An Understated Dominance - Chapter 31

Dustin arrived at the Nicholsons’ house around noon. The villa was tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, with colorful flowers and neatly trimmed hedges in the front yard.

Dahlia was outside when he got there. Dustin hoped to slip past her unnoticed, but she spotted him right away.

“Stop! I need to talk to you!” she called out.

“What is it?” Dustin replied, keeping his back turned to her.

“I haven’t told Granddad about our divorce because of his health,” she explained.

“Do you think we can keep it from him?” he asked.

“I’ll tell him when the time is right, but not today,” she said.

“Okay. Anything else?” Dustin asked.

“Nope,” Dahlia said, turning to walk inside without saying anything more.

They didn’t look at each other, acting like strangers.

Taking a deep breath, Dustin followed her inside, holding a bottle of wine. The living room was crowded with people, mostly the Nicholsons.

Only John, Dahlia’s father, was missing; he was still away on his trip.

Sitting in John’s usual spot was a newcomer—Chris Nolan.

“How rude to keep us elders waiting like this,” Florence remarked with a scowl.

“Shh, Mom. He might get upset and hurt you!” James piped up. His face still showed the bruises from yesterday’s incident.

“Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s have dinner,” Henry Nicholson announced with a smile at Dustin. “Come sit next to me, kid.”

“Sure,” Dustin replied, returning the smile as he helped the old man to his seat.

James glared at them, jealousy clear in his eyes. “Kiss-ass!” he muttered, not understanding why his grandfather favored Dustin over him, even though James was the blood-related grandson.

“Come on, let’s all drink!” Henry said, raising his glass.

“Granddad, look at this!” James called as he held up a fancy wine box. “Chris brought this beautiful wine, a fine Grand Cru from La Romanee!”

“Let’s toast with this!” Chris said, holding up a bottle.

“La Romanee Conti? Isn’t that really expensive?” someone asked.

“Yes, it is! It costs a hundred thousand dollars a bottle!” Chris replied proudly.

Everyone gasped in disbelief. The price was far higher than they had imagined. The Harmons were doing well financially, but even they had never tried something so costly.

“Why did you spend so much on this, Chris? That’s a lot of money!” Florence asked, though a hint of pride crept into her voice. After all, Chris was her top choice for a son-in-law.

“Honestly, a hundred thousand isn’t that much for me. I have another barrel of this at home, so please enjoy!” Chris grinned like a cat that had just caught a mouse, clearly pleased with himself.

“Mr. Nolan, you’re very generous,” someone remarked.

“Yeah, we’re in for a real treat tonight!” another chimed in.

The family started praising Chris for the wine, which only boosted his confidence.

“Hey, look at how sincere James is. His wine costs a hundred thousand dollars. But what about yours, huh? Did you buy it from the dollar store?” Florence teased, playfully kicking James in the calf.

“Why don’t we take a look?” James suggested with a mischievous smile. He quickly opened Dustin’s box of wine.