Chapter 203 by Marina Vittori
An Understated Dominance
The video on Jamesâ phone showed Dustin getting violent. First, he kicked James, then he pushed Florence aside, causing her to fall onto the floor and bang her head against the door.
Finally, it ended with Dustin slapping James twice. The start and end of the video had been edited out, and there was no audio, only images.
After watching it. Dahlia was frozen. She couldnât believe it before, but the video was right here; she had to believe it.
âDahlia, you saw what happened, right? This is proof that he beat us! Mom is already getting old; she canât handle that piece of trashâs beatings! We already went to the hospital to get checked out. The doctor said that her concussion is so severe that she might develop Alzheimerâs disease! Not to mention, she even broke a few bones. Sheâll have trouble looking after herself in the future. Dahlia, do you still want to believe such a savage?! âJames spat through gritted teeth, looking downtrodden and furious.
âWhy? Why would he do that?â Dahlia clenched her fists, and her face was pale.
Their relationship had just begun to improve. She was even considering remarrying him.
But why did Dustin hit her mother?
Could he have lost all feelings?
âDahlia, not only did that brute hit me, but he also framed Julie and sent her to jail!â Florence said gravely.
âWhat? Julie is in jail?â Dahliaâs eyes grew wide.
âThatâs right! Today, Julie went to the Harmonsâ to buy Immortunol and got into a disagreement with Dustin. Then, that bastard wanted to take revenge, so he got someone to arrest Julie and charge her with theft.â James said venomously.
âI was there the whole time. I can vouch for it,â Matt chimed in from the side.
Naturally, he wouldnât give up an opportunity to kick a man while he was down.
âDahlia, did you hear that? That bastard, Dustin, is an ungrateful sonâofâaâbitch. We were all fooled by him back then. He has already shown his true colors now, and he does not want to forgive and forget. How can you trust a man like him?!â Florence added, stoking the llames. As she spoke, she began to cough again.
She looked like she was at deathâs door, and Dahliaâs heart clenched at the sight.
The last ray of hope in her heart was completely extinguished. Instead, it was replaced by fury!
Without another word, she took out her phone and dialed Dustinâs number.
âHello? I demand an explanation!â
âAn explanation? For what?â Dustin responded calmly.
Chapter 203
âIâm asking you whether you were the one who beat my mother and James up?!â Dahlia asked, suppressing
her anger.
âI did hit James, but he deserved it. As for your mother, she caused her own fall by accident.â
âBy accident?â Dahliaâs voice rose sharply.
âYou say it like itâs nothing! Not only did your soâcalled accident cause my mother to break her hands and legs, she even suffered a severe concussion!â
âIs it that serious?â Dustin was suspicious of that claim.
Sheâs lying in bed, unable to move due to her injuries. Do you think thatâs not serious? According to your logic, does my mother have to die on the spot for her injuries to be serious? Are you even human?â Dahliaâs blood
was boiling.
âYouâd better calm down and take your mother to have her injuries examined,â Dustin said.
When Florence left earlier, she had been fine. There was no way she was this badly injured all of a sudden.
âHave her examined for what? Iâve already seen it with my own eyes, so why do I need to get her checked out? Are you still trying to justify yourself at this point?â Dahlia said, fuming.
He had beaten up her family. Now, not only was he refusing to apologize, but he was also acting so
righteously.
When did he become so unreasonable?
âSince you believe your motherâs story, then why are you asking me?â Dustinâs tone grew cold.
âWhat? Are you throwing in the towel just because youâve been caught? Youâre the one who beat them up; are you saying you were in the right?â Dahlia said.
âFine. Letâs say I did beat them up, but did you ever ask why?â Dustin said.
âOf course, I asked! My mother asked you for the formula; not only did you refuse, you even said some harsh things. She told you off, and then you beat her up. Isnât that what happened?!â
âHeh If thatâs what you think happened, then thatâs what happened.â Dustin snickered.
The current him was too lazy to explain. No matter what he said, they wouldnât believe him.
âDustin, ch, Dustin. I really didnât expect you to be this kind of person! Did you have to go that far over a formula? What would have happened it youâd given her the recipe? Would you lose a limb? You know what, I can just pay for it! Is one million dollars enough? Or two? Name your price, and Iâll buy it no matter the amount!
Dahlia grew angrier and angrier as she spoke. Her hands started to tremble with rage.
âDo you think this is about money? To tell you the truth, Iâve already given the formula away.â Dustin stated indifferently.
âWho did you give it to? Was it Natasha? So are you saying that you would rather give her the formula for free
than sell it to me?â
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âCan you be more reasonable?â
âAm I being unreasonable, or are you just a cold and heartless person who grew tired of your old toy in favor of a new one? Am I not even worth one formula in your eyes?!â Dahlla was about to lose her mind.
She wasnât this upset earlier, but at the thought of Natasha, she felt a knife pierce her heart.
She couldnât help but feel as if someone had taken something important from her.
âDahlia, I donât want to argue with you. If you called me to talk about this, then I donât think we have anything to talk about,â Dustin said, taking a deep breath.
âFine! Letâs not talk about the formulaâletâs talk about Julie! Were you responsible for her arrest?â Dahlia changed the subject.
âIf I said no, would you believe me?â Dustin said indifferently.
âDo you think I would believe you? Matt saw you plant fake evidence with his own eyes and got Julie sent to jail! I know you donât like her, but must you be so petty? How could you do such a cruel thing over a small conflict? Thatâs my cousin! How could you do such a horrible thing?!â Dahlia was practically roaring by the
end of the sentence.
âSo youâll believe whatever Matt says? Am I such a narrowâminded asshole in your eyes that youâd rather believe Matt over me?â Dustin asked, his eyebrows knitting together.
âYouâve done so many terrible things. How can I believe you?â Dahlia retorted back.
When Dustin heard those words, he fell silent, his mouth curving into a selfâdeprecating smile. He didnât want. to explain further, nor did he have the energy to do so.
Once the seeds of doubt were planted, they could never be removed.
There had always been a chasm between him and Dahlia. It was due to a lack of trust.
No matter what he did or said, he would never receive an acknowledgment. But whenever there was a minor misunderstanding, it would explode into a fullâblown argument.
That was the crux of their problems.
He had really done his best.