An Understated Dominance - Chapter 348

“Wha-” Dustin’s smile vanished as soon as he saw who entered the room. His expression turned hostile. “Who let you in? Get out!”

“Don’t get it twisted; I’m just here to see my daughter-in-law. This has nothing to do with you,” Rufus replied, chuckling as he walked in.

“Do you two know each other?” Dahlia asked, looking confused as she glanced between them.

“You’re Dahlia, right? What a beauty you are!” Rufus said, beaming. “Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Dustin’s father, your father-in-law.”

“Dustin’s father?” Dahlia was shocked. Although Dustin was quite good-looking, the man standing before her was not. They looked completely different.

“What? We don’t look alike?” Rufus laughed. “He takes after his mom, so it makes sense. If he looked like me, he probably wouldn’t have such a beautiful wife!”

“Don’t say that, Mr. Rhys. You have a certain charm about you,” Dahlia said, feeling a bit embarrassed that he noticed her doubts.

“Rufus Rhys, you’ve seen who you came to meet. Now, please leave. You’re not welcome here,” Dustin suddenly declared.

“Hey, that’s rude!” Dahlia shot Dustin a glare. Then, she turned to Rufus with an apologetic smile. “Mr. Rhys, Dustin is just having a bad day. Please, have a seat. I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

“Great!” Rufus grinned.

“Hmph, another freeloader,” Florence said, eyeing Rufus critically. She could tell from his clothes that he wasn’t wealthy. Sure enough, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

**Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree: The Slacker’s Father Was a Bum Too**

“This must be my in-law. Unfortunately, I don’t have much for you. Since this is our first meeting, I brought you a small gift. Please don’t mind it.” Rufus took out a box from his pocket and handed it to her.

Florence was amazed when she opened the box. Inside was a sapphire the size of an egg, clear and beautiful. “This isn’t a fake stone, is it?” she asked, her doubt evident. It was hard to believe that such a large sapphire could be real, especially since even smaller sapphires were rare.

“No way! This is a family heirloom,” Rufus laughed.

“An heirloom? That’s amazing!” Florence’s face lit up with a big smile at his words. She thought it was foolish of him to give her something so valuable.

“How do you know such an important person?” she asked, still skeptical.

“I helped him out before, so I guess he’s just returning the favor,” Dustin chimed in with a chuckle.

Adam had been a sickly kid who often faced bullying. Dustin used to stand up for him, confronting the rich bullies from Stonia and teaching them a lesson. Because of this, he earned the nickname “vile demon.”

“I never would have guessed you were connected to someone so significant. How did I not know this before?” Dahlia asked, intrigued.

“These are old stories. There’s no point in bringing them up,” Dustin replied, shaking his head.

“Alright then. I won’t dig too much into your past. But please, in the future, don’t act rashly,” Dahlia said earnestly. “It’s not safe.”

Every day, you get help from people like him. But if you ask Mr. Spanner for favors too often, he might not want to help you anymore. You need to learn to depend on yourself.

“I know what I’m doing, so don’t worry,” Dustin said with a smile.

Just then, a hunched, gray-haired man knocked on the door and walked in. It was Rufus Rhys, the King of Theswe!

Chapter 348

Dustin’s smile vanished the moment he saw Rufus. Anger replaced his friendly expression. “Who let you in? Get out!” he shouted.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just here to see my daughter-in-law. This is none of your business,” Rufus said cheerfully as he entered.

“Do you know each other?” Dahlia asked, looking confused between the two.

“You must be Dahlia! What a beauty you are!” Rufus exclaimed with a big smile. “Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Dustin’s father, your father-in-law.”

“Dustin’s father?” Dahlia was surprised. While Dustin was quite handsome, Rufus was the opposite. They looked nothing alike.

“What? We don’t look similar?” Rufus laughed casually. “He takes after his mom, so it makes sense we don’t match. If he looked like me, he might not have found such a beautiful wife like you.”

“Don’t say that, Mr. Rhys. You have a strong presence,” Dahlia replied, feeling a bit awkward that he noticed her hesitation.

“Rufus Rhys! You’ve met the person you came to see. Now, please leave! You’re not welcome here!” Dustin shouted suddenly.

“Hey, watch it!” Rufus replied, taken aback.

“That’s rude!” Dahlia shot Dustin a glare. Then, she quickly turned and smiled at Rufus. “Mr. Rhys, Dustin’s just in a bad mood today. Don’t mind him. Please, have a seat! I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

“Great!” Rufus replied with a grin.

“Hmph! Another freeloader!” Florence looked Rufus up and down, studying him with a superior attitude. She noticed his clothes and figured he wasn’t wealthy. Just like his father, who was a good-for-nothing.

“This must be my in-law! Unfortunately, I don’t have much to offer you. But since this is our first meeting, I have a little gift for you. Please don’t mind it.” Rufus pulled out a small box from his pocket and handed it to her.

Florence gasped when she opened the box. Inside lay a sapphire the size of an egg, sparkling and flawless. “This… it can’t be real, can it?” she asked, astonished.

Florence found it hard to believe that such a large sapphire could be genuine. It was already rare to find a sapphire the size of a fingernail, so this one was shocking.

“No way. This is a family heirloom,” Rufus laughed.

“An heirloom? That’s amazing!” Florence’s expression brightened. She thought it was foolish of him to give her something so valuable.

“How do you know such a prominent person?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I helped him before, so I suppose he’s just returning the favor,” Dustin chuckled.

As a kid, Adam had been sickly and often bullied. Dustin used to stand up for him against the rich, arrogant kids of Stonia, even earning the nickname “vile demon” for his trouble.

“I would never have guessed you were connected to someone like him,” Florence said, surprised.

“Why didn’t I know about this important person before?” Dahlia asked, intrigued.

“These are old stories. There’s no reason to talk about them,” Dustin replied, shaking his head.

“Okay, I won’t dig into your past too much. But please, think twice before you act,” Dahlia said seriously. “It’s not every day you get help from someone like him. If you keep bothering Mr. Spanner, he might not want to help you again. You need to be able to depend on yourself.”

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” Dustin said with a smile.

Just then, a hunched, middle-aged man with gray hair knocked on the door and walked in. It was Rufus Rhys, the King of Theswe!