Chapter 46 by Marina Vittori
An Understated Dominance
âI donât understand what you mean.â Dustin kept a straight face and played dumb. He was not one to claim credit or recognition for what he had done. Since things had ended between them, he hoped they wouldnât be involved with each other in any way.
âIt really wasnât you?â Dahlia still had some doubts. âMs. Nicholson, I think thereâs some misunderstanding. How can someone as useless as me help you?â Dustin replied coldly.
âMaybe I was wrong.â There was a hint of disappointment in her eyes as she added, âThatâs right. Why would you help me? After all, weâre no longer together. Besides, youâre not capable of doing so.â
âAs you said, I have no money or power. Iâm nothing compared to Chris. Is there anything else?â Dustinâs face remained blank. 1
âNo. You can go back to Ms. Harmon,â Dahlia said scornfully. âAlright, please excuse me.â Dustin did not say much more and quickly caught up with Natasha, who deliberately walked slower.
âMr. Rhys, it seems Ms. Nicholson still has some feelings for you,â Natasha teased. âFeelings?â Dustin laughed mockingly, âItâs good enough that we havenât turned against each other.â
âYou can never read a womanâs heart. There may be things even she has yet to figure out.â Natasha smiled and tried to change the topic. âOh, you mentioned you still need some rare herbs?â
âWhy? Have you found them?â Dustin immediately perked up.
âNot yet. But I know someone who can help you. He was bom into a family of doctors, and he collects many valuable herbs. Maybe he has what you need,â Natasha explained.
âOh? Who is it?â Dustin inquired. âFollow me and youâll find out.â Natasha didnât give more details. She took Dustinâs hand and went to the lounge on the second floor. There were two men in the lounge room. One of them was Natashaâs grandfather, Andrew Harmon. The other was a burly man who looked about a couple of decades older than Dustin.
The man was wearing a suit that made his muscles bulge. He had a calm expression on his face. It was apparent he was no ordinary person. âMr. Rhys, youâre here! Have a seat!â Andrew immediately gestured for him to sit once Dustin entered the room.
âHow are you feeling, Old Mr. Harmon?â Dustin asked politely.
âMuch better. Itâs all thanks to you. If not, I would have lost my life.â Andrew smiled.
âItâs nothing.â Dustin said modestly.
âMr. Rhys, I would like to introduce someone to you.â
Natasha pointed at the other man. âThis is Duane Welch, an expert in medicine. Heâs from Millsburg and has a lot of experience. You can ask him if you need anything concerning medicine.â
âIâve met you before.â Dustin nodded.
âI didnât know you were going to introduce someone so young to me. I donât know if he has what it takes.â Duane sized him up disdainfully. He had personally come because he heard there was a famous doctor in Swinton. He hadnât expect it to be this unremarkable boy.
What a waste of his time! âMr. Welch, you canât judge a book by its cover. Iâve personally witnessed Mr. Rhysâ skill. Heâs on par with other experienced doctors!â Natasha reassured him.
âIs that so? If thatâs the case, he should evaluate me and see if he could diagnose anything.âDuane started to get ready for an evaluation. It was obvious he was trying to make things difficult for Dustin.
âThereâs no need. I can recognize what disease you have in a glance,â Dustin responded. âIn a glance?â Duane was slightly startled. âAre you joking? You can diagnose me by just looking? Even the
senior doctors in Millsburg canât do that!â âI donât know if others can do it. But I can indeed see what disease you have.â Dustin was very certain.
âAlright! Then I would really like to know what you have diagnosed!â Duane joked lightly.
âYou have a weak pulse, and you often become breathless. Your chest area especially is infected, and in addition to the internal injuries you suffered before, you are now terminally ill!â Dustin explained in a breath.
âTerminally ill? Ha! What nonsense!â
Duane chuckled coldly. âYoung man, donât you know that Iâve led an active lifestyle since I was young? My body is very strong. Besides, I take a lot of supplements. Iâm basically invincible to any disease! How dare you say Iâm terminally ill? What a joke!â
âYouâre only healthy physically. The real disease is internal. Also, you should stop taking those supplements as they would only make your condition worse. Once it breaks out, there will be no turning back!â Dustin warned.
âWhat a load of bullshit! Iâve been taking those supplements since I was young and nothing has happened in 40 years. Now youâre telling me they donât work?â Duane was very unhappy about this.
âIâm just warning you. If you continue, you will have a thyroid infection in three days!â Dustin advised.
âYouâre not fooling me! Iâve encountered a lot of scammers like you!â Duane said disdainfully.
âMr. Welch, Dustin is a skilled doctor. You better not take his words lightly.â Natasha reminded him gently. âNatasha, I think you have been scammed. I know my body well. Iâm not sick at all. Heâs just trying to scare us!â
âSince you donât believe it, why donât we make a bet?â
âWhat is at stake?â
âItâs simple. If your disease breaks out within three days, you have to let Dustin pick anything from your collection of valuable herbs!â
âAlright! But what if Iâm fine?â
âIf youâre fine, you can come to the Harmon familyâs treasury and pick any three items!â Natasha offered boldly.
âYou stated the rules. Since youâre being so generous, I wonât hold back!â Duane chuckled.
Everything in the Harmon familyâs treasury was an extraordinary item. Any three would be a rare collectorâs item.
âMr. Welch, a word of advice, itâs best if you donât leave Swinton in these three days. If anything happens, I can still save you in time,â Dustin advised. âWhat a joke! Who am I? Do I need you to save me? Even if I were sick, I would never ask you to treat me!â
Duane said contemptuously. He wouldnât even bother talking with this scammer if it werenât for the Harmon family.
âThereâs no point in saying more. The truth will prevailâ Dustin smiled faintly without saying another word. He just hoped Duaneâs rare herbs collection would have what he needed.