An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2448

At the Ballard estate, Dustin received a warm welcome to stay after dinner. It was the first time Natasha had brought her boyfriend home, and the Ballards were excited about it.

Simon, Natasha’s grandfather, took the couple to the study for a chat over tea. He noticed right away that Dustin was not just any martial artist. His good manners, thoughtful speech, and wide-ranging knowledge made him stand out.

“Dustin, I fully support your relationship with Natasha. Your background or status doesn’t matter. What matters is that you two are happy together,” Simon said.

He paused and added, “I want you to know that Natasha has been pampered all her life and hasn’t faced much hardship. Now that she’s with you, I hope you’ll take good care of her.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Ballard. I would never let her down,” Dustin replied sincerely.

Although they had known each other for a while and hadn’t taken their relationship to the next level yet, their feelings for each other were clear. Natasha had shown him unwavering loyalty, and he was determined to always support her.

“Grandfather, you don’t need to worry. I have a knack for choosing the right people,” Natasha said with a proud smile.

“You rascal, I’m not worried about you being mistreated. But I do wonder, what if Dustin picks up some of your bad habits?” Simon teased.

“Grandfather, why are you being so negative? Don’t you worry I won’t find someone to marry?” Natasha pouted, clearly annoyed.

Simon laughed heartily. “A Ballard daughter never has trouble finding a good match. Worst case, we can skip the wedding gifts and just give the groom a little extra from the family’s wealth.”

“That might be too generous for him,” Natasha said, giving Dustin a playful glance.

“Speaking of marriage, Dustin, what do you think? If you’re on board, we should set up a time for our families to meet and start planning. It’s best to move forward,” Simon said, shifting the topic.

Simon knew that Oakvale was becoming unstable, and he worried about the future of the Ballard family. While things were still calm, marrying off Natasha would be one less concern for him.

“Mr. Ballard, I have a lot on my plate right now, so I can’t commit to anything just yet. But I promise I’ll give you a clear answer in three months,” Dustin replied.

He hadn’t finished gathering all the Dracan essence, and with the nation’s future at stake, he needed to stay focused. Plus, he had to talk to West Lucozia and let Rufus know since it involved both families.

“Your words give me peace of mind,” Simon nodded.

Three months wasn’t a long time. If everything went well, Dustin and Natasha could be married by the end of the year.

“By the way, Grandpa, has something happened at home? I haven’t seen Uncle Jonathan or the others,” Natasha suddenly asked.

Earlier, while they were having dinner, members of the Mosey family had shown up unexpectedly. After that, Jonathan, Jensen, and Jovian left and didn’t return, which made her curious.

“There’s been a bit of trouble, but it’s nothing serious. Don’t worry,” Simon said with a reassuring smile.

“Grandfather, you’ve seemed worried since we sat down for dinner. That doesn’t sound small. If something is bothering you, why not share it with us? Maybe we can help,” she suggested.

“We can’t hide anything from you, can we?” Simon chuckled and shook his head. He had hoped to keep this from her.

the Ballard family to gather more information. They both want to understand what’s really happening and how we can protect ourselves,” Simon explained.

Natasha nodded, absorbing the information. “So, we’re waiting to see what they find out before we make any moves?”

“Exactly,” Simon replied. “But time is running out. We need to figure this out before the situation escalates.”

Natasha thought for a moment, her mind racing with possibilities. “What if we reach out to other families too? Maybe we can form a group to strengthen our position.”

“That’s a good idea,” Simon said, his eyes lighting up. “If we can unite with others who feel the same way, we might have a better chance of standing our ground.”

“Let’s start gathering information and allies then,” Natasha suggested. “We can’t let the Moseys or anyone else push us around.”

Simon smiled, feeling reassured. “I knew you’d have a plan. Let’s get to work.”

With a shared determination, they began to brainstorm their next steps, ready to face the challenges ahead.

Simon replied openly, “I asked Jovian to go to West Lucozia last night to gather information about the Fallon family.”

“West Lucozia?” Dustin raised an eyebrow, wondering if Simon had sent Jovian to meet with the Rhys family.