Chapter 69
Chapter 69
An Understated Dominance
by Marina Vittori
Chapter 69
“What? He’s the owner?!” James was stunned by the twist in events. He couldn’t believe his ears.
“You must be joking! How could he be the owner of this restaurant?” Florence exclaimed in disbelief.
“Why would it be impossible? I have never seen such arrogant and snobbish patrons as the two of you. How dare you try to make a scene here?” The restaurant manager replied in disgust.
Earlier, he had seen Duane, the preceding owner, handing over ownership of Hillview Hotel to Dustin in the private booth.
“This can’t be! Dustin is as poor as a church mouse. Where did he get the money to buy a restaurant?” Astonishment was written all over James’s face.
“That’s none of your business. The only thing you need to know now is that the restaurant belongs to me. I have the authority to kick you out instead,” Dustin answered calmly.
At this, the expressions on both their faces turned black with anger and humiliation. They had planned on upstaging Dustin by shoving their privilege as a Gold VIP into his face. Who would have thought that he was the owner of Hillview Hotel? What a disgrace!
“Mr. Rhys, should we remove these troublemakers from the restaurant?” The manager spoke up.
“No need for that. We should provide good service to our customers. Furthermore, they are still our privileged customers. Send them a bottle of red wine on the house,” Dustin replied.
“Very well, sir.” The manager nodded.
“What a showoff. Frankly, he only knows how to leech off women!”
“That’s right! He thinks that he is such a big shot when in fact, he is just a freeloader!”
Florence and James grumbled, cursing under their breath. They were not happy about how things turned out.
“Thanks for the offer. However, I would have to decline your gift,” Matt cut in suddenly. With a winsome smile on his face, he caught the attention of the other women around with his charm and attractive features.
Florence took this opportunity to boast. “Dustin! For your information, Matt is an overseas graduate. Not only is he from an elite family, but he is also extremely talented. He is better than you by leaps and bounds!”
“Precisely! With your measly net worth, you don’t even deserve to be his slave!” James chimed in.
The humiliation they faced just now was instantly forgotten with the support of Matt. What was the big deal? Dustin was only the owner of a restaurant. Moreover, it was not from his labor. In comparison to Matt’s noble background, he was nothing!
“Florence, you are too kind. I was just lucky.” Matt brushed her praises off lightly. However, there was a cocky smile on his face.
“Look at that! See how courteous and gentlemanly he is. Between you and him, it’s like night and day!” Florence declared, gushing over Matt.
By now, Dustin was done. Turning to leave, he replied calmly, “Please enjoy your time here. Excuse me as I have other obligations.”
“Wait a minute!” Dahlia caught up to him. “Is this restaurant really yours? Where did you get so much money from?”
“I don’t have any money. The restaurant’s a gift from a friend,” Dustin answered.
“A friend? Don’t tell me it’s Natasha?” Dahlia continued with a frown on her face.
“You don’t need to know who it is. Instead, spend that energy on catching up with Matt over some wine. Isn’t he your beloved senior?” Dustin huffed before striding away.
“You…” Dahlia clicked her tongue in annoyance. She was only treating Matt to a meal. Furthermore, her
brother and mother were present. Why was he being such a prick? Where was his gentlemanliness?
Returning to the private booth, Dustin seemed a little down. He couldn’t help but feel frustrated when he saw Dahlia and Matt standing side by side. Matt had the looks and the background. To top it off, they almost got together as a couple before this. It was easy to be suspicious of their relationship. Above all, Dahlia was being extremely guarded. He couldn’t guess what was going through her mind at all.
“Mr. Rhys, what’s wrong? Your face has been downcast since you returned. Is something on your mind?” Natasha said, lightly teasing him.
“It’s nothing. I met up with some acquaintances outside.” Dustin forced a smile..
“Acquaintance? Is it Dahlia?” Natasha’s ears pricked up.
“You’re right. It is her. Besides, there’s another guy named Matt Laney,” Dustin replied honestly.
“Matt Laney?” Natasha shot him a mischievous smile. “Mr. Rhys, you should stay away from this person!”
“Do you know him?” Dustin was a little surprised.
“Not personally, but I’ve heard of him.” Natasha took a sip of red wine and laughed. “Matt is notorious among the rich ladies. He is famous for being a real playboy. Not only does he have the looks and the personality, but he is also extremely generous with his money. Who wouldn’t like him?”
“What, are you also interested in him?” Dustin asked hesitantly.
“Of course not! He is not my type and is only good at leeching off women. Besides, with you around, who else would I be interested in anyway?” Natasha winked at him playfully.
Seeing that Dustin was ignoring her advances, she continued with a charming smile. “To be fair, Matt is from a family of aristocrats. However, his family’s Influence went down the drain recently, making him a broke aristocrat. Being brought up with a golden spoon, he had to find unscrupulous ways to maintain his lifestyle. Thus, he is now making a living off the support of rich older women. Many women have been blinded by his lies and lost all their wealth. His modus operandi is to use the wealth of his previous victim to gain the trust of his current target, and the cycle continues. Furthermore, he is meticulous in his deception. Many of his victims are still being strung along by his charms. If he has his sights set on your ex–wife, you must be very careful. In the end, she may not only lose her wealth, but her life may even be in danger!”
When Dustin heard about this, he frowned. “Who would have known that he is just a swindler!”
“Anyway, you should have your guard up when dealing with people like him,” Natasha concluded.
“Thanks for the tip.” Dustin nodded thoughtfully.
“Mr. Rhys, you seem to be concerned about Dahlia. Could it be that you still have feelings for her?” The expression on Natasha’s face was a little dejected.
“No. Even though she is my ex–wife, I don’t wish for her to be hurt in any way.” Dustin shook his head.
“I hope that is true!” With a smirk, Natasha declared in a bossy tone, “Regardless, even if you still have feelings for Dahlia, I don’t mind having a fair fight with her. Once I have my eyes set on you, no one else can come between us!”
With that, she pompously stuck her nose in the air.
An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori
Status: Ongoing
Type: Urban/Realistic
Author: Marina Vittori
Artist: Dahlia Nicholson and Dustin Rhys
Released: July, 9, 2023
Native Language: English
