An Understated Dominance - Chapter 7

“Is he awake?” Everyone was shocked when Andrew opened his eyes. The doctors couldn’t believe their eyes as they saw Andrew’s vital signs were all normal. Who would have thought that a young man like Dustin could cure a mysterious illness that had baffled the whole medical team? It was unbelievable!

“That’s amazing! Grandfather is awake!” Ruth cried tears of joy at seeing her grandfather recover. Natasha let out a sigh of relief.

“Mr. Rhys, I can’t thank you enough for this. From now on, you are an honored guest of the Harmon family!” Ruth bowed deeply to Dustin.

“You’re welcome, Ms. Harmon. It was no trouble at all,” Dustin replied with a small smile. But his humble words angered Dr. Jansen. He and his team had done everything they could to help Andrew, and this young man called it “no trouble at all?” It felt like an insult!

“Hey, you! What’s the deal with the centipede? Why was there a centipede in my grandfather’s body?” Ruth asked.

“This isn’t just any centipede. It’s a venomous curse,” Dustin explained as he looked at Andrew. “Mr. Harmon, where have you been lately? Have you eaten anything unusual?”

“You’re right. A few days ago, I was at a party in Millsburg and drank some wine,” Andrew replied.

“If I’m not mistaken, you might have been cursed,” Dustin said.

“Cursed?” Andrew was shocked. The others exchanged surprised glances. It wasn’t every day someone got cursed.

“Don’t talk nonsense! It’s ridiculous to think this is a curse! Mr. Harmon must have accidentally eaten centipede eggs!” Dr. Jansen interrupted.

“Dr. Jansen, any normal centipede eggs would have been broken down by stomach acid! It’s fine if you’re not familiar with this, but don’t spread false information,” Dustin shot back.

“Information!” Dustin replied calmly.

“Y-You…” Dr. Jansen fell silent when he saw Natasha’s fierce glare. “Mr. Rhys, thank you for your diagnosis. I will look into this further,” Natasha said seriously.

She had heard about venomous curses before, but she had never experienced one herself. Who would have thought her grandfather was suffering from this? Natasha was determined to make the people responsible pay for what they had done!

“Now that the curse is lifted, you should give him this prescription for five days to help remove the toxins from his body,” Dustin wrote on a piece of paper.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Rhys,” Natasha said, taking the prescription gratefully.

“Alright, I’ll take my leave now since there’s nothing more I can do.” Dustin stood up to leave. “Let me walk you out.” Natasha stood up as well.

“Sis, what should I do with these insects?” Ruth asked. “Dr. Jansen said he wanted to eat them. Since he requested it, we must fulfill his wish! Everyone, make sure he eats all those insects before we leave!” Natasha said coldly.

“What?” Dr. Jansen turned pale. Meanwhile, in another hospital room, chaos was happening again.

“Mom! How could Rhys hit me? Please, you have to teach him a lesson!” James complained from his hospital bed, his head tightly wrapped in bandages, leaving only his nose and mouth visible.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he pays for it!” Florence comforted James gently.

“Mrs. Nicholson, it’s unbelievable that Dustin had the audacity to hit both of you!” said a handsome young man in a suit. He was Chris Nolan, the second son of the Nolan family, and he had a deep crush on Dahlia.

“Chris, you wouldn’t believe—”

do to his necklace?” Dahlia asked, surprised.

“I broke it when he was being a jerk!” James replied, frustration rising in his voice. “He had it coming!”

“You can’t just go around breaking people’s things, James. That’s not right,” Dahlia said, trying to keep the peace.

“Right or wrong, he shouldn’t have attacked me!” James shot back.

Dahlia sighed, realizing the conversation was going nowhere. “Look, I understand you’re upset, but violence isn’t the answer. Let’s try to resolve this calmly.”

“Calmly?” James scoffed. “He’s the one who beat me up! You want me to just let it go?”

“Maybe not let it go, but find a better way to handle it. You’re my brother, and I care about you,” Dahlia said, her voice softening.

Just then, Chris chimed in. “How about we teach Dustin a lesson, then? If you want him to kneel, I can make that happen.”

James grinned at the idea. “That sounds perfect! Let him feel the pain he caused me!”

Dahlia shook her head. “No, that’s not the answer. Please, let’s not make things worse.”

Florence, who had been listening quietly, decided it was time to intervene. “Dahlia, I understand your concerns, but James deserves some justice here. He was hurt badly.”

“I get that, but revenge will only lead to more problems,” Dahlia insisted.

Chris smirked at the exchange. He was eager to see Dustin pay for his actions, but he also valued the chaos it would bring.

“James, let’s focus on getting you healed first,” Dahlia said firmly. “Then we can figure out a better way to deal with Dustin.”

“Fine,” James huffed, crossing his arms. “But I want something done about this soon.”

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Dahlia replied, hoping to ease the tension in the room.

As the conversation continued, Chris couldn’t help but feel excited about the trouble that was brewing. He was ready to make his move against Dustin, and he knew he wouldn’t miss this chance.

“What about the necklace?” Dahlia asked, frowning.

“The one you wore before. He said it was an heirloom, but I think it’s just trash!” James mumbled quietly.

“Did you break that necklace?” Dahlia asked, trying to dig deeper.

“Yeah, he was really rude! That jerk wouldn’t give me the crystal necklace, so I smashed it on the ground!” James replied stubbornly.

“You’re really asking for trouble!”

Dahlia was furious when she heard this. After everything that happened, she finally understood why Dustin would want to confront James. James had demanded the necklace and then destroyed it.

Others might not see its value, but Dahlia knew how important it was. The necklace wasn’t just a family heirloom; it was the only thing that reminded Dustin of his mother. It symbolized her love for him. When they got divorced, the only thing Dustin wanted was that necklace. It clearly meant the world to him.

“Dahlia, it’s just a necklace! Why are you so upset about this?” James whined. “And is that little trinket more important than your brother’s life?” Florence chimed in.

“I’ll deal with both of you later!”

Dahlia didn’t want to argue, so she walked away. She was too tired to fight with her spoiled brother and unreasonable mother. Plus, in her rush, she had hurt Dustin with her words. Now, thinking back, she regretted what she said. Dustin wasn’t the type to lose his temper easily. She realized she had made a mistake…