dahlia demanded, her expression serious.

“W-what do you need my phone for?” James asked, feeling uneasy.

“Just give it to me!”

Without waiting for a response, Dahlia grabbed the phone from his hands. She searched for the full video and played it loudly.

As she watched, her body began to tremble from head to toe as she grasped the entire situation.

Dahlia finally realized why her brother had been beaten up. It wasn’t Dustin who was ungrateful; it was her mother and brother who had crossed the line by going to his door and causing trouble.

“Why? Why did you all lie to me?!” Dahlia shouted, her anger boiling over.

“Dahlia, we didn’t lie! That guy was wrong to hit us. Even if we started it, he had no right to fight back! Just because we hit him doesn’t mean we can’t teach him a lesson!” Florence defended herself, as if her actions were perfectly fine.

“You—you’re unbelievable!” Dahlia yelled, furious. She couldn’t believe her mother could be so unreasonable and mean.

It was clear that they were at fault, but they were still blaming Dustin, twisting the truth to mislead her.

“Okay, even if we acted impulsively, that guy is still responsible too. If he hadn’t framed Julie, we wouldn’t have gone there to confront him! He deserved what he got!” Florence insisted, hands on her hips.

Just then, a middle-aged man in uniform stepped out of the police car parked in front of their house.

“Are you Julie Amberson’s family?” he asked. “I’m Chief Aspen Cruiser. About Julie’s medicine theft case, Mr. Rhys has decided not to pursue it, but you need to ensure she learns her lesson and doesn’t make the same mistake again. If Mr. Rhys hadn’t intervened, Julie could have faced serious consequences. Do you understand?” he warned them sternly.

“Mr. Rhys?”

Florence and the others exchanged puzzled looks. “Wasn’t it Mr. Laney Sr. who helped Julie?”

“Who’s that? I’ve never heard of him,” Aspen replied, his expression blank.

At that moment, everyone turned to look at Matt.

Matt felt embarrassed as everyone stared at him. It was as if someone had slapped him on both cheeks. This was so humiliating!

“Chief Cruiser, can you tell us who this ‘Mr. Rhys’ is that you mentioned?” Florence asked, still in disbelief.

Aspen raised an eyebrow. “Who else could it be? It’s Dustin Rhys. Who else would help you?”

As soon as he said that, the room fell silent.

“D–Dustin Rhys? How could it be him?!” Florence and the others exchanged glances, their faces showing shock. They never thought that it wasn’t Matt who saved Julie, but the person they had called ungrateful.

This was a big surprise!

“So Dustin never framed Julie, and you all were the ones talking badly about him?” Dahlia asked, standing still with a blank expression. Her face was pale.

“W–who talked badly about him? I’m sure he feels guilty about what he did, so now he’s trying to make it up to us!” Florence insisted, refusing to back down. She was used to being in charge and didn’t want to admit she had been wrong about Dustin.

That would be too embarrassing.

“Mom, it’s already come to this, and you still want to defend yourself?” Dahlia said, biting her lip. Her heart was heavy.

“How am I defending myself? If that Rhys guy didn’t frame Julie, why would he have saved her? He’s just feeling guilty!” Florence argued angrily.

“That’s right! If he didn’t do it, then why did he save her?” James chimed in.

“I’ve really had enough of you!

“Guys!” Dahlia finally let her emotions spill out.

“Why do you always pick on Dustin? What did he ever do to you? Why do you have to start fights with him? In our three years of marriage, he has been honest and easy to get along with, yet you always blame him for everything. Can’t you see how good he is?” By the end of her outburst, she was practically shouting.

Everyone stood frozen in shock.

After that, Dahlia couldn’t take it anymore. She opened the door and walked out.

She got into her car and drove away quickly.

But her tears kept flowing.

She felt regret.

She really regretted it.

She regretted acting so impulsively, regretted listening to her mother, and regretted misunderstanding Dustin.

—

Chapter 205

“You guys are unbelievable!” Dahlia was furious. She never thought her mother could be so unfair and cruel.

Even when it was her own fault, her mother twisted the truth and blamed Dustin.

“Fine! Maybe we were impulsive, but that doesn’t mean Dustin isn’t at fault too. If he hadn’t framed Julie, we wouldn’t have come to confront him. He brought this on himself!” Florence shouted, hands on her hips.

Just then, a middle-aged man in uniform stepped out of a police car that had stopped in front of their house.

“You must be Julie Amberson’s family, right? I’m Chief Aspen Cruiser. About Julie’s medicine theft case, Mr. Rhys has chosen not to pursue it. However, you still need to ensure she learns her lesson and doesn’t make this mistake again. If Mr. Rhys hadn’t spoken up today, Julie would probably have continued down this path.”

Aspen looked at everyone with a serious expression. “You need to understand this: you might be in trouble for a few more years.”

“Mr. Rhys?” Florence asked, confused.

The others exchanged glances. “Wasn’t it Mr. Laney Sr. who helped Julie?” one of them wondered aloud.

“Who’s that? I don’t know him,” Aspen replied, his face showing no emotion.

At that moment, everyone turned their eyes to Matt. It dawned on them that it wasn’t Phineas Laney who had helped after all. Had they mistakenly thanked the wrong person?

Feeling the weight of their stares, Matt’s face turned red, as if he had been slapped. This was beyond humiliating!

“Chief Cruiser, could you clarify who this ‘Mr. Rhys’ is?” Florence asked, still in disbelief.

Aspen raised an eyebrow. “Who else could it be? It’s Dustin Rhys. Who else would have helped you?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell into an uncomfortable silence.