Chapter 665 by Marina Vittori
An Understated Dominance
âGet lost!â Natashaâs answer was simple and direct.
The smile on Caelusâ face froze. He had never thought she wouldnât even try to spare his feelings. After all, he was the senior disciple of the Invincible Guardians and a universally acknowledged martial arts genius. No matter where he went, people kissed the ground he walked on, and no one dared look down on him.
But today, of all days, when he tried to ask for someoneâs hand in marriage, all he received in response was a simple âGet lost!â His reputation was going down the drain.
âNatasha, donât be rude!â Hector chastised. He then said regretfully, âCaelus, my daughter impulsively spoke out of turn. Please donât take it to heart.â
Caelus was the senior disciple of the Invincible Guardians, after all. He had to show him some form of respect.
âMr. Harmon, I consider myself a handsome and exceptionally talented man. I donât think itâs a tall order to become your son-in-law. Now, Iâm sincerely proposing to your daughter, and this is the attitude I get in return?â Caelus frowned slightly.
âThis is a misunderstanding, Caelus. Actually, my daughter is already betrothed. All I can say is that you two are not destined to be,â Hector explained, shaking his head.
âBetrothed? To whom?â Caelus was taken aback.
âTo this young man next to me, Dustin.â Hector gestured toward him.
In an instant, everyoneâs eyes were drawn to Dustin.
Dustinâs mouth twitched. The only choice he had was to go along with it. At this point, no matter whether it was real or not, he couldnât expose the bluff.
âDustin?â Caelus narrowed his eyes slightly. The moment he stepped through the door, he noticed. this man. At first, he simply thought Dustin was an ordinary disciple of the Harmon family. Never in a million years did he think the man was Nathashaâs fiancé.
Caelus peered at him closely. Besides being somewhat good-looking, there was nothing. outstanding about him. He dressed ordinarily and gave off an aura of ordinariness. He seemed to be the farthest thing from a powerful martial artist, and he didnât have the energy that young talent should have.
His entire being screamed average.
âMr. Harmon, I donât understand. In what way is this guy worthy of your daughter?â Caelus said, not hiding the disdain on his face. How could a mediocre young man like Dustin be put on par with the senior disciple of the Invincible Guardians?
âDustin is talented in both medicine and martial arts. And heâs way better than you. Why wouldnât he be worthy?â Natasha piped up suddenly.
There was always going to be that arrogant bastard who liked to look down on others.
âTalented in both medicine and martial arts?â Caelus snorted coldly. âFine. Since heâs so
impressive, why donât we have a duel?â
âHow do you want to compete?â Dustin said indifferently.
âItâs simple. Letâs follow the example of our ancestors and have a martial arts battle. The winner will get Natashaâs hand in marriage!â Caelus raised his head slightly.
Dustin said nothing, instead turning to look at Natasha. Although he was certain he could win, he didnât agree with treating women as objects to be won, so he had some concerns.
âWhat, are you scared? If you are, then just forfeit,â Caelus said with a cold laugh.
âIsnât it just a fight? Fine, we agree!â Natasha replied.
At that moment, Hector suddenly slammed his hand on the table and shouted, âThis is ridiculous! The enemy hasnât appeared yet, but weâre already starting to tear each other apart. This is unacceptable!â
âDad, that bastardâ
âEnough!â Hector raised a hand, interrupting Natasha. Sternly, he said, âDo not bring up the martial arts battle again. If you youngsters are brimming with energy, you can go outside and run a few laps!â
It was one thing to bicker, but if a fight broke out, things would get complicated. One side was the young man that he had his eyes on, while the other was the Invincible Guardians. No matter who won, it would be unfavorable to the Harmons.
Before the big enemy appeared, any internal conflict would just be an opportunity for the Dark Lord to take advantage of.
âCaelus, you must be exhausted from the long journey. Go get some rest. We can talk about it later,
Hector said lightly.
âYes.â Seeing that Hector was upset, Caelus couldnât refuse. After all, Hector was on good terms with his master. He had to show him respect, at the very least.
âJack, please take our three guests to the guest wing and show them the Harmonsâ hospitality,â Hector instructed.
Chapter 666
âPlease follow me.â Jack bowed and escorted them out.
âYou got lucky today, punk. However, you wonât be this lucky next time.â Caelus shot Dustin a cold glare before leaving with the two young women.
âDad, why do I feel like youâve invited wolves into our house?â Natasha said meaningfully.
âThese are special circumstances. Letâs put the interests of the whole above anything else. Now, we need the power of the Invincible Guardians, so letâs not turn them against us,â Hector reminded them.
âIf he doesnât get on my nerves, there wonât be a problem.â Natasha arched an eyebrow.
âYouâ¦â Hector shook his head helplessly. âEnough You two should head out. I still have things to attend to.â
The two nodded. They quickly said their goodbyes without saying much.
After leaving the study, Natasha specially arranged a luxurious guest suite for Dustin, complete with a hot bath.
To put it nicely, a private bodyguard would get special perks.
Dustin wanted to turn it down at first, but he couldnât stand the pleading and pestering, so he decided to stay for now. His main concern was Natashaâs safety.
The Dark Lord could attack at any time. Considering his treacherous tricks, he could easily take out several people at once. If he didnât stay by Natashaâs side protecting her and something ended up happening to her, heâd regret it for the rest of his life.
Dustin practically lived in the Harmonsâ home for the next few days. In his spare time, he gave martial arts training to Abigail or went flower viewing with Natasha. Occasionally, heâd call Nelson to ask about the results of the investigation.
Something to rejoice about was that Nelson had already identified the culprit-a resident doctor at the hospital. After committing the murders, the resident fled to escape punishment. The Flame Dragon Gang and the Charging Tiger Gang were pursuing him.
Capturing the culprit was only a matter of time. Once they caught him, it would be clear who the mastermind was.
Three days later, on New Yearâs Eve, large, fluffy snowflakes descended from the sky, covering the ground in a layer of white.
Houses everywhere were brightly lit to welcome the new year, except the Harmonsâ home. The Harmon estate was heavily guarded, with outposts everywhere. In order to catch the Dark Lord, Hector had gone all out and invited a large number of martial arts experts to protect their home. Among them were several notable figures.
The Harmonsâ armed forces had strengthened greatly. However, it came with a downside, the entire courtyard was a mix of good and bad people
impressive, why donât we have a duel?â
âHow do you want to compete?â Dustin said indifferently.
âItâs simple. Letâs follow the example of our ancestors and have a martial arts battle. The winner will get Natashaâs hand in marriage!â Caelus raised his head slightly.
Dustin said nothing, instead turning to look at Natasha. Although he was certain he could win, he didnât agree with treating women as objects to be won, so he had some concerns.
âWhat, are you scared? If you are, then just forfeit,â Caelus said with a cold laugh.
âIsnât it just a fight? Fine, we agree!â Natasha replied.
At that moment, Hector suddenly slammed his hand on the table and shouted, âThis is ridiculous! The enemy hasnât appeared yet, but weâre already starting to tear each other apart. This is unacceptable!â
âDad, that bastardâ¦â
âEnough!â Hector raised a hand, interrupting Natasha. Sternly, he said, âDo not bring up the martial arts battle again. If you youngsters are brimming with energy, you can go outside and run a few laps!â
It was one thing to bicker, but if a fight broke out, things would get complicated. One side was the young man that he had his eyes on, while the other was the Invincible Guardians. No matter who won, it would be unfavorable to the Harmons.
Before the big enemy appeared, any internal conflict would just be an opportunity for the Dark Lord to take advantage of.
âCaelus, you must be exhausted from the long journey. Go get some rest. We can talk about it later, âHector said lightly.
âYes.â Seeing that Hector was upset, Caelus couldnât refuse. After all, Hector was on good terms with his master. He had to show him respect, at the very least.
âJack, please take our three guests to the guest wing and show them the Harmonsâ hospitality,â Hector instructed.