Chapter 268 by Marina Vittori
An Understated Dominance
âMs. Nicholson, did you come here because you wanted something from me?â Dustin asked when he saw how tense the atmosphere was. âWhat, do I have to have a reason for coming here?â Dahlia glared at him.
âI didnât mean that.â He looked awkward. âWhatever. Letâs get down to businessâ you know Dr. Rowan Cross, right? I want to ask him to examine someone.â Dahlia stopped beating around the bush.
âExamine someone?â Dustin sized her up, then checked her pulse. Confused, he said, âAside from being a little out of whack, youâre fine. You just need to control your emotions and diet.â your period
âYouâre the one whoâs out of whack!â Dahlia glared at him again, her face turning red. âI didnât say I was the one who needed an examinationâitâs for a relative of mine who suddenly fainted yesterday. Sheâs been complaining of a headache, but the hospital said sheâs fine. She wanted Dr. Cross to examine them just to be sure.â
âI see.â Dustin nodded. âThereâs no need to bother Dr. Cross for something as simple as thatâIâm more than enough.â
âYou?â Dahlia eyed him doubtfully. âCan you handle it?â
âMy medical centerâs been around for a number of years now. Wouldnât it have closed down long ago if I didnât have a few tricks up my sleeve?â Dustin said confidently.
Dahlia was speechless. Sheâd never seen any patients in the dingy medical center; how was it different from being closed down?
âWe can forget about it if you donât trust me.â Dustin shrugged.
âWho said anything about me not trusting you? Youâll do!â Dahlia said decisively. âIâll be frankâthis relative of mine is a pretty big deal, so if you can cure her, it could be your ticket to success. You wonât have to leech off anyone anymore when that happens.â As she spoke, she gave Natasha a pointed look.
âWhatâs wrong with leeching off someone?â Natasha puffed out her chest. âAt least my darling is capable of leeching off someoneâothers may not be able to do so even if they wanted to!â
Dahlia snorted. âNo upstanding man would want to be at a womanâs beck and call. Think about how humiliating thatâd be!â
âWhat good is a man for if not to serve a woman? He canât fool around with himself, can he?â Natasha rolled her eyes.
âWhy, you-âDahlia was exasperated. How could this woman be so crude? She wasnât ladylike in the slightest!
âAlright, thatâs enough. We should focus on whateverâs ailing your relative. Letâs head to the hospital.â Dustin quickly interjected when he saw the two women were about to start quarreling again. He dragged Dahlia out of the medical center.
âDarling, be back soon, okay? Iâll be waiting for you!â Natasha called, smiling seductively and sending him an air kiss. At the same time, she undid another button on her shirt to reveal more of her cleavage. Dustin stared at her.
âHmph!â Dahlia stomped on his foot and gave him a warning look. He smiled awkwardly and retracted his gaze. âGet in the car!â She stuffed him into the car before speeding off.
âDo you think you stand a chance against me, you flatâchested preteen?â Natasha smiled victoriously as she looked down at her voluptuous chest. It was enough to put any woman to shame, and none of her future children would ever go hungry.
Half an hour later, in one of the wards at East Swinton Hospital.
âMy head hurts! I feel like itâs gonna split in half!â Jane lay in a hospital bed and clutched her head, occasionally smacking it to alleviate the pain.
âMom, hold on for a little longer. Dr. Cross will be here soon.â Dakota kept comforting her. Nobody knew what had happenedâJane had suddenly passed out yesterday and kept complaining about a headache when sheâd come to. Theyâd done all the examinations possible, but the results showed nothing was wrong with her.
âI shouldnât have come to this accursed place. Weâve had problem after problem since arriving. First, someone crashed into our car. Then, I got slapped for no reason at all. Now, Iâm having a terrible headache. What have I done to deserve this?â Jane looked positively miserable.
âWeâll head home once youâre okay; weâre never coming to this dump again!â Dakota said. Then, she turned to Florence, who stood at the wardâs entrance, and screeched, âWhatâs taking so long? When is Dr. Cross coming? Tell him to hurry!â
âOf course, of course.â Florence didnât dare delay. She hurried out of the ward, took out her phone, and was about to dial a number when she saw two people approaching herâDahlia and Dustin. âDahlia, youâre finally here!â Her face lit up as she hurried toward them. âYour auntâs headache is getting worse, and the doctors here are too useless to do anything about it. Dr. Cross is our only hope now! Where is he?â She looked around but didnât see him.
Dahlia shook her head. âHeâs busy with something else and canât be here.â
âWhat? What are we gonna do, then? Florence was taken aback. Had they waited for nothing?
âDustin has some medical expertise. How about we have him give it a shot?â
âHim?â Florence frowned. âHave you lost your mind? How can this goodâforânothing possibly know anything about treating a patient? Whoâs gonna bear the responsibility if anything goes wrong?â
âHe cured Granddad when he was poisoned, remember? I have faith in him,â Dahlia said firmly. Sheâd
misunderstood Dustin one time too many; this time, she chose to trust him unconditionally.
âStop this nonsense! Your grandlather only made it through because of Dr. Crossâ Hexanavir, it had nothing to do with this man!â Florence scowled, looking contemptuous.
âDo you have a better idea, then?â Dahlia asked.
âWell, I- Florence had no words.
LINDRY 200
âSince weâre out of ideas, why donât we let Dustin try? We can think of something else if it doesnât work.â Dahliaâs tone became domineering.
âRhys, youâd better watch what youâre doing. Donât you dare try to pass just about anything off as a cure!â Florence warned. The two people in the ward were her cash cows. If anything were to go wrong, sheâd be in big trouble.
âLetâs see how the patientâs doing.â Dustin didnât want to waste his breath on her.
âHmph! Come with me!â Florence led Dustin and Dahlia into the ward. Once she stepped in, her arrogance faded, replaced with a fawning smile.
âFlorence, what the hell took you so long? Where is Dr. Cross?â Dakota asked impatiently.
âIâm here!â Florence said sycophantically, gesturing to the people behind her. âBehold the doctor weâve brought!
âHuh?â Dakota and Jane looked up, then exclaimed in unison. âItâs you?â