Chapter-81 He fell into the hole he had dug himself
“WHAT? HUMAN EXCREMENT?”
As soon as Quentin heard this, he immediately started dry-heaving next to Dustin.
But since the poison was already in his stomach, he couldn’t spit it out even if he wanted to, his face flushed red instead.
Before this, the phrase ‘eat shit’ had only been a suggestion, but he couldn’t believe that it had actually happened to him.
“I didn’t expect Dustin to be so heartless by forcing our cousin to eat shit. How is he going to eat anything else from now on?” Ruth commented as she covered her nose with her hands. She then started to move away from them with a look of disgust.
“For all the shit he spews out from his mouth, I think this is a most fitting punishment.” Natasha couldn’t help but add fuel to the fire too.
“How dare you trick me, you little bastard!” Quentin roared as he raised his head. His expression darkened and his gaze was murderous.
He had never been humiliated this badly in all his life.
“Since we were tasked with making poison, I had the freedom to choose my own recipe, so I was allowed to add any ingredient I saw fit inside, no?” Dustin stated matter–of–factly.
“Good, good! You’ve got some nerve, don’t you?” Quentin shouted, his face contorted with anger.
“I can’t wait to see you begging at my feet later once the poison kicks into your system!”
“We’ll certainly see who will be the one who gets down on their knees later. Now, you’d better ask the people around you whether they can cure the poison I made or not.” Dustin grinned.
“Give me the antidote now, Mr. Wangley!” Quentin urged. He certainly didn’t want his high–class body to suffer any more damage.
“Calm down, Mr. Harmon. Let me take a look at you first,” Mr. Wangley picked up the bottle with the rest of the poison and brought it close to his nose to smell it.
Then, he dipped his finger into the remaining liquid and placed a drop on the tip of his tongue to taste it.
“Here I was beginning to think it was some kind of potent poison. Who would’ve guessed that it was Venenum Insectum all along?” Mr. Wangley chuckled. It seemed he had found his answer.
“”Venenum Insectum’? What’s that?” Quentin asked.
“Venenum Insectum’ is a poison that’s made from seven types of venomous organisms. They’re first ground into a fine powder and then mixed together. If I’m not mistaken, the organisms in question are snakes, scorpions, toads, centipedes, spiders, poisonous bees, and fire ants,” Mr. Wangley explained with confidence.
“Are you for real? You got all that from tasting one small droplet?” Ruth asked incredulously. If he had the skills to figure out Dustin’s recipe like that, that would mean that he was pretty much an expert as well.
“As expected of a poison master, you clearly are an expert in your field,” Dustin remarked with a smile.
He had to admit that Mr. Wangley was indeed talented, but it was a shame that he was so close yet so far once again, mistaking his concoction for Venenum Insectum instead of Venenum Insectim. The golden juice was merely added in for extra flavor.
“Will you stop spewing nonsense to yourself already, Mr. Wangley? Hurry up and make me an antidote. My stomach is starting to hurt again.” Quentin whined as he clutched his abdomen with a strained look.
His stomach had begun to churn again two minutes later.
“Wait for me while I whip up an antidote for you, Mr. Harmon.” Mr. Wangley swiftly started preparing an antidote with the ingredients that remained.
“H–Hurry up! It’s getting more and more painful by the second!” Quentin howled in pain. The longer time went on, he felt as if there was a knife inside his abdomen that kept stabbing his insides. He started to break out in a cold sweat.
In the meantime, Dustin looked absolutely fine and showed no abnormal symptoms, so much so that he managed to sip his tea leisurely.
“H–how are you not affected?” Quentin stuttered, visibly taken aback. Dustin had drunk the poison first, so why was it that he seemed like he wasn’t affected by it in the slightest?
“I’ve already gotten rid of the poison in my system. So, how could I still be affected?”
“You’ve already concocted an antidote? But how? You didn’t do anything!” Quentin spat in disbelief.
“That’s not for you to worry about. Why don’t you focus on your case first? Like what you’re going to do if the person standing next to you can’t cure the poison,” Dustin suggested with mock concern.
“The poison I conjured up was a rough one, by the way. It’ll induce searing pain first, and if you fail to obtain the antidote within three hours, then it’ll tear through your guts and intestines and cause you to die a horrible death!”
“What!” Quentin gasped and panicked. His stomach was already hurting badly before this, but after receiving a scare from Dustin, it seemed to hurt even more.
“I’ve got the antidote for you, Mr. Harthon!” Mr. Wangley announced as he brought a vial of white liquid over to him in the nick of time. Without any hesitation, Quentin downed the whole thing in one gulp.
As soon as the antidote landed in his stomach, he immediately felt better. However, after enduring the pain for a few seconds, he vomited all the white liquid out of his system. “What are you doing, Mr. Harmon? You just threw up the antidote!” Mr. Wangley exclaimed in surprise.
“I–I couldn’t help it. I really couldn’t hold it in!” Quentin whined helplessly.
“You could even stomach eating shit, so why can’t you do the same for the antidote?” Mr. Wangley scolded, flabbergasted.
“Cut the crap! Hurry up and prepare another dose, I’ll make sure to hold it in this time round,” Quentin shouted as his face twitched.
Mr. Wangley had no choice but to do as he was told. Soon, he’d finished whipping up another dose, and Quentin wasted no time ingesting it. This time, he managed to hold it in.
“My stomach still hurts like hell, Mr. Wangley. Why haven’t the effects kicked in yet?” Quentin complained with a strained look on his face.
“It can’t be, the main ingredients to make an antidote for Venenum Insectum are forsythia, lotus root, and white creepers. Then, it just needs to be supplemented with a few herbs and heated up, to be able to detoxify the poison. Perhaps the effects of the antidote haven’t kicked in yet, so I’ll need you to wait a little while longer,” Mr. Wangley comforted.
Quentin nodded and forced himself to endure the severe pain for a few more minutes. His face even started contorting to reflect the indescribable pain he was feeling as time went on.
“Mr. Wangley! I don’t think this was the right antidote! Not only did it do nothing to ease the pain, but it also hurts even more now!” Quentin shouted through gritted teeth and continued to be drenched in sweat.
“How could this be?” Mr. Wangley stepped forward to check Quentin’s pulse.
“D–don’t tell me this isn’t Venenum Insectum?” Mr. Wangley exclaimed.
“Huh? Then what about the antidote that you gave me just now?” Quentin roared in anger.
“What else did you put in your poison, you bastard? I clearly saw you add venomous creepy crawlies inside!” Mr. Wangley turned around and questioned.
“The kind of ingredients I used isn’t the main focus here. The real question should be whether you can get rid of the poison or not,” Dustin said indifferently.
“You played dirty, didn’t you? So be it! Even if this ends up in a tie, as long as you hand me the antidote. I’ll give you the antidote for the Devil’s Elixir!” Mr. Wangley proposed as he made the decision to be the bigger person.
If he’d concocted the poison using a different recipe, then he would need to take the time to analyze it properly. But now that Quentin was writhing in pain, he didn’t have the luxury to take his time. It would be bad for him too if his source of income were to disappear just like that.
“You want the antidote, don’t you? Fine.” A cocky grin spread on Dustin’s face.
“According to what you said to me earlier, I want the same back from you. I want you to kneel down before me and admit defeat. After that, I’ll give you the antidote.”
The second he finished his sentence, Quentin and Mr. Wangley’s expressions changed.
Chapter-82 humiliations & Eternumax
“Don’t get ahead of yourself yet, you bastard!” Mr. Wangley shouted in anger.
“You have to remember that Mr. Harmon isn’t the only one who’s poisoned here. Without my antidote, you won’t be able to live past tomorrow with my poison in your system!”
“Is that so? Wanna bet on who kicks the bucket first?” Dustin chuckled.
“Why you-!” Mr. Wangley had been rendered speechless. Looking at the current state of affairs, it was obvious that Quentin was the one who would lose first.
And it was exactly for this reason that Mr. Wangley proposed to call it a draw. Unfortunately, the other party was having none of it.
“Hurry up and give me the antidote already, Dustin! We’ll count this as a loss on our side!” Quentin yielded grudgingly.
If it weren’t for the fact that he really couldn’t bear the pain anymore, he would never concede to a puny ant like him.
“You can’t just ‘say’ that you’ve lost. Where’s the sincerity in that, Mr. Harmon?” Dustin teased while shaking his head.
“Don’t you test me, Rhys!” Quentin roared.
“When you make mistakes, it’s only logical that you admit your wrongdoings, no? Are you telling me that you can’t even do that much?” Dustin urged on, devoid of the slightest bit of fear.
“Oh, so you want me to get down on my knees and admit my mistakes to you? What makes you think you’re fucking worthy of that?” Quentin sneered as his expression turned cold.
“Of course, I’m not worthy. I guess you’ll just have to get rid of the poison by yourselves then,” Dustin replied with a shrug.
“Are you threatening me right now?” Quentin scowled.
“Goodness, no. I’m just returning the favor,” Dustin replied, unperturbed.
“Enough, everyone stops this farce at once!” Jessica suddenly screamed.
“You’d better hurry and pass the antidote to Quentin right now, Dustin. Otherwise, you won’t be able to take responsibility if anything happens to him after this!”
“With all due respect, ma’am, every man considers his promises like gold. So since I made a promise just now, naturally I would need to fulfill that promise,” Dustin replied plainly.
“What are you on about? And why do you insist on making yourself an enemy of the Harmons today?” Jessica snapped, her pretty face now stone cold.
She initially thought that Dustin would back down and be the bigger man in this situation, but didn’t expect him to be so insensitive instead.
“Can you cut the act already? You didn’t say anything when Quentin was bullying Dustin before, so why are you jumping to Quentin’s aid when he’s in a difficult situation now? Do you even have a shred of dignity left?” Natasha suddenly voiced out.
“Why are you speaking for an outsider when Quentin is your own cousin?” Jessica frowned.
“I only speak for the truth, not blood relations!” Natasha proclaimed, righteously.
“Quentin was the one who started this whole thing in the first place, so now he’s getting what he deserves. Since we’re outsiders in their competition, we should just sit and watch and not interfere!”
“Why you-!” Jessica growled, obviously angry at her daughter’s outburst.
Although she let Natasha have her way outside, she really could not do anything about her in private.
All of her nagging and lectures failed to get to her. She was such a thorn in her side!
“This is the last time I’m going to ask, Rhys! Are you giving me the antidote or not?” Quentin demanded while gritting his teeth.
“And I’ll reply with the same answer. Kneel down and apologize first,” Dustin stated flatly.
“Fine! Fine!” Quentin finally gave in with a sinister look on his face.
“I can kneel down, for sure, but are you sure you want to take responsibility for the consequences that ensue?” Quentin growled, his expression was murderous now.
“I’ll need to see it for myself first.” Dustin smiled mockingly.
“Fine! I hope you don’t regret this!” Quentin shouted through clenched teeth. After hesitating for two seconds,
he finally dropped down to the floor on his knees with a heavy “thud”.
But as he knelt, his death glare was firmly planted on Dustin, and his expression extremely fierce. Humiliating him in public like this was equal to asking for death!
“The man has already knelt before you. Are you satisfied now, Dustin? Hurry up and hand him the antidote then!” Jessica snapped.
Humiliating Quentin Harmon was equal to humiliating the entirety of the Harmon family. How dare a measly doctor humiliate a Harmon like that. He was really asking to be killed!
“Here. Bottoms up.” Dustin said as he fished out a small, white vial and poured the powdery contents into a cup of tea.
“Is that Hexanavir? Mr. Wangley thought to himself.
When Mr. Wangley laid his eyes on the small, white–colored vial, his expression immediately turned into shock, but a look of greed replaced it soon after.
That was legendary Dr. Rowan Cross’ Miracle Cure! Why does a punk like him have such a treasure on him in the first place? Anyone could see that this antidote was incredibly precious and worth a lot of money!
Even the tiniest amount of powder could already fetch sky–high prices. It was no wonder that the punk could act so cocky, and that was all because he was in possession of Hexanavir. Today shall be the day of his downfall!
“Hmph!” Quentin snorted and said nothing before downing the whole cup of tea in one gulp.
Almost immediately after he gulped down the tea, the ongoing sharp pains in his stomach gradually started to disappear.
The pain completely disappeared a few minutes later. This caused Quentin to feel like he’d just survived a huge ordeal.
“I won’t forget the shame you inflicted on me today, Rhys! You had better not fall into my clutches anymore in the future!” Quentin barked before turning to Natasha Harmon. “And as for you, Natasha, you’d better solve the crisis surrounding Eternumax soon. Else, don’t blame me if I report you to the board!”
The moment he finished barking, Quentin left the room in a haggard state.
“You’ll definitely regret everything you did today, young man!” Mr. Wangley grunted before turning to chase after Quentin.
Did he know who Quentin was? How could a puny doctor like him humiliate him like that?
If ever he decided to seek revenge eventually, he bet that his bones wouldn’t be spared even after he was brutally murdered!
“So you came prepared, Dustin. You really scared me just now.” Ruth heaved a sigh of relief.
“It was all thanks to the Hexanavir your sister sent me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have won so easily,” Dustin let out a small chuckle.
But of course, the antidote merely made things slightly easier for him.
“Hmph! It was all a trick then!” Jessica snorted and looked at Dustin in disdain.
She initially thought that he’d used his skills for this, but who knew that he had just utilized Hexanavir which was made by the legendary Dr. Rowan Cross.
“You can stay unconvinced as long as you like, but the fact remains that Dustin won” Natasha argued with a hard glare.
“So what if he won by a fluke? What makes you think this kid can research Eternumax without Mr. Wangley here?” Jessica questioned.
Eternumax has been the heart and soul of Harmon Pharmaceuticals for many years now and was an equally important part of the family’s development plans.
This was why she refused to believe that such an unknown figure like Dustin would have any ability to save the day.
“Who says? To me, Dustin is way more knowledgeable than whoever this Wangley guy is.” Natasha stood her ground firmly.
“Fine, since you keep insisting that he’s the superior choice, then why don’t we make a bet? If he can develop Eternumax from scratch, I’ll take it as he’s passed the test. Otherwise, I’ll have him resign from his post immediately to make way for the others!” Jessica roared, clearly enraged.
“I have no qualms with that,” Natasha said, refusing to give way.
Whether he would be able to do it or not was a separate matter. She couldn’t back down now.
“Rhys, you punk! You’d better not let my daughter down!” Jessica spat after getting a clearer look at Dustin. She then folded up her sleeves and up and left.
“What did mom mean by ‘test’ just now?” Ruth asked, out of curiosity.
“Kids shouldn’t butt into adult matters.” Natasha rolled her eyes at her in response.
“Hmph! Well, I’m sorry for asking. Who died and made you queen?” Ruth pouted.
“You all keep mentioning Eternumax, but what is it exactly? Ms. Harmon?” Dustin asked while feigning ignorance.
Natasha Harmon forced a smile and started explaining. “Although the Harmons have a firm grip over many industries, the main focus is still medicine. This was why the decision behind the selection of business partners and benefit–sharing were all made in hopes of dominating the pharmaceutical market of the entirety of Swinton. Thus, that was how we began researching and developing a new kind of drug, which we plan to use to capture all of that market share,
“Everything was going to plan in the beginning, but no one had expected that there would be a traitor who had been planted among us. Thus, Tilda Snider’s assassination presented an opportunity to us, while serving as a warning to all traitors. But the moment they realized that they were about to be exposed, they employed methods of coercion and enticing benefits to lure our employees to other companies instead, which was how they took away a big chunk of our workforce. Not only that, they even stole our research findings! And the research findings in question were for the new drug we’re developing, Eternumax!
Chapter 83 Immortunol & in Market
“I see.” Dustin nodded.
Dustin recalled something and asked, “Following what you said, between you and Edwin, whoever first creates Eternumax would dominate the market in Swinton?”
“You could say that,” Natasha confirmed his thoughts.
“However, the documents of my researchers have been robbed. We have to start all over again. It would be too difficult.”
“Humph! That Hummer is too despicable! Him and his dirty tricks!” Ruth was indignant.
“What kind of medicine is Eternumax?” Dustin asked once again.
“Eternumax is a medicine that not only increases your lifespan but also retains beauty. It was said to be derived from an ancient antidote recipe. However, because the recipe was crafted such a long time ago, half of it was lost. We could only keep researching to restore the full recipe.” Natasha explained.
“An ancient antidote recipe?”
“If I’m following correctly, I do know about a type of secret medicine that has a similar effect to Eternumax.” Dustin rubbed his chin
“Oh? And what medicine is that?” Natasha’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“This medicine is called Immortunol. I read about it from a medical book archive. It also increases one’s lifespan and retains beauty. Its effects should be on par with Eternumax.” Dustin smiled faintly.
The archives that he read contained all valuable antidotes that had been lost in time. Whatever was listed in there was definitely no ordinary medicine.
“Hah! I don’t believe you for one second! Eternumax is a secret ancient recipe. How could this ‘Immortunol’ even compare to it? I’ve never even heard of such a thing!” Ruth pouted.
“Just because you never heard of it, doesn’t mean it does not exist. There could even possibly be a surprise discovery.” Dustin suggested.
“No matter if it works, we should give it a try. Let me know what ingredients you need. I’ll prepare them right. away.” Natasha offered without any hesitation. That was because there was no other way to go about this. They were in a bind.
“Rue, bring me a pen and paper.” Dustin turned around and commanded.
“Hey! I told you a thousand times already. My name is Ruth! Ruth!” Ruth clenched her teeth. Ruth gave Dustin a kick before bringing him the pen and paper.
After taking the pen and a few scribbles, Dustin finished writing Immortunol’s recipe in an instant. Natasha scanned through the list and nodded.
“These ingredients are quite common and easy to find. The only tricky ingredient would be Luminianth Root.” *Sis, there are a few sellers in the medicine market. Perhaps we could find some there.” Ruth suggested.
“Yeah. Bring Dustin along to check it out. I still have some stuff to do.” Natasha replied.
“Alright…” Ruth pouted. Although she was a little disappointed, she agreed to her sister’s request. Her sister had a lot of stuff to do. She knew that she had to help her out.
After setting their destination, Ruth drove Dustin to the market. A Mercedes–Benz parked in front of a shop named Emporium. Dahlia and the others stepped out of the car which stopped abruptly. Other than Florence and James, there was also a pretty, well–dressed lady beside them. This woman was Florence’s niece, Julie Amberson.
“Julie, didn’t you say you wanted to get a present? Why are we at a place like this?” Florence was confused.
“Aunt Florence, I just got the news that this shop has a very rare ingredient called the Luminianth Root!” Julie whispered.
“Luminianth Root? What’s it for?” The name piqued Florence’s curiosity.
“It’s great as a gift, of course! Tomorrow is the Hummers’ birthday party. I’m planning to gift this to Miss Hummer!”
“Why are you gifting this instead of gems or jewelry like everyone else?”
“Hehe…You wouldn’t know, would you? Miss Hummer is a noble lady. She doesn’t need gems or jewelry. If you truly want to impress her, you should give her a one–of–a–kind gift. Luminlanth Root has the ability to retain one’s beauty. No woman could ever resist it. I believe that Miss Hummer would like it!” Julie uttered confidently.
“You’re not wrong, but this Luminianth Root costs a fortune, right?” Florence asked.
“Of course! This is an extremely rare item. You won’t be able to buy it without three to five million dollars.” Julie nodded.
“What! It’s that expensive?”
Florence was shocked. “Julie, do you even have that much money?”
“Of course, I don’t. But you do! So, lend me a few million dollars, I’ll return it to you next time.” Julie requested without hesitation.
Her words stunned Florence. Dahlia and James also frowned at her words. This cousin of theirs would always borrow money every time she visits.
Last year she “borrowed” a Mercedez–Benz from them for two days. Until now, she still hadn’t returned the car. It seemed like they would not be getting it back. If they gave her a few million dollars now, there would definitely be no return as well.
“Julie, it’s not that I don’t want to lend you the money. A few million dollars is really too much.” After thinking for some time, Florence still refused.
“Aunt Florence, your family owns a business! There’s no way you don’t have that kind of money. Or is it that you guys don’t want to lend me the money?” Julie was getting upset.
“No, I really don’t have that much money.” Florence laughed awkwardly.
“If you don’t, then Dahlia should have that money, right? She’s the president of Quine Group! I don’t believe for a second that she doesn’t have a few million dollars to spare!”
Julle turned to Dahlia as she uttered those words.
“The company’s finances are a bit tight at the moment. Every penny counts. I wouldn’t recommend spending the money on such birthday gifts.” Dahlia shook her head lightly.
If it was an emergency, she would definitely spend money without hesitation. But for her situation, she really could not help her even if she wanted to.
“Dahlia! You can’t be that stingy? It’s just a few million dollars! It’s not like I wouldn’t return it to you!”
Julie crossed her arms and said confidently. “After I send Miss Hummer this gift, I’ll become her friend. Then, I’ll get a high-rank position in Hummer Pharmaceuticals. I’ll be earning a few million dollars every year, easy peasy!”
“Julie, you must not get ahead of yourself. It’s not that easy to get into Hummer Pharmaceuticals. Never mind a high-rank position, with your experience, it would be best for you to get some training in my company.” Dahlia tried to reason with her calmly.
“Dahlia, let me get straight to the point. I’m a valuable graduate of the Ivy League. Everyone wants me. A small company like Quine Group is not worth my time.” Julie mocked.
Dahlia was speechless at her remarks. This cousin of hers was a classic narcissist. No experience and no skill, and yet she still dreamed about becoming a rich supervisor.
She looked down on almost everyone, and yet she didn’t even have the basics down.
“Alright! Back to the point! Are you lending me the money or not?” Julie’s arms were still crossed in front of her body arrogantly.
She really had no shame as the one who was borrowing money.
“No!” James answered.
“Fine! Today I finally get to see what kind of people you guys really are! Relatives, my ass! You all just abandoned me when I was in need. Tomorrow, I will make you pay!” With that, Julie turned around and stomped away.
Chapter-84 Money Game Between woman(haha…..)
“Julie! Don’t be mad, calm down!”
Florence quickly stopped Julie and smiled. “Isn’t it just a few million dollars? I’ll lend it to you! We’re all family after all. There’s no need to fight.”
“Mom! Why are you playing along with her?” James frowned.
“Julie is my only niece. Now that she’s in a pinch, who would help her if not me?” Florence stated the facts.
“Are you sure this is someone who needs help?” James was displeased.
“Shut it!” Florence glared at her son. “I’m not using your money. Can’t I use my own money?”
“You-!” James was shocked.
“Is she still my mother?” James wondered. She treated a niece better than her own son.
“Aunt Florence treats me the best!” Julie chirped with a smile on her face.
This was not her first time acting like this. It was effective every single time.
“Of course, who’d treat you well other than me? Let’s go, we’ll buy you the Lumianth Root.” Florence grabbed Juile’s hand and entered Emporium.
“Sis! You’re not going to stop mom?” James was worried.
“What’s the use of stopping her? This isn’t her first time doing such a thing.” Dahlia had already given up.
Her mother had been treating her sister’s family like this for a long time. The only problem was their despicable attitude, exploiting her mother’s kindness.
“Hey, boss!” Julie immediately called out confidently while entering the shop.
“Welcome! What can I get for my distinguished guests?” A middle–aged man with a big belly walked forward to greet his customers.
“A little bird told me that you sell Luminianth Root here. Is that true?” Julie sat down on one of the chairs in the shop.
“Miss, this bird of yours must be very efficient at its job! We do sell them here. In fact, it just arrived yesterday.” The shop owner spoke truthfully.
“Really? How do you plan to sell them?” Julie continued asking.
“This Luminianth Root is not that cheap. We’re planning to hold an auction for it.” The shop owner replied.
“Auctions are too much of a hassle. Why don’t you just sell it to me? It saves you the money to hold an auction.” Julie tried to convince the shop owner. But The shop owner was troubled.
“What? Do you think I can’t afford it? Say it. How much are you planning to sell this for?” Julle asked.
“If Miss truly wants to buy it, I wouldn’t try to stop you. I just need this much.” The plump shop owner held up five of his fingers.
“Five million? That’s expensive?!” Florence immediately froze in place. Although she expected it, she was still shocked when she heard the price.
“Five million already includes a discount for our friendship. If I were to auction this, I probably would earn five to six times this price. This is also an early price, otherwise, it wouldn’t be so low.” The shop owner shook his head.
“Can’t you lower the price a bit? This amount is too high.” Florence tried to negotiate with him.
“I can’t do that. This precious gem cost me a lot of fortune. To be honest, if I encounter someone who needs this, it wouldn’t even be a problem to sell it for a hundred million dollars.” The shop owner said with a serious face.
“But” Before Florence could finish her sentence, Julie interrupted her. “Alright, alright! Aunt Florence, we shouldn’t be too sensitive! Isn’t it just five million dollars? We’re buying it!”
“Miss, I love your attitude! I will get someone to bring over the Luminiath Root right away!” The shop owner smiled from ear to ear as he signaled the man behind him.
The man immediately understood and ran upstairs. After a while, he came back and presented a big wooden box.
“Inside is the Luminianth Root. Miss, will you be paying by card or cash?” The shop owner grinned, pleased with the transaction.
“Card.”
Julie said without any remorse, “Go ahead, Aunt Florence.” The corner of Florence’s lips twitched as she painfully reached into her bag for a card. As they were finishing up the transaction, a woman’s voice yelled from outside.
“Wait! That Luminianth Root is ours!” Everyone looked towards the voice, and immediately, a man and woman walked into the shop. It was Dustin and Ruth.
“Why are you here?” Dahlia was surprised to see Dustin. When she saw the pretty lady standing beside him, she couldn’t help but frown. Her heart clenched in jealousy.
“Was Natasha not enough for him? He still wanted more women?” Dahlia wondered to herself.
“Men are all playboys after all!” She concluded in her mind.
“Dustin, you guys know each other?” Ruth looked between the two of them, feeling a little awkward.
“We do. She’s the president of Quine Group, Miss Dahlia.” Dustin explained.
“So it’s her!” Ruth’s gaze immediately turned hostile. This woman in front of her was her sister’s greatest love rival. She certainly has to keep an eye on her. She must not let the two of them rekindle their love!
“Humph! How do we keep running into each other? How unlucky of us!” Florence’s face was full of contempt.”
“Dustin! How impressive! I can’t believe you got another girl with you so soon! You really are a gigolo!” James mocked. At the same time, he was envious of him.
“Damn it! I’m much more incredible and yet I still don’t have a girlfriend. And yet, this piece of trash changes his girls every time I meet him. First, it was the queen of business, Natasha. Now he has this new pretty girl! The world is so unfair!” James thought to himself.
“Oi! Was it the two of you making a ruckus?!” Julie scanned Dustin and Ruth, looking annoyed.
“It was me.” Ruth stepped forward and chirped, “Boss, This Lumianth Root is ours. Name a price.”
“Humph! Do you think it’s yours if you say so? Who do you think you are?”
Julie said in an unfriendly tone, “Let me tell you, I already paid five million dollars for this Lumianth Root!”
“Pretty lady, we need this Luminianth Root urgently. I hope you can do us a favor.” Ruth asked kindly.
“Who are you to be asking me for a favor? Scram!” Julie was stubborn and ruthless.
“Hm? Boss, she offered five million dollars, right? I’ll give you eight million dollars!” Ruth frowned and declared boldly.
“Eight million dollars?!” Everyone was shocked at the number. Especially the shop owner. His eyes were sparkling with excitement. The other customers were also watching the scene, amused.
“Hey! What are you doing? You’re picking a fight on purpose, aren’t you?!” Julie’s face darkened.
“This precious treasure deserves such a high price. Do you have a problem with that?” Ruth was only doing what she thought was right.
“Bitch! Do you want to play this game? Fine! I’ll pay ten million dollars!” Julie yelled.
Florence’s face turned as pale as a ghost as she heard that.
Five million dollars was already her limit. Ten million dollars would cost more than her fortune.
Without hesitation, Ruth replied, “I’ll pay 12 million dollars then.”
“15 million dollars! End this deal now! Boss! You know the first come first serve policy. This Luminianth Root
is already mine. If you dare to sell it to someone else, I’ll destroy this shop of yours!” Julie roared and snatched the wooden box before everyone could say a word.
“Alright, alright. Luminianth Root is yours!” The shop owner agreed reluctantly. But the truth was, he was extremely happy.
“Boss, why are you selling it to her? I can give you 12 million dollars!” Ruth was not pleased with the outcome.
“It’s not about the money. Business is about credibility. This lady ordered the Luminianth Root first, so it should be hers.” The shop owner played along with Julie.
“Did you hear that? So what if you have money? What’s mine is mine, you can’t take it from me!”Julie smiled joyfully as if she had won a battle. On the other hand, Florence who was standing behind Julie was devastated.
15 million dollars!
She was going to be broke!
Chapter-85 Wood that cost $15 Millions(piece of shit)
Seeing Julie’s joyful face, Ruth clenched her teeth and held back her anger.
“Pretty lady, I really need this Luminianth Root. Can’t you just sell it to me? I’ll pay you 20 million!” Ruth tried her best to rein in her emotions.
“So what if you have money? Do you want my Luminianth Root? Dream on!” Julle hugged the wooden box closer to her body, looking proud of herself.
“You-!”
Ruth was at her limit. She had never been treated like this before ever since a young age. In the end, she gave up. “Dustin! I don’t care anymore! You handle it yourself!”
Looking at the situation, Dustin could only ask, “Julie, what are you planning to use the Luminianth Root for?”
“That’s none of your damn business!”
Julie glared at him and declared firmly. “Listen up you guys, I will never sell the Luminianth Root to you guys no matter what you say!”
“That is a huge Luminianth Root. You won’t be able to finish it if you’re planning to use it as a medicine-” Before Dustin could finish, Julie interrupted rudely. “Shut up! So what if I can’t finish using it? Even if I waste it and have no use for it, I will never sell it to you guys!”
Dustin frowned at her words. He never imagined her to be so unreasonable and petty.
“Boss! Card!” Julie snatched the card from Florence’s hand and passed it to the shop owner swiftly. No matter what, she wouldn’t go back on her words!
“Julie! Well, 15 million dollars is too much, don’t you think?” Florence’s legs almost gave away. That was her entire fortune!
“Aunt Florence, it’s just 15 million dollars. It’s nothing. When I earn money, I’ll double it and give it back to you!” Julie promised confidently. The corner of Florence’s lips twitched as she heard that.
“Don’t know how many blue moons it would take for you to earn that huge amount of money.” Florence thought to herself.
After the transaction was done, Julie was in high spirits. She mocked Ruth and Dustin, “You guys haven’t seen anything precious like this, have you? I’ll be kind and let you guys see it for the first time!”
After finishing her sentence, she immediately opened the wooden box. Everyone peeked into the box, and the only thing they could see was a Luminianth Root that was the size of a palm. The Luminianth Root was dark greyish. Its flesh was scrawny and wilted. It looked dry and had no signs of life.
Upon contact, the root crumbles into powder. A piece of its surface falls out.
“Huh?”
Julie frowned and asked, “Boss, are you sure this is Luminianth Root? Why does it look so suspicious?”
The item in front of her was way different from what she had expected.
“Of course! I harvested this Luminianth Root myself yesterday! It’s definitely the real thing!” The shop owner grinned.
“Why does it look like it’s dead?” Julie was suspicious.
“Boss! Did you just scam us by selling us a fake Luminianth Root?” Florence was shocked and worried.
“How could I?”
The shop owner smiled meekly. “This Luminianth Root is definitely real. It’s just a little ugly, but it is still the real deal”
“Boss, that isn’t ethical of you.”
Dahlia looked at the Luminianth Root and pointed out “It is a Luminianth Root, but this one is obviously wilted. There’s no sign of life at all. It’s the same as a piece of wood. How could you sell it for such a high price?
“What? A piece of wood?!” Florence and Julie were shocked to the core when they heard this. No wonder it didn’t look right. It was a defective product.
“Damn, you fatty! You lied to us! Hurry and give our money back!” Florence roared, her face red from anger.
“That’s right! Hurry up and give us a refund!” After coming back to her senses, Julie chimed in. Did he really think he could scam her 15 million dollars for a piece of trash?!
“Look here, we’ve laid out our terms clearly. You were the ones who insisted on buying it. I didn’t force you guys at all.” The shop owner said indifferently.
“Stop the crap! I don’t want this Luminianth Root anymore. Hurry up and give me a refund!” Julle grabbed the man by his collar and roared.
“What? Are you trying to stir up trouble in my shop?” The shop owner’s expression did not falter, and he quickly clapped his hands once. Soon, a group of brawny men came out from the room behind. Seeing the fierce looks on their face, Julie and the rest were immediately stunned and silent.
“Are you guys tired of living? How dare you stir up trouble in Mr. Walter’s shop?”
“Anyone could tell that they’re brainless, they have no clue about the rules here.”
“Exactly! They don’t even check the item before raising their bid. Doesn’t that say something about their stupidity?” The crowd started gossiping.
“What? You think that I’m scared because you have a few men?” Florence glared at him, putting up a brave front as she threatened, “You son of a bitch! I’m warning you, you better give me a refund right now or I’ll sue you for fraud!”
“Go ahead, sue me as you please.” Mr. Walter remained unfazed by her threats.
“I really did sell you a Luminianth Root. No matter where you ask, this is what you get. As for the price, you were the ones who added it. It has nothing to do with me. There’s no use in suing me!”
“You-!” Florence clenched her teeth. She didn’t dare to lift a finger because of the men.
“You fat bastard! Why didn’t you mention anything about the Luminianth Root being defective?” Julie said, pissed at the turn of events.
“Before you paid, I already passed the Luminianth Root to you. Now, you’re blaming me because you didn’t open and check it yourself?” Mr. Walter retorted assertively.
Julie’s blood started to boil at his statement. However, there was nothing she could do. Although she wasn’t the one who paid for it, the feeling of being scammed was still frustrating.
“Hahaha! 15 million for a piece of wood! That’s hilarious!” Ruth mocked without remorse. Now she finally had the chance to pay them back for making fun of her.
“Mind your own business!” Julie barked.
“Actually, now that I think about it, I should thank you for not selling it to me. Otherwise, I would’ve been the one who’s scammed!” Ruth laughed.
“You–you!!”
Julie was fuming, steam was coming out of her ears and her face flushed red in anger. One could almost see the daggers in her eyes.
“Miss, didn’t you say you want to buy Luminianth Root? We’ll sell it to you. Just give us 20 million dollars.” Florence looked as if she’d seen an angel She immediately brought the Luminianth Root to Ruth.
“Do you think I’m stupid? Are you really asking 20 million for a piece of trash?” Ruth mocked. Although she was rich, she wasn’t stupid. A wilted Luminianth Root had no use for medicine.
“If you think that’s expensive, then I’ll lower the price for you. Is 15 million okay?” Florence begged once again. Right now, she only hoped to sell it out as fast as possible. Otherwise…
“No.” Ruth refused firmly.
“10 million! 10 million is good, right? We’re already making a loss here!” Florence begged frantically, and sweat started to form on her face.
“Do you think this thing is still worth 10 million dollars?” Ruth asked, looking at Florence as if she was crazy.
“Five million! Just five million dollars!” Florence was on the verge of tears. Her eyes darted around the room.
“Anyone, please! Will someone be generous enough to buy it for five million dollars?!”
Right now, she could not ask for the original price. She could only hope to minimize her loss.
“Stop wasting your energy. Only an idiot would buy this piece of trash!” Ruth pursed her lips. Right after she finished her sentence, a voice rang from behind.
“I’ll buy it for five million dollars.”
Chapter-86 Piece of shit turned out to be Invaluable teaser
“I’ll buy it for five million dollars.” Dustin’s voice captured several customers’ attention. They all looked at him as if he had grown another head.
Anyone who’s in the right mind would be able to tell that this Luminianth Root was defective. Only an idiot would buy a Luminianth Root in that condition.
“Dustin, have you lost your mind? Why are you spending five million for a piece of trash?” Ruth was shocked. Although it wasn’t a lot of money for her, it was still a dumb decision.
“You, you really want to buy it?” Florence could not believe it.
“What? Do you not want to sell it?” Dustin asked.
“I’ll sell it! Of course, I’ll sell it!” Florence nodded her head repeatedly as a smile bloomed on her face. Although she still made a loss for selling it for five million dollars, it was still better than nothing.
“Dustin, this Luminianth Root is obviously useless. Are you sure you want to buy it?” Dahlia asked in surprise.
“Oh, silly! What are you talking about? This Luminianth Root is a precious gem!” Florence was taken aback. She finally got a chance to sell it out. How could Dahlia suddenly sabotage her?
“What if he changed his mind?” Florence was worried.
Dustin nodded. “Of course, I’ll buy it. At least I think it’s very useful.”
“Yes, of course! This is a precious Luminianth Root, the rarest you can find in the world! You’re definitely getting all your money’s worth for five million dollars!” Florence pitched frantically. It was as if she’d met her saving grace
“Dustin! Five million dollars is not a small amount! Do you even have that much money?” James questioned.
“I don’t, but she does.” Dustin pointed towards Ruth who was standing beside him. “Me?” Ruth was stunned. She rolled her eyes.
“I won’t do such a dumb thing!”
“Can you take it as me borrowing your money? This is extremely important to me.” Dustin asked earnestly.
“Alright, alright! I give in. Here, take your five million dollars. You better remember this as a lesson.” Ruth couldn’t refuse.
After all, five million dollars was not a lot for her. In the end, they managed to secure a trade. After receiving the money. Julie couldn’t help but laugh. “Dustin! You really are dumber than I thought! The Luminianth Root was obviously defective and yet you still insisted on buying it! I praise you for your courage!”
“Thankfully there’s an idiot to fall for it, otherwise we’d make such a great loss!” Florence gloated.
“Five million for a piece of trash, how amazing!” James laughed mockingly as he shook his head, enjoying the show.
“How would you guys know that this is a piece of trash?” Dustin remained unfazed.
“Are you blind? Can’t you see? It’s wilted! If it’s not trash then what is it?” Julie mocked.
“That’s only what you think. In my eyes, it’s a priceless treasure.” Dustin smiled.
“Priceless treasure? Looks like you’re not just blind, you’re brain–dead! You think a piece of trash is a priceless treasure! I can’t believe those words just came out of your mouth!” Julie started laughing uncontrollably.
“How dumb and clueless can you be!” James pursed his lips.
“Have you guys thought about why this Luminianth Root wilted?” Dustin said with a smirk.
“What?”
Everyone was shocked.
“Why?” Ruth was curious.
Dustin smiled. Instead of replying, he took the Luminianth Root in his hand and slammed it onto the ground.
With a loud “Thunk!”, the Luminianth Root shattered to pieces.
“Dustin! Have you lost your mind?!” Ruth was shocked to the core. Dustin just shattered the thing that they bought for five million dollars!
“Has he really lost his mind?” She wondered, clearly in disbelief.
“Even if you’re rich, you shouldn’t trash like that!” She thought.
“He’s brain–dead after all!” Julle laughed louder.
“You’re hopeless.” James thought he was looking at an idiot.
“What on earth are you up to?” Dahlia also frowned at the scene.
She really could not understand his outrageous behavior. Ignoring the crowd’s gazes, Dustin reached down to the shattered Luminianth Root and started to search for something. Soon, a crimson red, finger–sized Luminianth Root appeared.
This small and delicate Luminianth Root was red as blood. It was even emanating an odd smell. One could tell that it was no ordinary item.
“That’s odd, how could there be a smaller Luminianth Root?” Ruth was confused.
“Is it possible for Luminianth Root to give birth?” At that moment, Mr. Walter seemed to realize something and exclaimed. “No–no way! Could it be—that’s a Blood Luminianth Root?!” Everyone in the room went wild at his statement.
“What? Blood Luminianth Root? Mr. Walter, you’re not kidding, are you?!”
“That’s right. I’ve seen it in a book, this is truly a Blood Luminianth Root!”
“Oh my God! I can’t believe that I get to see a Blood Luminianth Root with my own eyes! How exciting!”
The crowd broke into a discussion. Some were surprised, others were envious.
“Wait! What’s a Blood Luminianth Root?” Ruth looked around, not understanding what was going on.
“Blood Luminianth Root is also one of the Luminianth Root variants. However, it is more precious and rarer than a normal Luminianth Root! You could say that it’s the King of Luminianth Roots! It is an invaluable treasure!” Mr. Walter gulped, looking elated.
“Invaluable treasure? Then how much would it cost?” Ruth asked out of curiosity.
“Blood Lurninianth Root is extremely valuable. If I were to auction it, it would cost more than ten billion dollars!” The words from Mr. Walter’s mouth shocked everyone in the room.
“What? Ten billion?!” Everyone could not believe what he just said. This was an amount that none of them could afford even if they had sold all their possessions!
“How–how could it be? This tiny thing is worth ten billion dollars?” Florence’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Ten billion is just the reserve price. If it were really to be auctioned, it might even be higher!” Mr. Walter exclaimed.
His words drained the last bit of color from Florence’s face. This Blood Luminianth Root was hers. Yet, she sold it out for five million dollars. From ten billion to five million. dollars… The difference was just too big!
“How could this happen? No! This can’t be!” At that moment, Julie and the rest were in shock, unable to accept the situation.
Who would’ve thought that a Blood Luminianth Root could be found inside a wilted Luminianth Root?
“Dustin, my man! I can’t believe you’re so lucky! You managed to discover a Blood Luminianth Root. These five million dollars were well spent!” Ruth burst out laughing. Even for someone like her, she had never seen anything that was worth ten billion dollars.
“You! Thanks for your sacrifice, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to get our hands on such a valuable treasure. To be fair, this was supposed to be yours. What a shame, you guys weren’t able to recognize the value of it. Thanks to your losses, we’re able to get it for such a cheap price! Ten billion dollars! How wonderful!” Ruth shook her head and sighed.
Her words pierced into their hearts. Julie and Florence turned red in anger, looking as if they had fallen into a pool of mud. That was a treasure worth ten billion dollars! Because of a small mistake, they gave it away to them.
They were really down on their luck!
Chapter-87 He made a Immortinol ( a kind of medicine)
“This fellow really hit the jackpot! I can’t believe he really found a Blood Luminianth Root!”
“I know right? With a treasure like that, he won’t have to worry for the rest of his life!”
“Damn it! If I knew there was a treasure hiding in that piece of wood, I would’ve bought it myself!” With the Blood Luminianth Root’s debut, the onlookers immediately started talking. All of them looked at Dustin with a gaze full of envy.
“Fuck! This guy really struck gold!” James clenched his teeth, eyes filled with rage.
That’s odd, how did he know that there was a treasure hiding inside? Dahlia was more puzzled than shocked. Everyone had no clue, even Mr. Walter.
And yet, Dustin managed to notice. “Is it really luck? Or was there another reason?” She wondered.
“Dustin, we really won big this time! But, how did you guess that a Blood Luminianth Root was hiding in there?” Ruth asked the question that was on everyone’s minds.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure as well. It was purely a guess.” Dustin said humbly.
“A guess? You’re saying that you had no idea there was a Blood Luminianth Root inside? And you still used five million dollars to gamble?” Ruth was a little stunned.
“You can put it that way.” Dustin nodded.
“I really don’t know whether to call you stupid or lucky.” Ruth gave him an incredulous look.
“I admit that it was indeed a big gamble, but my bet was right. When something goes wrong, there is usually a good reason behind it. There must be a reason for a long–living Luminianth Root to wilt. I read about something similar from a book before.” Dustin smiled faintly.
“You’re a genius! You really enlightened me today!” Ruth gave him a thumbs up. Her respect for him immediately grew tenfold.
“Wait! This Blood Luminianth Root is mine!” Florence suddenly exclaimed. She reached out to snatch the root but luckily was stopped by Ruth. “Hey! What are you doing?!”
“I’m not selling it! I’ll return your five million dollars. I’m not selling this Blood Luminianth Root anymore!” Florence was in a panic. This was worth ten billion dollars. How could she give it to someone else so easily?
“That’s right! We’re not selling it anymore! Give it back to us!” After coming back to her senses, Julle chimed in. Everyone could not help but frown at their unreasonable behavior.
“Oi! Are you guys that shameless? The deal is done. Now you want to back out? No way!” Ruth blocked them from the Blood Luminianth Root, her expression fierce.
She had never seen such shameless people. They were laughing when they thought they had scammed Dustin. Now that they know they made a loss, they’re using all kinds of methods to get it back.
How disgusting!
“I don’t care! This Blood Luminianth Root is mine. You must return it to me today!” Florence exploded in anger. It was like a child throwing a tantrum,
“Dustin! I’m warning you, you better give us back the Blood Luminianth Root! Otherwise, I won’t hold back on you!” Julie glared at him with daggers in her eyes. An invaluable treasure like this was enough to make them lose their minds.
“You were the ones who sold it voluntarily. We also handed over the money. Now that I discovered a treasure inside, you’re backing out? Do you think we’d really give it back to you?” Dustin brushed them off coldly.
“Stop the nonsense! If you weren’t so despicable and scammed us our Blood Luminianth Root, did you think we’d sell it to you?” Florence roared in anger.
“Exactly! You clearly knew there was a Blood Luminianth Root inside. Why didn’t you tell us? You purposely scammed us!” Julie said. Hearing this, Dustin could only laugh. He was looking at two clowns.
“First of all, I didn’t know there was a Blood Luminianth Root in there. It was just a guess. Secondly. So what if I knew there was a treasure inside? Why do I need to tell you guys? Also, you guys were the ones who harbored bad intentions and tried to scam someone else. Otherwise, why would you sell it to me? So, all in all, you guys brought this upon yourself!” Dustin said calmly. Everyone nodded and agreed with what he said.
“Well said! This guy earned the treasure fair and square. He earned it with his talent!”
“When you scammed them, why didn’t you back out then? Now that you know you made a loss, you’re being shameless!”
“That’s right! If you were to follow their dumb logic, wouldn’t the Blood Luminianth Root belong to Mr. Walter?” The onlookers started to express their disdain.
“You–you all are ganging up on us, aren’t you? You scoundrels, I’ll kill you!” Florence yelled, ready to strike a hit.
“Enough! You’ve made a loss! What’s the point of spilling your guts here? Are you not shameful enough?!” Dahlia yelled at Florence.
“Dahlia, you…” Florence was stunned.
“What are you standing there for? Go!” Dahlia said angrily, her face contorted in frustration, Lilacier
“Mom, we’re definitely not getting back the treasure now. Let’s go home and figure out another way.” Before the situation turned sour, James hurriedly convinced his mom. His sister rarely gets angry, but once she does, no one will be spared.
“Dustin! I’m not done with you!” Florence also didn’t dare to act out. After giving Dustin a fierce glare, she left the room unwillingly.
“Humph! So what if you guys got a Blood Luminianth Root? A guy like you wouldn’t live long enough to use it!” Knowing that they lost, Julie left him a curse before leaving.
“Bleh, bleh, bleh!” Ruth mocked as they left.
“Dustin, those who possess treasures will attract the attention of robbers. Having a treasure like this is not an easy job. You should be careful” Dahlia’s gaze lingered on him for a few moments before leaving.
Because of that, Ruth’s senses were tingling. “Dustin, that gaze of hers was a bit weird. Are you guys still not over each other?”
“What nonsense are you on about?” Dustin rolled his eyes.
“Hey! Don’t say that I didn’t warn you, but you must keep yourself together. Don’t give in to her temptations!” Ruth warned with narrowed eyes. She clenched her teeth, showing her two canines that seemed threatening.
“Rue, what on earth is going on in that little head of yours? Now that we’ve got the Luminianth Root, let’s head home!” Dustin lightly knocked on her head.
The night passed by peacefully. Natasha enjoyed her cup of coffee at Java Joys as she flipped through pages of documents. She looked worn out after staying up the entire night.
“Natasha!” Just then, Quentin and Mr. Wangley stormed in through the door.
“What is it?” Natasha couldn’t even be bothered to spare them a glance. She continued to flip through the documents.
Bang!
A wooden box was rudely slammed on the table.
It opened up to reveal a single white pill in it.
“Check this out. Natasha. Do you know what it is?” Quentin pointed at the pill, and his tone was unmistakably demanding
“How would I know? You tell me.” She sat up lazily.
“Hah! You can’t even recognize the Eternumax?” Quentin looked unimpressed.
“So this is Eternumax. Well, what about it?” Natasha asked, not too concerned.
“What about it?! You have the gall to ask me what about it? I bought this Eternumax from the Hummers! They’ve managed to manufacture it! Are you aware of that?” Quentin raised his voice.
“Oh? So what? Isn’t it only a matter of time?” Natasha couldn’t be any calmer.
“What is this attitude you’re showing? Do you not see the severity of the issue at hand? The Eternumax that the Hummers produced has shown phenomenal results, and many of the rich and powerful have already put in their orders. Its price has skyrocketed, and they’re now worth a whopping 500 grand per pill!” Quentin looked exasperated.
“Oh? So?” Still, Natasha was unfazed.
“An object is valued in proportion to its rarity. Eternumax is monopolizing the market right now because there are no other medications that can compete with it yet. But once the Hummers start producing it, we will be severely affected!” Quentin rapped sharply on the table.
“What exactly are you saying?” Natasha countered.
“You are now left with two choices. You either develop the Eternumax as soon as possible, or you will have to collaborate with Edwin Hummer!” Quentin announced decisively.
“Our research findings on the Eternumax have been stolen. It’s too late to start over from scratch. As for working with Edwin Hummer, that’s impossible.” Natasha refused flat out.
“You disagree with both options. But you don’t have a solution to solve the situation, don’t you? The family puts such importance on you, and this is how you repay us?” Quentin questioned aggressively.
“I have my way of dealing with it. You don’t have to worry.” Natasha was still undisturbed.
“This has to do with the gains of the family. I will not allow you to mess around! If you do not come up with a satisfactory solution in three days, do not blame me for reporting you to the board!” Quentin declared justly.
“Do as you wish.” Natasha shrugged nonchalantly.
“Fine! Just you wait!” Quentin scoffed before he turned to leave.
From how he saw it, Natasha was bound to lose this time around. Once she messes up, the family will need a scapegoat to pin the blame on, and he will have an excuse to force her to back out. Not long after Quentin left, Ruth came running in.
“We did it! We did it!” Ruth exclaimed as she ran in, looking for Natasha with excitement.
“Did what?” Natasha looked up, bewildered.
“The Immortunol! Dustin managed to produce the Immortunol!” Ruth pulled out a little bottle as she spoke and poured out a green pill from it. The pill was bright and clear, with a sort of luster to it. It even has a slight fragrance.
“Oh? This is Immortunol?” Natasha looked astonished. Appearance–wise, the pill looked really attractive, akin to a pearl.
“It tastes really good too! Would you like to give it a taste?” Ruth gushed, as though showing off a precious treasure.
“It tastes good? Do you think this is some kind of snack?” Natasha did not know what to make of her sister’s comment. But still, she picked up the Immortunol and popped it in. It dissolved instantly, and a cool sensation flowed through her body as she swallowed it.
A tingly sensation came over her, and she felt rejuvenated. All of her exhaustion seemed to have dissipated on the spot. She was refreshed and energized right away!
“Immortunol is amazing indeed!” Natasha could not contain her awe. She was really in disbelief at how it was able to exhibit such palpable effects immediately.
“Sis! Your face! You look like you’ve aged backward! Your complexion looks much brighter tool” Ruth cried out in surprise beside her.
“What are you blabbering about? That’s impossible!” Natasha rolled her eyes, obviously not buying what Ruth had just said.
“It’s true! Take a look in the mirror if you don’t believe me!” She took out a compact mirror and passed it to her sister,
“What?” One look in the mirror was all it took to give Natasha a shock. She found that after ingesting the Immortunol, her complexion had improved. Even the dark circles under her eyes, a result of her staying up the whole night, had disappeared too.
Her skin’s texture felt like she had just applied a mask to it, bright and hydrated.
“My goodness! This is miraculous!” She was in utter disbelief as she touched her face.
One Immortunol made her feel so rejuvenated, removed the dark circles under her eyes, and primed up her skin, making her look much more alluring.
Its beautifying effects were a game–changer!
“How is it? I wasn’t lying, was I?” Ruth looked very pleased with it. She had been busying herself with assisting Dustin ever since they got their hands on the Blood Luminianth Root the day before.
So she played a part in the production of Immortunol, at least that was what she believed.
“It’s great, isn’t it!” She was momentarily lost in her thoughts before breaking out into a grin. Frankly speaking, she had not held high hopes for them being able to produce the Immortunol. But Dustin had proved her wrong yet again.
He was truly their lucky star!
“Sis, Immortunol does not only give superb effects, but its production cost is also much lower than Eternumax. We spent 5 million dollars on the Blood Luminianth Root, which Dustin diluted with water, and now, that can last us years!” Ruth’s statement was incredible news.
“Really? That’s wonderful!” Natasha’s spirits were lifted. Based on what she had just experienced, she was sure that the Immortinol’s effects far surpassed that of the Eternumax.
Furthermore, if they could control its production cost, that would be a breakthrough! It would not be an exaggeration to say that once Immortinol was out on the market, it would bring Eternumax down to its knees.
“Ruth, we need to keep Immortinol a secret.”
“Why?”
“Edwin will be having a press release for the launching of Eternumax in a few days. We have to take him by surprise and hit him where it hurts. It’ll give him a huge shock in front of the press!”
Chapter-88 Tina( Miss Hummer)
Over at the Nicholsons’ that afternoon.
“Dahlia, are you going to Miss Hummer’s birthday party this evening? Can you bring me along?” James asked excitedly when he saw the invitation on the table.
She was, after all, the daughter of Edwin Hummer, the richest man in the country. It would be beneficial to make acquaintances with such a person.
“I will be attending the birthday party, but the invitation is limited to two persons only. Julie has already called dibs on it.” Dahlia cast a damp over James’ enthusiasm.
“Her?” Displeased, James turned to look at Julie, who was on the couch applying makeup to her face.
“Dahlia, I’m your brother! How could you bring her, and not me?” He grumbled. At that, Julie shot him a glare and said condescendingly, “And what can you do there? Everyone attending the party tonight will be people of status and elites. Wouldn’t a high school dropout like you just embarrass yourself showing up there?”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Do you think that you’re all that great?” James was irked.
“Better than you, at least.” Julie wasn’t one to back off easily.
“You!”
James was just about to burst into a fit of anger when Florence stopped him just in time. “That’s enough. Julie’s our quest, you should play nice. I think it’d be a good opportunity for her to make good connections at the party this evening since she’s fresh out of college. Let her go with Dahlia.”
“Do you hear that? If I manage to befriend Miss Hummer, I’d be on the highway to success! When the time comes, I’ll make sure you benefit from it too!” Julie said with her head held high.
“Hah! You? I’d be better off relying on myself!!” James plopped down on the couch, obviously feeling indignant. Ever since Julie came, all the attention had been shifted to her. He felt that he was now out of favor.
“Ah, right, Dahlia, I nearly forgot.” Florence seemed to recall something as she rummaged around in her bag. In the end, she pulled out an Intricate jewelry box.
“This is a present that Matt gifted you two days ago. Since you’re attending the party today, I think you can put this to good use. Have a look.”
As she spoke, she opened up the jewelry box. There was a pair of ruby earrings in it. The earrings were exquisite and delicate. They were dazzling under the light’s Illumination.
“Wow! It’s spectacular!’ Julie’s eyes lit up as she scrambled to get up. She pulled the jewelry box over for a better look at the earrings. Aunt Florence, such gorgeous earrings must cost a bomb, won’t they?”
“I heard Matt mention that these are Pandarum earrings, and they are custom–made. This is the only pair in the whole of Swinton. It costs millions, Florence announced proudly.
“Is that so? As expected, only the best from Matt!” Julie beamed as she picked up one of the earrings and put it on. “Aunt Florence, how does it look on me?”
“You’re a born beauty, Julie. Of course, it looks magnificent on you,” Florence answered.
“Hehe! Well, thank you then, Aunt Florence!” Julie brazenly took the other earring and put it on too. It was evident that she was about to take it as her own.
Her actions gave Florence quite a shock. “Julie, this is your cousin’s gift from Matt. It wouldn’t be too nice for you to wear it tonight.” Florence chuckled awkwardly.
“What’s wrong with me wearing it? I’m just borrowing it for the night, it’s not like I’m not going to give it back.” Julie snapped bluntly.
“But”
Florence was about to counter what she just said, but Julie cut her off. “Aunt Florence, we’re relatives. You can’t be so petty, can you?”
“Julie Amberson! These are my sister’s earrings! What rights do you have to wear them?” James finally could not take it any longer.
She said that she was just borrowing them, but the fact was, she had never once returned the items she borrowed! This was plain robbery!
“Hey! Why are you shouting at me? Isn’t it just a pair of earrings? Aren’t you just being selfish?” Julie slammed her hand on the table aggressively.
“I’m selfish? Do you have any idea how greedy you look right now? Do you have no shame?” James bellowed.
“How dare you scold me? Aunt Florence! Did you hear what James said? I can leave if I’m not welcome here!” Julie flared up.
And with that, she turned to leave.
But before she could even take her first step, Florence pulled her back. “What are you doing, Julie? Of course, you’re welcome here! Aren’t they just a pair of earrings? I’ll lend them to you!”
“Mom! You-!”
“Shut it!” Florence whipped around and shot him a glare. “You’re her older cousin! Why do you keep picking fights with her? Can’t you be more generous?”
“Fine! Keep siding with her then. See if I care!” James was so angry that he stormed out and slammed the door.
Dahlia frowned. It wasn’t the earrings that she was concerned about, but Julie’s domineering attitude did not sit well with her.
“Dahlia, you do not mind me wearing your earrings, do you?” Julie smiled as she touched the earrings gently.
“It’s up to you.” Dahlia could not be bothered to continue speaking to her. To begin with, she was not comfortable with Matt’s gift to her.
“Hehe! Thank you, Dahlia.” Julie beamed brightly as she continued applying her makeup. That evening at Kingdom Hotel, a black Mercedes–Benz rolled up to the main entrance. The door opened, and Dahlia and Julie got out of the car.
Dahlia dressed down for the occasion in a black dress and black heels. She kept her accessories simple too. Julie, on the other hand, went all out and dressed herself up, almost looking like a peacock. She had jewelry from head to toe and looked dazzling under the lights.
To further accentuate the million–dollar pair of ruby earrings, she even did her hair up in a chignon. She was out to be in the limelight.
“Wow! What a stunning lady! She looks like a celebrity!”
“I think she looks even more attractive than any celebrity out there! Her looks and elegance are otherworldly.” When the both of them got out of the car, a bunch of guests at the entrance turned to look at them.
However,most of their attention was on Dahlia. Despite Julie’s showy appearance, she did not receive much attention After all, it was clear that Dahlia was far superior to her in all aspects, from looks to figures. Julie’s extravagant outfit alone was not enough to make up for what she lacked.
“Hmph!” She was not pleased. She had made every preparation she could think of for the birthday party that evening, and she had expected to impress everyone with her beauty. It had never occurred to her that Dahlia’s presence would steal all the attention.
“These men are so blind! How could a woman who had been married before compare to me?” She thought.
“Dahlia, you can head up first. I’m waiting for a friend here.” Julie made up an excuse to send Dahlia away once they entered the hotel lobby.
She was well aware that with Dahlia around, she would never get the attention she yearned for. How would she make acquaintances with the rich and famous then? How would she get to know rich, eligible men?
“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you at the banquet hall.” Without giving it much thought, Dahlia took the elevator up to the banquet hall. With Dahlia gone, Julie quickly became the center of attention. She deliberately walked around the lobby and flaunted coquettishly, attracting much attention.
Some men approached her in an attempt to strike up a conversation, but she rejected them all, playing hard to get.
“Hey, you’ve got such lovely earrings! May I know where you bought them from?”
“Yes, that’s true! I’ve never seen such exquisite earrings before!”
“These rubies are huge! They must have cost you a lot!”
Soon, not only the men came up to her, but even the ladies flocked over to ask her about the earrings. As usual, women could not resist jewelry.
“These ruby earrings are from Pandarum. My boyfriend gave them to me. These are uniquely custom–made, and they are the only pair out there. As for the price, they were not too expensive. Just a million or two.” Julie pretended to be unconcerned about their price and smiled. Though her words sounded humble, arrogance was evident on her face.
“A million or two, and you say it’s not expensive? Seems like you’re not the average Tom, Dick, and Harry!”
“How fortunate you are to have a boyfriend who gives you such precious earrings!”
“From how I see it, it’s not the price that matters, but the sincerity behind it! It’s custom–made and unique! That’s so sweet! How I envy you!”
The group of women chattered away praising Julie. That fueled Julie’s vanity, pleasing her to no end. She really enjoyed being the center of attention and being. praised by others.
Right then, a Rolls–Royce Phantom pulled up at the door.The car door opened and out stepped an alluring woman with delicate features and long, flowing hair. She came walking in like a celebrity among a group of adoring fans.
“Miss Hummer?!”
The lady’s appearance garnered a lot of attention and a commotion started both inside and outside the lobby.The crowd that had surrounded Julie immediately dispersed and flocked over to Tina, ready to flatter her.
She was, after all, the star of the day. Edwin Hummer’s daughter, Tina Hummer! Julie had intended to go over and welcome her too, but as there were too many people surrounding Tina, she did not do so.
She knew that going along with what everyone was doing would not make her stand out, and she needed to stand out to make Miss Hummer notice her.
At the thought of that, she intentionally stood at the entrance and tried her best to show off the biggest asset she had on her at the moment, which happened to be the pair of ruby earrings.
That was the first step to forming a connection with Miss Hummer. She refused to believe that there was any woman on earth who could resist the temptation of such irresistible jewelry.
As Julie predicted, Tina stopped in front of her when she reached the entrance, with the crowd still around her.
Her gaze was fixed on Julie. Julie suppressed her excitement and walked up to Tina to introduce herself when she saw that the timing was right. “Hello, Miss Hummer. I am Julie Amberson. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
She stretched her hand out for a handshake. But Tina ignored her outstretched hand and stared unwaveringly at her earrings.
“Those ruby earrings, where did you get them from?” she asked icily.
“My boyfriend gave them to me. These are custom–made Pandarums, you won’t be able to find a similar pair out there. But of course, Miss Hummer, if you fancy them, I can give them to you.” Julie was secretly delighted.
“Even the daughter of the wealthiest man can’t resist these earrings,” she thought to herself.
“Boyfriend?”
Tina’s expression clouded over. “Is it Matt Laney?”
The reason why she asked was that she had received the exact same pair of ruby earrings from Matt as her birthday gift not too long ago.
“Oh! Do you know Matt too, Miss Hummer? In that case, we’re friends too!” Julie’s eyes lit up. Who knew that a pair of earrings would be the key to her success?
“Who’s your friend? Bitch!” Tina glared at Julie and struck her across the face. Smack! A loud, crisp sound was heard. Julie was at a loss as she held her cheek in her hand. “Miss Hummer, wh–why did you hit me?”
“What is your relationship with Matt Laney? You better come clean. If you hide anything from me, I’ll make sure you won’t live to see the next sunrise!” Tina’s expression made it clear that she meant every word she said. She would not let other women mess with what was hers.
“Miss Hummer, I think you’re mistaken. Matt and I are just regular friends, nothing more than that!” Julie started to fluster.
She did not know what had happened, but it was obvious that she had angered Tina.
“Would regular friends give you ruby earrings worth a million dollars? Do you think I’m a dim–wit?” Furious was an understatement to describe what Tina was feeling at that moment.
“It has nothing to do with me, Miss Hummer! These ruby earrings aren’t mine, they’re my cousin Dahlia’s! I only borrowed them for a few days!” Seeing that the situation wasn’t favorable to her anymore, Julie stopped pretending and coming clean with the truth.
“Dahlia Nicholson?” Tina’s eyes narrowed into slits.
She remembered that that was a name that Matt had mentioned when he asked for her help concerning the interrogation room. She hadn’t put much thought into it then, but it turns out that there was something fishy going on with the two of them.
“That bitch! She seduced my man, and she has the audacity to show up at my birthday party?! Is she trying to provoke me?” Tina gritted her teeth as a murderous glint flashed in her eyes.
“This is all Dahlia Nicholson’s fault, Miss Hummer. I’ve got nothing to do with it. Will you please let me off?” Julie was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat.
She finally got an idea of what had happened. Tina and Matt were obviously a couple. The main problem was that Tina recognized the pair of earrings. That was no different from her catching Matt and Dahlia together.
“Shut up! If you do not have a death wish, then do what I tell you to do!” Tina roared.
“You name it, Miss Hummer. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll try my best to accomplish it!” Julie promised wholeheartedly.
“Put this into Dahlia’s bag.” Tina took a delicate jewelry box and handed it to Julie.
“What do you mean, Miss Hummer?” Julie could not wrap her head around Tina’s request.
“Don’t ask questions! Just do as you’ve been told!” Tina scolded. “Yes, yes.” Julie nodded vigorously. She was in no place to refuse.
Chapter-89 Dahlia got mashed up(beaten)
Over at the banquet hall, Dahlia was puzzled when she saw Julie panting as she entered. “Didn’t you say that you were waiting for a friend, Julie? Where’s your friend?”
“Something came up and she couldn’t make it.” She smiled sheepishly. “Oh, Dahlia, could you lend me your compact mirror, please? I need to fix my makeup.”
“I remembered that you’ve brought one yourself,” Dahlia said.
“Mine’s faulty. I’d prefer to use yours.” Without waiting for a reply, Julie took Dahlia’s bag and fished around in it. Dahlia was annoyed by that. She had to admit, her cousin was really a spoiled brat who lacked manners.
“Thanks, Dahlia.” Julie tossed Dahlia’s bag back to her after she managed to get the compact mirror out. Then, she made up some excuse to go to the washroom.
Right at that moment, Tina made her entrance, followed by a crowd behind her, creating a ruckus in the banquet hall, In the end, she stopped smack in the middle of the hall.
“Quiet down, everyone. I have an announcement to make.” Tina raised her hand and gestured for the crowd to calm down. The effect was immediate and the hall fell silent.
“It’s my birthday party today, and it was meant to be a happy occasion, but something awful has happened!”
Tina’s gaze swept across the hall before she continued. “A pair of valuable earrings which I have intended to wear for the occasion has been stolen. They are a unique pair of custom–made Pandarum earrings, and they are priceless to me!” The crowd was in an uproar when they heard that.
“What? Did someone steal Miss Hummer’s earrings? Who has the guts to do that?”
“We must find out who did it! Such a vile person must never be let off the hook!”
“Damn it! If I ever find out who stole Miss Hummer’s belongings, I’ll make sure to rearrange his face!”
The crowd in the hall was all worked up, shouting curses and threats at the thief. On the one hand, they despised the thief, but on the other hand, they were trying to please Tina.
“Everyone, please calm down. The fact is, I know who did it.” Tina continued.
“Who? Where’s the thief among us? Everyone looked around, trying to figure out who the culprit was. Tina smiled mirthlessly and strode over to Dahlia.
“She’s the one!” Tina pointed a finger at Dahlia.
“What?” The crowd was collectively taken aback by the accusation, If the culprit had been a creep, they would have gone ahead and taught him a lesson.
But it turns out that the person whom Tina had accused of stealing her belongings was an enchanting beauty.
Everyone was at a loss. “Isn’t that the president of Quine Group? Why would she steal?”
“Exactly! Everyone knows Ms. Nicholson. She wouldn’t stoop so low, would she?”
“One may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature. Who knows what vile Intentions this lady is hiding behind her glamorous appearance?”
The men were generally doubtful of Tina’s accusation, whereas the ladies trusted her fully.
“Miss Hummer, there must be some sort of misunderstanding. I have not stolen anything.”
Dahlia took a moment to regain her composure before denying Tina’s accusation. She had never thought that Tina would pin it on her.
“A quick search should easily be able to tell us whether or not you did it.” A faint smile graced Tina’s features.
“Miss Hummer, would it not be inappropriate to conduct a search on a guest whom you’ve invited to your birthday party in front of everyone?” Dahlia knew that she was innocent, but that did not mean that she should allow others to do as they pleased. After all, Tina’s suggestion to go through her belongings was an obvious act of disrespect.
“What do you have to fear if you’re not guilty?” Tina smirked.
“That’s right! If you truly are innocent, what harm would a search do to you?”
“Hmph! I think that someone’s just feeling guilty!” The ladies started to back Tina up. Dahlia’s presence alone was enough to overshadow their radiance, so they were eager to see her get into trouble.
“Fine, since Miss Hummer insists on going through my things, then, by all means, go ahead.” Dahlia could not be bothered to argue with her, so she handed her bag over.
Her conscience was clear, and she did not want to cause a scene, so she might as well let them go through her bag to prove her innocence.
Tina did not say anything and simply gestured for her bodyguards to search Dahlia’s bag. Soon, the bodyguards fished out a delicate jewelry box from the bag. The jewelry box even had Tina’s name carved on it.
“Miss Hummer, here it is!” The bodyguard handed the jewelry box over to her.
“Ladies and gentlemen, do you see this?”
Tina raised the jewelry box and took out the pair of magnificent ruby earrings in it, displaying them to the crowd. “This! this is evidence!”
The moment the pair of ruby earrings were produced, it brought about a whoosh of uproar throughout the entire hall. Eyes widened as shock came over everyone’s faces.
“No way! Would the president of Quine Group do such a thing?”
“Hah! And I thought that she would be above that! Who would’ve guessed that she was so materialistic!”
“I thought that such a beautiful person would know to conduct herself better than this! Of all things to do, why would she go and steal from others? That’s terrible!”
At that moment, the winds of opinion completely shifted. With irrefutable evidence staring them in the face, everyone chose to believe Tina.
“No! That’s not possible!! Dahlia’s expression changed as she shook her head vigorously. “Why is this in my bag? I’ve never even touched it!”
“You bitch!” Infuriated. Tina slapped Dahlia.
Smack! Five red streaks immediately bloomed on Dahlia’s cheek.
“Miss Hummer, I did not steal them! Someone must have set me up!” Dahlia fought to explain.
“How dare you deny it when we have concrete evidence? Seems like you’re one to give up only at the sight of the gallows!” Without saying any more, Tina gave her two more slaps. She truly wasn’t going easy on her. Dahlia’s face swelled up and her hair was a mess.
“I did not steal!” She clenched her jaws, an unyielding look in her eyes.
“If I said you stole it, that means you did!” Tina scoffed. “Guards! Hold her down! I’m going to teach her a lesson today!”
“Yes, Miss Hummer!” Two of her bodyguards went up to Dahlia and restrained her. They held her arms behind her back and brought her down to her knees so that she was kneeling.
“You slut! How dare you seduce my man? Have you got a death wish?” Tina grabbed hold of Dahlia’s hair, a wicked look on her face.
“It was you? You were the one who framed me?” Dahlia was stunned for a moment before it struck her. She had been Tina’s target from the get-go!
“Hah! Guess you’re not such a thickhead after all.” Tina let out a low laugh.
“But so what if you know? No one can help you now. I can deal with you however I want to.” With that, she picked up a bottle of red wine and stuffed the neck of the bottle into Dahlia’s mouth.
The red fluid gushed into Dahlia’s mouth, and Dahlia choked on it, coughing unstoppably. Her face was flushed red. She felt lightheaded and it was horrible.
“Down it! I said, down it!” Tina’s expression was nothing short of maniacal.
“You whore! How dare you seduce my boyfriend? I’ll make your life a living hell! Tina kept forcing the wine on Dahlia, humiliating her before the crowd.
She was rough and ruthless.
By the time the bottle of wine was emptied, Dahlia had slumped to the ground helplessly. Even then, Tina did not stop. She grabbed a fistful of Dahlia’s hair and pulled her head up. Then, a torrent of slaps rained down on Dahlia, each one harder than the one before.
“You slut! You whore! How dare you mess with my boyfriend? How dare you?” Tina shouted as she roughed Dahlia up, almost in a frenzy. When Tina finally stopped, Dahlia’s face was swollen and blotched, with streaks of blood coming out the comer of her mouth.
“Why? Why?” Dahlia asked breathlessly, trying to regain her bearings.
“You have the audacity to ask why? Are you unaware of what you have done, you bitch!” Tina reached for Dahlia’s hair again and slammed her head hard to the ground.
Blood gushed out immediately. A mixture of blood and wine dripped down Dahlia’s face. The sight of Dahlia lying on the ground and unable to get up did not garner any sympathy from Tina, in fact; it seemed to excite her.
She raised her leg and stomped hard on Dahlia’s linger. “Ah!” Dahlia could finally hold in no longer, and a shriek escaped her. A piercing pain overtook her senses.
“You shameless tramp! You like flirting around with other men, don’t you? I’d like to see if you’d ever seduce my boyfriend again!” A crazed smile crept up on Tina’s face as she repeatedly stepped on Dahlia’s hand with her stilettos.
Each time, it struck with greater brutality and ferocity. In no time, both of Dahlia’s hands were a mess of flesh and blood. It was a terrifying sight.
“Ahh!” Dahlia’s face turned lifeless from the agonizing pain, and she trembled uncontrollably.
Even the strongest of men would not be able to endure it after such merciless torture, much less a woman like Dahlia. Most of the crowd felt sorry for her when they saw the state she was in. Surely an act of theft did not warrant such cold–blooded torture? It was too cruel!
“Dahlia, you can’t blame me for this. You’ve only got yourself to blame for messing with Ms. Hummer’s boyfriend and offending her.” In a corner, Julie trembled like a leaf.
She did not think that Tina would be so unforgiving. She just came short of torturing Dahlia to her gravel
“Ms. Hummer, she’s out cold.” A bodyguard told Tina, that Dahlia had already passed out from the abuse. She had multiple fractures on her fingers, and her entire palm was bloody. It was a ghastly scene.
“She’s down so soon? What a bore.” Tina looked down at Dahlia like she was not done with her yet.
She lifted her leg and wiped the blood off her heels on Dahlia’s clothes. Then, with a nonchalant wave of her hand, she said, “Throw her out. I’ll play with her next time.”
Had it not been for her birthday party that night, she would make sure that she had fun with her.
After Dahlia was thrown out, Julie, who knew that she was guilty, dared not dally any longer. She sent Dahlia to the hospital immediately.
The medical staff in the emergency ward were all shocked by Dahlia’s state when she was sent in. She was a gruesome sight to behold, all covered in blood. The greatest issue was that it was an obvious case of assault, not an accident.
So the question was, who would be so brutal to torture a woman until she was in such a miserable state?
“Where is the patient’s next of kin?” A doctor asked.
“There was another lady here with her earlier on, I don’t know where she went.” A nurse looked around, searching for Julie.
“Check the patient’s bag to see if there’s a phone in there. Contact her family right away.”
“Okay, sure.”
The nurse went through Dahlia’s bag and quickly found her phone and unlocked it with Dahlia’s fingerprint. She called the contact which was set as “Husband”.
Over at Peaceful Medical Centre, a phone rang. Dustin, who was in the process of producing Immortunol, pulled his phone out and frowned.
He picked up the call. “Hello, is anything the smaller?”
“Hello? Are you a family member of the owner of this phone? I’m calling from the emergency ward of East Swinton Hospital. You need to come here as soon as possible. The patient’s in bad shape.”
“She’s hurt? What happened?” Dustin’s brows knitted even tighter together.
“I’m not too sure either. Come quick.”
Dustin fell silent. Without a moment’s hesitation, he rushed over to Fast Swinton Hospital after hanging up the call.
When he stepped into the emergency ward to find Dahlia lying unconscious on the hospital bed, his expression clouded over. Her face was swollen, blood came out from her mouth, and her forehead had suffered a strong impact.
Worst of all was her fingers, which were broken from being stepped on. They were a bloody mess that he could hardly bear the sight of. It was not difficult to imagine the pain she had been through before she lost consciousness.
“You’re her husband, aren’t you? What have you been up to? How could you let your wife be tortured so terribly? That’s very irresponsible of you!” The head nurse complained, feeling sorry for Dahlia.
“How is she?” Dustin’s brows furrowed.
“The patient is not in critical danger currently, but her wounds will take quite a while to heal. Her hands, especially, have multiple comminuted fractures. There is a possibility that they may never fully recover,” The head nurse cautioned him.
“Who did this?” Dustin’s expression was terrifyingly cold and emotionless.
“How would I know? You’re her husband, and you have no idea who did it?” The head nurse scowled. Dustin held his silence. Suddenly, his gaze shot over to the door. There was a suspicious person craning by the door in an attempt to peek at them.
He dashed over and grabbed the person. “Hey, Rhys! What are you doing? Let go of me!” Julie cried out in dismay.
“Who did this to Dahlia? Tell me Dustin demanded furiously.
“I–How would I know?” Julie stuttered. The very next second, she was lifted off the ground by a hand that found its way around her throat.
She suffocated, and her struggles to catch her breath proved futile.
“I’ll ask you again. Who did it?” There was a fierce glint in Dustin’s eyes, and a chilling hostility emanated from him. A bone–piercing coldness instantly enveloped the entire ward.
“It–It was Edwin Hummer’s daughter, Tina Hummer who did it Flustered, Julle blurted out the truth.
She had never seen such a frightening side to Dustin. His gaze was akin to that of the Devil, giving chills to whoever met it. Julie began to tremble.
“Watch over her.”
Once Dustin got the answer he wanted, he left without another word. A fiery anger burned in his chest.
Chapter-90 Bad Day for Tina
The sky started to rain. At that moment, the atmosphere at the party in the Emperor Hotel was lively as usual. The commotion earlier clearly had not affected the party. Tina looked like a princess, surrounded by people. Everyone approached her to leave a good impression.
Yet, most of the people did not interest her. Only a few distinguished guests were worthy of chatting with her.
“Miss, Mr. Williams and Mr. Chapman are here.” One of the butlers came up to her and reported.
Tina turned around and saw two fine–looking men who were standing quietly at the entrance of the party. One of them was Oliver from Boulderthorn! The other was Oliver’s senior, Troy Chapman. Behind the two of them were two bodyguards.
“Mr. Williams. Mr. Chapman. It’s good to see you again.” Tina immediately gave them a warm welcome with a smile.
“Happy birthday, Ms. Hummer.” Oliver and Troy presented their gifts respectively.
“Oh, please. It is my honor to have you both as my guests. There’s no need for presents. Tina grinned.
“It is only proper to reciprocate Joshua’s kindness. After all, he has always treated us well. A small token of appreciation is nothing.” Oliver smiled.
Had they come from an ordinary rich family, she wouldn’t have given them a second glance. However, Tina’s brother, Joshua, was a disciple of Boulderthorn. He was their senior. And so, it was necessary for her to attend to them.
“Oh right, why is my brother not here today?” Tina asked.
“Joshua is on a retreat at the moment. He’s unable to leave, so he sent us here to meet you.” Oliver explained.
“I see” Tina nodded and extended her hand. “Please have a seat, let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“Alright. Thank you, Ms. Hummer.” Oliver gave a slight nod before sitting down alongside Troy. Because of Tina’s warm attitude, the surrounding guests’ attention gathered around the two men.
“Who are they? Why did Tina personally welcome them?”
“I don’t know. They seem unfamiliar, I don’t think they’re from Swinton.”
“Then, perhaps they are someone important from Millsburg?” The sound of whispers rippled through the crowd as curiosity overlooks them.
As the evening wore on, more guests arrived at the party, and the atmosphere grew increasingly lively. At that moment, a black silhouette approached the entrance of the Emperor Hotel with an umbrella in hand.
After reaching the gate, he was stopped by two guards.
“Stop right there! Today is Ms. Hummer’s birthday. Only those who received an invitation are allowed to enter!”
“Step aside!” Dustin did not want to waste another second and immediately headed inside.
“Scoundrel! You’ve got some nerve!” The two guards immediately gripped Dustin’s shoulder.
The instant the two of them made contact with him, they were hurled backward with a force that sent them tumbling through the air, their cries of pain echoing through the night.
“Quick! Inform Sir Zims!” One of the guards immediately took out his phone and called for backup.
When he turned back, Dustin had already walked past the gates. After a short ride in the lift, he walked inside the ballroom. As he looked at the lively crowd, Dustin took a deep breath before shouting, “Which one of you is Tina Hummer?!”
His voice wasn’t piercing, yet it echoed across the room. The lively crowd instantly went silent. Everyone turned towards him with displeasing looks.
“Who dared to call Ms. Hummer by her name?!” Everyone wondered.
“Hm? Who’s calling me?” Tina stood up slowly with a displeased look in her eyes. Dustin silently walked forward as everyone stared down at him.
“Hey, isn’t that Dahlia’s ex–husband? Why is he here?”
“I’m guessing he’s probably here to apologize. After all, stealing from Ms. Hummer is not a small matter.”
“He’s apologizing after his woman got beaten up? How shameful!” People all around the room began to murmur amongst themselves as they pointed at the man. They were mostly mocking him.
“What? Are you here to apologize for that bitch? Tina’s eyes scanned the man from head to toe, her lips curling into a sinister smile as she sized him up. “If you’re really interested in helping your friend, you might want to start by getting down on your knees. And who knows, if I’m pleased, maybe I’ll consider letting her off the hook.”
“So, you were the one who caused Dahlia’s injuries?” Dustin slowly approached her.
Seconds later, he stood in front of her.
“So what if I was the one who caused her injuries? That bitch didn’t know her limits. A slut like her deserved a beating!”
Tina laughed coldly. “And let me tell you, this matter is far from over. Today was just a little warning. In the future, I’ll pay it back bit by bit! I will be her nightmare for the rest of her life”
As soon as the words left Tina’s lips, a sudden, sharp sound echoed through the room.
“Smack!”
Tina was sent flying across the room. Her body flipped through the air, twisting and turning in a blur of motion, before finally crashing down onto the ground with a sickening.
thud
In an instant, blood started oozing from her nose, and her teeth scattered around the place.
The entire room was stunned at the scene. Everyone’s jaw dropped to the ground in disbelief.
No one would’ve thought that Dustin would hit her. Moreover, he slapped her in front of such a crowd. Everyone knew that she was Edwin Hummer’s daughter! She was the belle of the ball in all of Swinton!
“Had he lost his mind?! How dare he lay a finger on Miss Hummer? Does he not treasure his life?!” Everyone thought.
“You–You dare to hit me?” Tina held her burning cheek and stood up as her legs wobbled beneath her.
Her face was filled with shock and confusion. Ever since she was a child, no one dared to disrespect her. Let alone slap her. She didn’t know how to react.
“Smack!”
Without wasting another second, he slapped her once again with all his might.
As blood spurted from her mouth, her once–pretty face now disfigured, her teeth shattered and her features swollen and reddened, the sight was both shocking and distressing.
Her hair was in complete disarray, leaving a chaotic mess in its wake.
“I’ll make you pay ten times the pain that you inflicted on Dahlia!” Dustin roared out. His words and actions were impulsive and reckless.
“Boom!”
In a split second, the party was in shambles. One could say that the first slap was done out of impulse. A second slap was already humiliating and provoking her.
But who in the right mind would want to provoke the Hummers?!
“He dared to hit Ms. Hummer? He must be asking for death!”
“He’s out of his mind! He’s definitely gone insane!”
“He struck Ms. Hummer in front of such a crowd! Not even the Gods could spare him now!”
Because of Dustin’s actions, the whole room went into chaos. Some were shocked, not knowing how to react. Others were impressed, while the rest were in disbelief.
For all their lives, they’d believed that only a person like Tina Hummer could bully others. They could never even imagine someone who would strike back!
“Kill him! Kill him now!” When Tina stood up again, she was in a frenzy. Her face contorted with terrifying rage.
“Kill! Him!”
The guards in the area finally returned to their senses and charged toward him with a baton.
Dustin was unfazed. He moved at the speed of light, defeating each guard with a single punch, sending them flying across the room in all directions.
He glided through the entire fight effortlessly, not a single hint of struggle showing on his face. The sight of the guards writhing on the ground in agony left everyone stunned.
It was worth noting that these were Hummer’s elite bodyguards, each capable of taking down five men with ease. And yet a single punch from Dustin was all it took to bring down all of these elite bodyguards. It was indeed surprising.
“Guards! Bring me more guards!” One of the bodyguards quickly reached for his walkie–talkie and called for backup.
Dustin remained unfazed and continued to advance, step by step.
“Stop him! Quick, stop him!” Tina was frantic as she stumbled backward.
A few onlookers had the urge to play hero and rescue Tina, but one stern look from Dustin was enough to leave them frozen in shock, unable to make a move.
“You bastard! How dare you lay a hand on me? Do you have any idea who I am? I am Edwin Hummer’s daughter! If you don’t want to meet an ugly end, then bow down and apologize to me right now!” Tina’s voice trembled with fear, despite the brave front she put on.
She mentioned her own family background as a means of defense, hoping that he would know better and back down. Her threat fell on deaf ears as she was met with another heavy slap in response,
In a split second, her head was spinning as blood spilled from her mouth.
“You don’t need to mention that. Even If you’re dad is here, I’ll still slap you! Dustin said with a cold expression as he grabbed Tina by her hair and slapped her even harder.
Each slap landed with a heavy sound ringing across the room.
“Smack, smack, smack, smack!”
After a few slaps, Tina’s face was left disfigured. Her nose and lips were tangled up. It was a gory scene to behold.
All the guests were stunned and frozen in shock at the sight before them. Every single one of them had their jaws drop to the ground.
This was just crazy!
It wasn’t just about hitting her face. He was disrespecting the Hummers! He was playing with fire and risking his life!
“Stop!” Suddenly, a loud angry yell reverberated across the room.
In the next moment, Oliver and Troy emerged from the crowd. Upon seeing the blood on Tina’s face, both of them became furious in an instant.
“Who dares to make a ruckus at Tina’s party?!” Oliver bellowed in an intimidating voice.
“Huh?” Dustin turned around and immediately recognized the familiar faces.
“So it’s you!”
Oliver was taken aback at first, but his surprise quickly gave way to a wave of seething anger. “What a coincidence! I’ve been searching for you everywhere. I can’t believe you’d show up here!”
“Oliver, you know this guy?” Troy was curious.
“Troy, this was the guy who punched me two days ago,” Oliver said with gritted teeth.
-------------------------------------------
⌚Every ★Saturday / Wednesday ★-------------------------------------------
---------Ads----------