Chapter 147 by Marina Vittori
An Understated Dominance
When Tina and her entourage left the scene, the Nicholsons still felt like they were in a daze.
They were still reeling at the fact that the high and mighty young lady of the Hummer family had not only pardoned their wrongdoings but was also the first to humble herself and apologize to them in person after getting her ass whooped.
It was truly unfathomable!
âWhatâs wrong with the Hummers today? Who knew that they could even be this humble?â
âI know, right? If I hadnât pinched mysell, I would have thought I was dreaming!â
âCould it be that Ms. Hummer genuinely realized her mistakes, and thatâs why she came over to apologize in
person?â
âNonsense! You overestimate how righteous the Hummer family can be!â
The Nicholsons erupted into a flurry of discussion, and it seemed like it wasnât about to die down soon.
âThis canât be Dustinâs doing, right?â Julle asked herself with a suspicious look; she felt uneasy on the inside.
Ever since last nightâs beating session, Dustin had displayed a kind of calm that was uncommon in most people. As if he was confident that everything was going fine as planned.
So, either he was completely aware of the situation, or he was too good at hiding his emotions.
Then again, when she thought back to the fact that heâd been married to his cousin for three years and hadnât accomplished much over the years, she found it incredibly hard to believe that he was the guy who brought the Hummers to their knees.
Amid all the confusion, Matt Laney, who was dressed to the nines, suddenly strolled into the room.
âHuh, so everyoneâs already here. Just in time, too. I have good news for you all the ban by the Hummers has officially been lifted!â Matt announced the news with a big grin.
âI understand everything now! So, everything that happened just now was because of you, right Matt?â Florence probed, as she assumed sheâd succeeded in connecting all the dots. Her gaze instantly perked up
too.
âThatâs right! How did I forget that we still have Matt here with us!â James exclaimed after coming back to his
senses.
âNo wonder the Hummers apologized to us! So, after all, it was because Matt was secretly helping us behind
the scenes!â
âExactly! Who else could be this capable apart from Mr. Laney?â
At that moment, all of the Nicholsons had starstruck looks on their faces.
So the reason why the Hummer family decided to offer an apology was that Matt had pressed them to do so.
behind the scenes.
â
Chapter 14)
Thatâs right!
That must be the case!
âWhatâs wrong? What just happened?â Matt asked around, confused.
To think that they just bombarded him with things he didnât understand. Even if he had sharp wits, he was still unable to piece together everything that had happened yet.
âYou donât have to hide anything from us anymore, Matt. We all saw what you did. If not for you, how would Ms. Hummer even have apologized to us?â Florence said with a relieved look on her face.
âShe apologized?â Matt repeated in disbelief, and his heart rate started to increase.
He knew exactly the kind of person Tina was. To think that an obnoxious woman like her had shown up at oneâs door to apologize in person?
âExactly, Matt! This time, not only did you tide the Nicholsons through our storms, you even managed to surprise our family. You are a great benefactor to our family!â James praised enthusiastically.
*Thank you, Mr. Laney! You saved our whole family!â The Nicholsons shouted as they stretched out their
hands to thank him profusely.
âUmââ Matt trailed off in confusion.
Immediately after reeling from his stupor, the everâquickâwitted Matt flashed a big smile. âNo need to be so polite, everyone. It was just something easy to take care of, I didnât even do much.â
Although he had no idea what the context behind this was, he felt like he should just accept the Nicholsonsâ gratitude towards him.
After all, who would think of turning down anotherâs kindness?
âYouâre too modest, Matt! If it werenât for you, Iâm afraid the Nicholsons might have ended up in shambles!â James continued boasting.
âPlease, please, this is nothing.â Matt grinned and shook his head. His modest and courteous appearance was worthy of nothing but praise, after all.
âYou got lucky this time, Rhys! I didnât expect you to get away with this! What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and bow down to Matt and give him your thanks now!â Florence yelled as she shifted her sharp gaze
toward Dustin.
âYou want me to bow down to thank him? On what grounds?â Dustin sneered out of the corners of his eyes.
âHmph, youâd better not be ungrateful! You were the one who beat someone up and caused such havoc in the first place, so if it werenât for Matt, who saved your ass, do you think that you could even be standing here
right now?â Florence retorted with a glare.
âThatâs right! If it werenât for Matt, you would have died a hundred Ilmes over for beating someone up by now!â James echoed in agreement.
âYou guys give Matt too much credit. Heâs not even remotely as capable as you think he is,â Dustin replied
with a cold expression.
2/3
He was even impressed at the mental gymnastics they performed to get to this point. To think that they dared to prop him up and hail him as if he were a savior without knowing the full story yet.
And worst of all, Matt was just standing by and taking it all in.
âHmph! Are you telling us that youâre more capable than Matt? Why donât you look into the mirror and reflect on the kind of person you really are?â
âYeah! People like you only know how to cause trouble and nothing else!â
âTo think that there are people in this world who could be so heartless! Not only did he not thank his savior, he even talked shit about him! How disgusting!â
The Nicholsons berated Dustin. They despised people like him who were hellbent on repaying good with evil from the bottom of their hearts.
âIs it so hard for you just to thank someone, Dustin? If it werenât for Matt, you might have been killed by now!â Dahlia suddenly piped up.
To her, Dustin was still being ignorant until the bitter end. Compared to Matt saving his life, what was a mere
thank you?
âI would have if he had actually helped me. But he didnât. In fact, not only did he not help me, he was the one
who started this whole fiasco in the first place!â Dustin replied flatly.
âWhat do you mean?â Dahlia frowned.
âIran a background check and found out that Matt and Tina are lovers. Tina deliberately targeted you out of jealousy, thinking that you and he had some hanky panky going on behind the scenes. So, that was what led to the assault! In a nutshell, heâs the true culprit all along!â Dustin declared firmly.
âBullshit! Rhys! Not to insult you or anything, but Matt is an upright guy. Heâs not as bad as you say he is!â Florence cursed and jumped to her feet without waiting for Matt to respond.
âThatâs right! I think youâre just jealous! You probably planted all kinds of evidence to frame him, knowing how much better he is than you!â James scolded.
âOh, Dustin. Who knew youâd be so despicable!â The Nicholsons scoffed.
âWhy do you always insist on causing havoc, Dustin? Canât you be more mature and sensible for once?â Dahlia spat with a scowl
However, it was fairly obvious to her that he had done all of that as a result of his jealous rage.
âDonât believe me? Just ask Julie. She was the one who saw it all last night!â Dustin defended himself and pointed at something.
Everyoneâs gazes immediately shifted to see what he was pointing at.