An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2439

After leaving Dash Corporation, Dustin and Natasha went to the mall to buy gifts for everyone in the Ballard family. They picked out something special for each family member, from the oldest to the youngest toddlers.

Next, they visited an antique shop and chose a beautiful calligraphy painting as a special gift for Simon, Natasha’s grandfather.

By evening, Dustin had everything ready for his first visit to the Ballard estate, located in the center of Oakvale. The estate was a large mansion surrounded by a spacious courtyard.

Simon, the Duke of Lachshire, had three sons and a daughter. His eldest son, Jonathan Ballard, held a government position. The second son, Jensen Ballard, was a successful entrepreneur in the pharmaceutical industry, with billions in assets. The youngest son, Jovian Ballard, had gained recognition in the military and was a third-ranked general. Simon’s youngest daughter, Jessica, who was Natasha’s mother, was very much adored within the family.

Because of this, Natasha was seen as the family’s golden child, treated like a precious gem that everyone wanted to protect. Her success at Dash Corporation was largely thanks to the support from her grandfather and uncles.

When the Ballard family learned that Natasha was bringing her fiancé home, they made sure to prepare well. Simon hurried home, and her three uncles cleared their schedules to meet him.

When Dustin walked into the living room, he was taken aback by the crowd. The room was filled with people from four generations of the Ballard family. It seemed like everyone who could come was there.

The intense stares made him feel a bit uneasy. What was meant to be a simple family dinner felt like a much bigger occasion.

biggest kids in the family, who cheered with joy.

Dustin glanced at Natasha, who was smiling playfully at him. The rest of the family watched them closely, whispering to one another.

“Is this Natasha’s fiancé? He looks like a great guy!” one person said.

“He seems nice, but I hope he’s not just a pretty face,” another added.

“Don’t worry. Natasha has good taste. She wouldn’t be swayed by someone like Anders, the Chosen One,” someone else remarked.

Simon cleared his throat, and the chatter quieted down. It wasn’t polite to gossip with their guest right there.

“Dustin, let me introduce you to my family,” Natasha said, smiling. “This is my grandfather, my grandmother, my uncles—Jonathan, Jensen, and Jovian—and their wives, plus my cousins.”

Dustin greeted everyone politely.

“Grandfather, this is Dustin Rhys. I mentioned him before, and you met him once in Balerno,” Natasha said.

“Ah, yes. He’s a fine young man,” Simon replied, nodding in approval.

He had already looked into Dustin’s background and found that he was intelligent and talented—a good match for Natasha. However, some mystery surrounded Dustin. Despite Simon’s efforts, he hadn’t been able to find out much about him. The more elusive Dustin was, the more Simon felt he was no ordinary man.

“Grandfather, since this is Dustin’s first visit, he brought gifts for everyone,” Natasha announced. She waved her hand, and a group of housekeepers entered, carrying large bags.

Dustin and Natasha began handing out gifts, starting with the oldest family members. They had prepared plenty, so everyone received something. After distributing dozens of gifts, a few remained. Instead of keeping them, they decided to give the extra ones to the oldest kids in the family, who cheered with excitement.

younger kids.

“Hey! You didn’t need to bring all these gifts—you’re too generous!”

“Yeah, Dustin. We’re going to be a family soon. No need for all the formalities.”

“Come on, don’t just stand there. Sit down.”

Jonathan, Jensen, and Jovian were full of excitement. They pulled Dustin into a seat and immediately started asking him questions about his age, job, and where his parents were from.

One after another, they fired off their questions, their curiosity getting the best of them. Dustin smiled and answered each one kindly.

Watching her uncles interrogate Dustin, Natasha felt a bit frustrated. They had just met him, and already they were digging into his life as if they were taking a survey.

Wasn’t that a little rude?

Seeing that Jonathan, Jensen, and Jovian wouldn’t stop, she looked to Simon for help.

“Okay, that’s enough from all of you. It’s almost time to eat. Let’s continue this conversation over dinner,” Simon said, and finally, his three sons quieted down.

Everyone moved to the dining hall. These gatherings usually only happened during holidays or special occasions, but today was different.

Inside the dining hall, two large round tables were filled with food. As the guest of honor, Dustin sat next to Simon at the head of the table.

Just as everyone was about to start eating, the Ballard family’s butler hurried in and whispered to Simon, “My Lord, Anders from the Mosey family has arrived.”

“Anders Mosey? What’s he doing here?” Jonathan frowned.

“Last time, the Moseys talked about a marriage alliance. Do you think he’s here to propose?” Jensen asked suspiciously.

“Hmph! A guy like him wants to marry into our family? Dream on!” Jovian said coldly.

It was clear that none of the three had a good opinion of Anders.

Sure, Anders was one of Oakvale’s…

There were four princes who were successful in every way. They were the kind of men many women dreamed of. However, their character had some flaws.