Chapter 11 by Marina Vittori
An Understated Dominance
âHey, did you not hear me? That guy is a liar! It wonât do you any good if you stay with him!â Chrisâs face was etched with concern when Natasha was unfazed by his provocation. He couldnât bear to watch a beautiful woman like her be ruined at Dustinâs hands.
âDamn, you sure are annoying. Itâs none of your business who I hang out with!â Natasha snapped, having lost her patience.
âYouâ¦â
Chris was on the verge of a breakdown. Never had he imagined her to be so stubborn. How could she still go back to Dustin knowing that he deceived her? Was that guy so charming?
âMr. Nolan, this kind of person deserves to be deceived. Not only does she not appreciate your kind reminder but also speaks rudely to you. How ungrateful!â Lyra uttered unkindly from the side.
âHmph! So showing kindness is a crime now?â Chris felt unjust, but obviously, he was more jealous.
âYou two must have known each other for a long time, right?â Dahlia asked abruptly. Judging from Natashaâs behavior, she couldnât help but suspect that they had long had a secret affair. Otherwise, there wasnât a reasonable explanation for Chrisâ determination.
âThatâs not important. What matters is that our feelings are mutual.â Natasha smiled. While speaking, she pressed her chest against Dustinâs arm as though swearing sovereignty.
At this sight, Dahliaâs gaze became fiercer. Despite knowing that Natasha was deliberately pushing her buttons, she couldnât suppress her irritation. It felt like someone had snatched away something of hers.
âDustin, Iâve seriously misjudged you. We arenât officially divorced, yet youâve already found yourself another woman.â Dahlia tried to calm her emotions. In fact, she had been brooding about their divorce because she felt like she owed Dustin. However, the latter had begun fooling around with women while she was busy thinking of a way to make up to him. At the end of the day, she was the clown.
âIf thatâs what you think of me, I have nothing to say.â Dustin shrugged as he was lazy to explain anything.
âFine. I was thinking that I owed you something, but it looks like weâre even now!â Dahliaâs expression turned indifferent. She felt as if she was looking at a complete stranger.
âGreat.â Although Dustinâs poker face remained, his heart momentarily twitched for some reason.
âMs. Nicholsonâ¦â Just then, Nastsha spoke up with a smile. âThe choice you made was rather unwise, but I still have to thank you.â
âWhat for?â Dahlia slowly looked up at her.
âThank you for letting me have Dustin. If not, I wouldnât have discovered such a treasure by myself.â Natasha was flashing a satirical grin, her words meant to humiliate Dahlia.
âHey! You bitchâ¦â Lyra was about to explode when Dahlia raised her hand and cut her off.
She looked Natasha in the eyes and replied, âYour so-called treasure is just average in my opinion.â
âAverage?â Natasha raised her eyebrow. âYouâre calling a highly educated martial artist average? Ms. Nicholson, you do have high standards. However, the guy youâre with doesnât seem to be any better.â
âAt least heâs better than Dustin.â Dahlia didnât back down.
âOh, really? Why donât we make a bet then?â Natasha dared playfully.
âAbout what?â
âLetâs bet which of them will have greater achievements within a month. What do you say?â
Hearing this, the three of them were taken aback. They didnât expect she would suggest something like that.
Chris sneered as he looked at Natasha incredulously. âSay, did you hit your head or something? Are you making me compete with this piece of trash? Is he even worthy?â
âExactly! Mr. Nolan is the successor of Nolan Pharmaceuticals with assets worth over a billion dollars under his name. What does Dustin have?â Lyra pursed his lips in disdain.
âAre you sure you want to bet on this?â Dahlia felt a little lost. To her, Dustin had nothing other than his good looks. Conversely, Chris was excellent in all aspects, be it his family background or personal capabilities.
The two of them were far from being on par with each other. Dustin could never beat Chris even if he were given five years, much less a month.
âOf course. Itâs only about whether you dare to accept the bet.â Natasha raised her chin obnoxiously.
âWhat are we betting on?â
âWhoever loses the bet will have to apologize to the other and admit that she had no standards.â
âSure. The bet is on.â Dahlia nodded.
âGood. I hope you donât regret it!â Natasha chuckled.
Both of them possessed equal beauty but contrasting temperaments. At that moment, a rivalry had silently formed between the two.
âWe shall find out when the time comes.â After casting one last glance at Natasha, Dahlia turned around and entered Mirage without another word.
âPfft, youâre digging your own grave.â Chris and Lyra sneered again before following Dahlia into the building. Not once did they take Dustin seriously.
âMr. Rhys, what do you think? Did I do well?â Natasha asked coquettishly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Even though her action looked simple, there were many meanings behind it.
âYou went slightly over the top,â Dustin said helplessly. âIf we lose, youâll lose your reputation.â
âLose? Are you kidding me? Donât tell me you canât even beat that loser?â Natasha started to agitate Dustin.
âIâm an ordinary man. How am I supposed to compete with a successor of a wealthy family?â Dustin shrugged.
âOrdinary? Youâre too modest, Mr. Rhys. Your looks alone are out of this world!â As Natasha blinked at him flirtatiously, she appeared like a street thug harassing a lady.
Feeling speechless, Dustin pretended not to see it. Nevertheless, he had to admit that her performance was impeccable. It saved his pride. After all, very few women could steal Dahliaâs limelight, and Natasha was undoubtedly one of them.