An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Chapter 453

Dustin did not leave right after meeting Natasha. Instead, he stayed in the Harmon estate under the

pretense of treating Hector’s illness.

Naturally, to prevent the two of them from eloping, Mrs. Davys kept a close eye on them the entire time,

separating them every time their actions became intimate.

During the night, the two were forbidden from seeing each other, which Dustin obeyed begrudgingly.

With that, the night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, the Harmons‘ annual family gathering had officially begun.

Countless people began pouring into the estate, luxury cars casually clustering the plaza.

As one of the Fabulous Five, the Harmon family was incredibly prosperous, consisting of hundreds of

family

members.

Besides those from the Harmon family, loyal company staff and other important family guests had all

been invited as well making the place much livelier.

Hector, the head of the family, looked much better after receiving another round of treatment from

Dustin.

Although the older man still looked weak, he was able to move around without much difficulty.

“Is the gathering this packed every year?” Dustin was shocked by the volume of guests heading to the

banquet hall

“Of course!” Ruth lifted her head proudly. “Our family is large and well–connected, so a lot of people

come for

our annual gathering.”

“They’re merely opportunists, trying to butter up to us after hearing of our union with the Grant family.”

Natasha scoffed. None of the past gatherings had ever been this lively. Most of the people were

obviously

here because of the Grant family.

“What are you still doing here, Rhys?” An annoying voice asked from behind them.

Dustin turned around to see Quentin and the woman from yesterday walking over. She wore a dress

that showed off her voluptuous curves, and her enchanting looks only making her more bewitching. In

comparison, Quentin looked much paler and weaker.

“Dustin is my dad’s savior. Why can’t he be here?” Ruth demanded.

“Hmph! It was just a coincidence. What’s there to be proud of?” Quentin scoffed.

“Mind your manners, Quentin,” the woman admonished Quentin before flashing Dustin a smile. “I’ve

been feeling sick lately, Doctor. When can you come over to my room and help me take a look? You

seem quite

skilled.‘

“Huh?” Dustin raised an eyebrow. What she said had sounded quite odd.

‘Dustin has been quite busy recently, Aunt Celeste. I’ll ask him to treat you when he has the time.”

Natasha plastered on a smile.

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“Alright, then. I’ll be waiting, then.” The woman, Celeste Marrow, smiled teasingly, brushing against

Dustin as she walked past, releasing a unique and calming aroma.

“Hey, our annual family gathering is not something you can join. You should piss off,” Quentin growled

a warning before following the woman, emitting the same scent.

“What are you looking at?” Natasha regarded Dustin coldly when she realized he was still staring at the

woman. “Don’t tell me you have a thing for other people’s wives too?”

“O–o–of course not!” Dustin choked, awkward. “I was just thinking of the unique scent she carries.”

“Are you saying I don’t smell as good as her?” Natasha snapped, jealous. “She’s my eldest aunt. You

better not get any ideas.”

“Your aunt?” Dustin was surprised. ‘She’s so young. She doesn’t look much older than Quentin.”

“Obviously.” Natasha rolled her eyes. “My uncle’s first wife passed away a long time ago, so he found

this woman. She looks pretty, but her reputation is horrible.”

“It’s inevitable that people would criticize a couple with such a large age gap.” Dustin wasn’t surprised.

“It’s not just that.” Natasha shook her head and lowered her voice. “I’ve heard that she plays around

with Quentin as well.”

“What?” Dustin gaped at her. “Are you serious?”

A stepson having an affair with their stepmother? How scandalous!

“Why would I joke about something like that?” Natasha answered seriously. “I’m warning you. Stay

away from that witch, or you won’t even know how you were caught.”

“Um

Dustin pressed his lips together, at a loss for words. No wonder the woman had been looking at him

that way. She turned out to be a cheater.

Poor Trent. Dustin wondered what expression the other man would wear if he found out about his son

sleeping with his wife.

As time passed, more guests filled the banquet hall, and things became even livelier. People crowded

together to share wine and chat together. Beverages were self–served, so people were free to eat and

drink however they pleased.

While everyone was having a good time, a wall cried out from the crowd.

A man who had been drinking suddenly began throwing up blood violently before crashing to the floor,

convulsing. His face had turned blue, and blood seeped out from his nostrils, painting a terrifying

picture.

“What’s going on?”

Shocked, the crowd stepped away from the fallen man. No one could have expected the man, who had

been happily drinking and chatting a second ago, to abruptly fall to the floor, coughing up blood.

“How can this be?” Natasha’s brows furrowed, and she quickly approached the scene with Dustin.

Dustin studied the sick man before testing his pulse. “He was poisoned by a powerful poison!”

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“Poisoned?” Natasha paled. “The food and drinks here were carefully inspected. How could it be

poisoned?”

As soon as those words escaped her lips, more pained wails came from the crowd as a woman in a

gown suddenly fell to the floor, convulsing, bleeding out of her nose.

“T–there’s poison in the wine!” she yelled, terrified.

Immediately, pandemonium ensued as everyone in the room panicked.

Those who hadn’t drunk the wine quickly tossed their glasses aside, while those who had quickly

became frightened and broke out in a cold sweat.

Unfortunately, that was not the end.

After the first women, people began toppling over like dominoes, and more tortured wails rang out.

One after another, guests fell to the floor, blue–faced, convulsing, and bleeding out of their noses.

Within moments, more than half of the guests cried out in pain on the floor.

The few unharmed people remained rooted in their positions as they looked around, terrified. Within

minutes, the once happy atmosphere had turned into complete hell!