168 – Understated Dominance

This entry is part 168 of 259 in the series 1st
Chapter 168

An Understated Dominance 

by Marina Vittori
Chapter 168

Jessica was frozen on the spot and struggled for words when she saw how humbly Malcolm was seeking guidance from Dustin.

She had never once thought that the arrogant and haughty Dr. Malcolm Shane had such a side to him.

And most importantly, the person from whom he was modestly seeking advice was the boy toy, Dustin Rhys. It was mind–boggling indeed.

“I don’t think I’m fit to give you any advice, Dr. Shane, but I’d gladly help wherever I can. We can both share our thoughts. Dustin smiled.

“Sure, we can do that. Now, have a look here…” Malcolm took out the ancient manuscript and immediately dove into it. He started pointing out some of the areas that he had trouble understanding.

“Oh, this is actually quite simple. Take this for example: Put a hundred different insects into a jar, and let them fight among themselves. After a month, open up the jar, and by then there will only be one remaining insect. The rest of them would have been eaten up by this surviving insect, and this will be the poisonous insect that you’re after. Such a poisonous insect is usually used to cure other poisons in a method known as counteracting poison with another poison.

“As for this, it tells us how to neutralize the poisonous insect’s venom. So what you need to do is smoke the licorice herb until it turns black, then combine it with some soybeans and extract the juice. Once the patient consumes the juice, it will neutralize the venom of the poisonous insect. But of course, this is only applicable to the venom of common poisonous insects. And this here. Dustin spoke eloquently on all the topics that Malcolm had questions about, and he managed to give him all the answers he needed.

After hearing what Dustin had to say, Malcolm felt enlightened. “Hahaha! You really are talented! I’m so impressed, and I’ve learned so much from you today!”

Malcolm was practically dancing with joy. He looked nothing like an expert or a person of status.

“What-..” Jessica watched bewildered. Was this really the haughty Dr. Shane who was constantly contemptuous of others? With how he was behaving, he looked more like a schoolboy!

Also, what was this mystic art that they were going on about? Would a renowned doctor like Dr. Shane actually take interest in something like that?

“Dr. Shane, if you have any other questions, you can discuss them with Dustin some other time. As for now, we need to talk about the press conference.” Natasha interrupted them when she saw how excited they were over their discussion.

“Oh, right… Malcolm realized that his behavior was slightly inappropriate.

He nodded and said, “Just let me know what you need me to do, young lady.”

“There’s nothing you need to do. Just sit up there on the stage, and if you see anyone you recognize, you may greet them,” Natasha replied with a smile.

“Is it that simple?” Malcolm could not believe his ears.

“Yep, it’s that simple.” Natasha nodded.

“That’s no problem at all!” Malcolm went and took his seat on the stage and continued reading through the ancient manuscript.

“Natasha, so what if you managed to invite Dr. Shane here? Do you think this will suffice to go against Edwin Hummer?” Jessica asked in all earnestness.

Though it was true that she was awestruck by Malcolm’s presence, that did not mean that he had the means to help the Harmons win this battle against the Hummers.

In the end, what mattered most in this competition between the two families was the quality of their product.

“We’ll find out soon enough.” Natasha did not explain any further. With a glance at her wristwatch, she turned to Dustin and nodded. He immediately got the signal and pulled out his phone to make a call.

At the same time, over at the Hummers‘ press conference…

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