An Understated Dominance - Chapter 33

“Are you serious, Dad? This can’t be aged wine!” James exclaimed, his eyes wide. “Just look at its yellow color; it must be fake!” Florence added, sounding skeptical.

“You all just haven’t seen brews like this before. Aged craft brews do get this color, and it gets darker the longer it ages. Every wine expert knows that,” John Nicholson said confidently.

The group quieted down. Their doubts faded, especially since it was John, a well-known wine lover, who was speaking. His opinion mattered.

“I had the privilege of tasting a fine wine years ago with a government official, but this one is even better! The body and finish suggest it’s been aged for at least 50 years!” John said, savoring the aftertaste.

“How much would this cost?” James asked, intrigued.

“It’s priceless. You wouldn’t find anyone willing to sell it, even for a fortune. But based on recent auctions, it could be worth at least two million dollars,” John replied.

“Two million?!” Everyone gasped in disbelief. They had never heard of wine costing that much! Chris’ Grand Cru seemed cheap in comparison.

“N-no way!” Florence shook her head. “Are you sure about this, John? How could Dustin afford something like this?”

“Yeah! He can’t even buy a nice pair of pants, let alone something so expensive!” James added, and the table agreed.

“Good point. How could someone like him have that much money?” someone else chimed in.

“Hmm… Dustin, where did you get this wine?” John asked gently.

“A friend gave it to me,” Dustin replied honestly.

“Gave it to you?” Florence frowned. “How could someone like you have friends rich enough to buy something like this? Even if…”

“Why would they give it to you in the first place? I bet you stole it!” James exclaimed, eager to accuse Dustin.

“Yeah, he must’ve stolen it!” he added, nodding vigorously. James couldn’t believe that Dustin could afford such nice wine, even if it was a gift from a friend.

“Why did you have to steal this of all things, Dustin? Do you know how many years you could spend in prison for theft?” Chris chimed in, pretending to care.

Dustin was frustrated. How could someone like him have something so valuable?

“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. I didn’t steal it, and that’s enough for me,” Dustin replied flatly. First, they called his wine cheap, and now they were accusing him of stealing it. Next, they might say he blackmailed Natasha into giving it to him. There was no point in explaining any further.

“Hah! Where’s your excuse now? I knew you stole this!” Florence shouted.

“You thief! I can’t believe you stole this just to impress us!” James added, playing along.

“Whatever. I got this wine for Granddad only, so you don’t have to drink any if you don’t want to!” Dustin rolled his eyes, tired of the accusations.

“Enough, all of you! I trust Dustin completely, and I know he didn’t steal this wine, so stop it!” Henry finally shouted. “But Granddad…”

“Be quiet! Eat your food!” the old man ordered again. Finally, everyone fell silent, including Florence and James, who still doubted that Dustin had obtained the wine lawfully.

Dinner began, even though everyone had taken their turn at criticizing him.

Even though Dustin didn’t drink, his family eagerly enjoyed the craft brew. Even those who usually avoided alcohol took a few sips.

After all, this brew was worth over two million dollars, a rare treat they had never tasted before. Why would they pass up such a chance?

Dustin couldn’t help but chuckle at how determined his family was.

Soon, dinner wrapped up.