An Understated Dominance - Chapter 218

“Hello? Hello!” Matt said, holding his phone to his ear, confused. He had only mentioned Dustin’s name, so why did Tina sound so scared?

What Matt didn’t know was that Tina was still shaken from the time Dustin slapped her. Instead of getting her revenge, she had to beg for his forgiveness, which was both humiliating and terrifying for her.

Tina was bitter about it, but she couldn’t do anything to Dustin because her family was too afraid to seek revenge until her brother came back. Dustin was strong enough to easily defeat a martial arts expert like Mr. Milfroy. If he lost control, he could wipe out the entire Hummer family in no time. Because of this fear, Tina trembled every time Dustin’s name was mentioned.

“What did Ms. Hummer say, Matt?” Phineas asked as he noticed his son looking dazed.

“Damn! That girl is scared of Rhys. There’s no way she’ll lend us money,” Matt said with a scowl.

“The daughter of the Hummer family is afraid of that brat? Is it because of the Harmon family?” Phineas wondered out loud.

“Maybe,” Matt replied, deep in thought. He couldn’t think of any other reason.

“This is a problem…” Phineas frowned. “Our family is in trouble if we don’t get money soon. We might have to apologize to that brat.”

“Apologize? No way!” Matt shouted. “Why should we bow down to someone like him? I’d rather suffer!”

“Don’t be reckless, Matt!” Phineas warned seriously. “He has the Harmon family behind him, and now he has Roderick Brooks’ support too. If you do anything to him, we’ll be in even bigger trouble!”

Unfortunately, Matt didn’t listen. He had lost to Dustin too many times, and today’s events only added to his anger.

Hatred toward Dustin was at its highest.

“Matt, let me handle this. You should take a break for the next two days. Just stay out of trouble,” Phineas told his son firmly. Matt didn’t respond; he was already thinking about how to get back at Dustin.

Soon, night fell.

Inside the Midnight Rose bar, Dahlia was drinking shot after shot in a corner.

Lyra sat next to her, looking worried. This was the first time she had seen Dahlia like this.

Dahlia refused to go back to work or care about anything. She had completely let go of her strong persona and was drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

Lyra had heard that this was all because of Dustin, but was it really worth it?

Chapter 218

“Please stop drinking, Ms. Nicholson. Let’s go back. Your mother is worried about you,” Lyra pleaded.

“Leave me alone. I just want to keep drinking. All my worries disappear when I’m drunk,” Dahlia said with a hollow laugh before downing another shot.

Lyra felt helpless. Dahlia was under a lot of pressure from her family and was struggling with her feelings for Dustin.

Dahlia knew she had misunderstood him, but she didn’t know how to explain that. In fact, she was scared to face Dustin and see his cold expression. So, she turned to alcohol to numb her feelings.

She was a strong leader in business, but when it came to her personal life, she felt like a failure. Even though she understood that she had been the one who misunderstood Dustin, her pride stopped her from apologizing. Instead, she hoped that Dustin would come to her and ask for forgiveness.

“So this is where you are, Dahlia,” Matt said as he entered the bar and quickly spotted the two women.

“Mr. Laney, you’re here! Please help her. She can’t handle this much alcohol!” Lyra said urgently as she stood up to greet Matt. She felt overwhelmed.

Matt was a much better choice than Dustin.

“Please get her some water, Lyra. I’ll talk to her,” Matt said with a reassuring smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Laney,” Lyra replied and quickly went to fetch the water.

“Why are you drinking so much, Dahlia?” Matt asked, looking worried.

“It’s none of your business. Just go away!” Dahlia responded, her eyes glassy but her tone icy.

For a moment, Matt’s smile faltered, but he quickly regained his composure.

Without anyone noticing, he slipped a pill into her wine. “You still want to drink, right, Dahlia? Let me join you,” he said, pouring her another glass.

Dahlia, already tipsy, didn’t notice anything unusual and gulped down the drink without hesitation. Soon, her head felt heavy, and her vision started to blur, causing her to sway slightly.

“Mr. Laney, I think Ms. Nicholson is drunk,” Lyra said as she returned.

“It’s alright. I’ll send her home now. Her family is worried sick,” Matt promised with a kind smile.

“Alright. Thanks, Mr. Laney,” Lyra said, not thinking twice about it, and helped carry Dahlia into Matt’s car. Since the car only had two seats, she could only watch as the headlights disappeared into the night.

“Finally, you’re mine,” Matt said with a sinister smile as they drove towards the hotel. “You love acting so tough, huh? Well, tonight will be different.”