An Understated Dominance - Chapter 32

The wines were quickly unboxed for everyone to see.

“Ugh, and here I thought they were decent quality. They look like just craft brews. I bet they’re worth no more than two thousand dollars,” James said, his face filled with disgust. “How could these possibly compare to Grand Crus?”

“Craft brews have lost their value on the market. We wouldn’t even give our servants these!” someone else chimed in.

Craft brews weren’t that bad in quality, but they couldn’t hold a candle to Grand Crus.

“What a cheapskate!” Florence scoffed.

“How can craft brews be cheap when they’re becoming popular in the country? Is your taste in fine wine only for those made overseas?” Dustin replied casually.

“How can they not be cheap when they only cost a couple thousand? Chris’s wines are over a hundred thousand dollars,” James rolled his eyes.

“Wines don’t have to be expensive to be good. Plus, you don’t even know how much my wines cost,” Dustin said.

“Are you still trying to defend yourself?” James sneered.

Florence frowned. “Hmph! So stubborn.”

“I’m not going to waste my time explaining this to people who won’t listen,” Dustin said, feeling frustrated.

“Enough! What matters most is the flavor, not the price. I personally prefer whites over reds,” Henry finally interrupted. He opened one of the craft brews and poured himself a glass.

“Wait, why is it so yellow? Shouldn’t craft brews be pale?” someone asked.

“It’s murky too! Is it even real?” another person questioned.

“My goodness, bringing fake wine to dinner! What kind of person would do that?”

People started whispering among themselves, looking at the yellow liquid in the old man’s glass.

“Now you’ve really done it! How dare you mock us all with this?”

“Sham of a gift?!” Florence shouted, slamming her hand on the table.

“What if something happens to us after drinking it?!” she added, her voice rising with worry.

“I never thought he could be so cruel! Is he trying to poison us?”

The table erupted in chaos.

Cheap wine was already embarrassing, but fake wine? That was a disaster waiting to happen!

The old man, usually calm, was at a loss for words. He didn’t drink much craft beer, but even he could see that the wine Dustin brought was all wrong. It was yellow and looked cloudy, not the pale, clear color it should have been.

“This is how fine-aged craft brews usually look,” Dustin insisted.

“Bullshit!” James shouted. “Do you think we’re stupid? No wine looks like this! It looks like piss!”

“Yeah! Why do you keep lying?” Florence added, glaring at him.

Chris shook his head, pretending to be sympathetic. “Oh, Dustin. You should have told me if you couldn’t bring anything decent. I could have lent you a bottle. Why would you want to embarrass us like this?” Inside, he was thrilled; Dustin was no match for him. Winning over this family felt too easy.

“I don’t care if you trust me or not. This wine is real and it’s good,” Dustin said firmly.

Just then, a man walked in through the doorway, still in his business suit and carrying several gifts.

“Dad? You’re back from your trip already?” James exclaimed.

It was John Nicholson, Dahlia’s father.

“Well, the deal was a

“Success, so I came home, Carly,” John said with a smile. He noticed the wines on the table. “Oh, is that La Romanee? I think it’s a recent brew, but it must cost at least a hundred thousand dollars a bottle, right?”

“Good guess, Dad! You’re right!” James said proudly.

“Dear, Chris brought this over for dinner. Isn’t he sweet?” Florence chimed in, then turned to glare at Dustin. “Unlike some people who tried to poison us with fake wine!”

“Fake wine?” John exclaimed, surprised.

“Yeah, look!” James showed his father the glass of yellow liquid. “Dustin brought this for dinner. If we hadn’t caught it in time, who knows what would have happened if we drank it?”

John sniffed the wine closely and then drank the entire glass in one gulp.

“Dad, what are you doing? Don’t drink that! You’ll hurt yourself!” James shouted.

But John seemed to be enjoying the taste. “A smooth, creamy body, followed by a rich finish. This isn’t fake. This is a priceless aged craft brew!”

“What?!” Everyone gasped in shock.