“Is he awake?”

Everyone was stunned when they saw Andrew return to consciousness. The doctors were dumbstruck when they noticed the monitors showing Andrew’s vital signs were all normal. Who would have expected a young man like Dustin to cure an unknown disease that had stumped the entire specialist team? This was unheard of!

“That’s amazing! Grandfather is awake!”

Ruth burst into tears of happiness when she saw her grandfather’s recovery. Natasha also breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mr. Rhys, I don’t know how to thank you for this. From now on, you are the Harmon family’s honored guest!”

She bowed deeply to Dustin.

“You’re welcome, Ms. Harmon. It was no trouble at all.”

Dustin gave her a small smile. However, Dustin’s humble words irked Dr. Jansen. He and his team had done all they could to cure Andrew, but this punk called it “no trouble at all?” Clearly, Dustin was insulting them indirectly!

“Hey, you! What’s up with the centipede? Why would there be a centipede in my grandfather’s body?” Ruth spoke up.

“This is not a normal centipede. It’s actually a venomous curse.” Dustin turned to Andrew. “Mr. Harmon, where were you recently? Have you eaten anything out of the ordinary?”

“You’re spot on. A few days ago, I was at Millsburg for a party and drank some wine.” Andrew nodded.

“If I’m not mistaken, you must have been cursed,” Dustin concluded.

“Cursed?”

Andrew was taken aback. The rest of them stared at each other in surprise. After all, it wasn’t every day that someone got cursed.

“Don’t spout nonsense! It’s illogical that this could be a curse! If you ask me, Mr. Harmon must have ingested centipede eggs by mistake!” Dr. Jansen interrupted.

“Dr. Jansen, any normal centipede eggs would have been digested by the stomach’s acid! It’s fine if you are not familiar with this, but do not spread false information!” Dustin retorted calmly.

“You…” Dr. Jansen shut up when he caught sight of Natasha’s deadly glare.

“Mr. Rhys, thank you for your diagnosis. I will investigate this further,” Natasha said seriously.

She had heard of venomous curses before, however, she had no personal experience. Who would have thought that her grandfather was suffering from this? Natasha was determined to make the perpetrators pay for this!

“Now that the curse is lifted, you should feed him this prescription for five days to remove the toxins from his body.” Dustin scribbled on some paper.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Rhys.” Natasha took the prescription gratefully.

“Alright, I will excuse myself since there’s nothing more to be done.” Dustin got up to leave.

“Let me see you off.” Natasha got up as well.

“Sis, what should I do with these insects?” Ruth interjected.

“Dr. Jansen mentioned that he was going to eat those insects. Since he was the one who requested it, we shall fulfill his wish! All of you, make sure he finishes those insects before leaving!” Natasha said coldly.

“What?” Dr. Jansen went pale.

At this moment, in another hospital room, a similar scene of chaos was unfolding.

“Mom! How could Rhys hit me? Please, you have to teach him a lesson!”

James was whining on the hospital bed with his head bound up tightly. Only his nose and mouth could be seen.

“Don’t worry, I will get even with him for you!” Florence comforted James gently.

“Mrs. Nicholson, it is unthinkable that Dustin had the nerve to physically assault both of you!” A handsome young man dressed in a suit spoke up. He was the second son of the Nolan family, Chris Nolan. He was also deeply infatuated with Dahlia.

“Chris, you wouldn’t believe it. That punk went mad and hit my son like a maniac. No one could stop him!” Florence gritted her teeth.

“Really? Was he such a crazy person?” Chris frowned. “I know some thugs who can teach him a lesson. Shall I help you out, Mrs. Nicholson?”

“Oh, that would be great!” Florence broke into a smile.

“Chris, make sure they knock some sense into him. Fracture a bone or two!” James snarled in anger.

“Sure thing. I assure you, he is as good as dead!” Chris laughed maliciously.

To be honest, Dustin’s marriage to Dahlia had bothered him long ago. How was it possible that a useless bum like him could have such an attractive and successful lady as his wife? Chris couldn’t pass up this opportunity to beat Dustin up!

“James, how are your injuries?” Dahlia asked as she entered the hospital room suddenly. She was dressed in a slinky black dress that showed off her voluptuous curves. Chris’s eyes brightened considerably.

“Dahlia, you’re finally here! Look at me, I’m terribly hurt!” James sat up immediately and pointed at his bandaged head.

“Alright, Dustin told me what happened and apologized over the phone. Let’s forget about it and move on,” Dahlia comforted her brother.

“Forget about it?” James raised his voice. “Dahlia, are you kidding me? I was beaten black and blue! An apology isn’t going to cut it! What do you take me for?”

“Well, what do you want?”

“I want him to kneel before me and beg for forgiveness!”

“He is still your brother-in-law. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.”

“Don’t lie to me! I know that both of you have divorced!”

“Regardless of what happened, we were once family. Besides, you are partly to blame.”

“Dahlia, why are you taking his side? What did I even do wrong? I only broke his stupid necklace! What’s the big deal?” James snapped angrily.

“What? What did you say about a necklace?” Dahlia frowned.

“The necklace you wore previously. He claimed that it was an heirloom, but I’m sure it’s just rubbish!” James mumbled under his breath.

“Did you destroy that necklace?” Dahlia probed further.

“Yeah, he was being extremely rude! That insolent punk refused to give me the crystal necklace, that’s why I smashed it on the ground!” James said stubbornly.

“You’re really asking for a beating!”

When Dahlia learned of this, she was furious. After everything that had happened, she finally understood why Dustin would beat James up. James was the one who demanded and shattered the precious crystal necklace.

Other people might not have understood its significance, but Dahlia knew otherwise. The necklace wasn’t just a family heirloom, it was also the only thing that reminded Dustin of his mother. It was a symbol of his mother’s love for him. When they got divorced, Dustin didn’t want anything but the necklace. From this, it was evident that the crystal necklace meant the world to him.

“Dahlia, it’s just a necklace! Why are you lecturing me over this?” James whined.

“That’s right! Is that trinket more important than your brother’s life?” Florence demanded.

“I’ll deal with the both of you later!”

Dahlia didn’t bother to argue and left immediately. She didn’t have the energy to quarrel with her spoiled brother and unreasonable mother. Moreover, in her haste, she hurt Dustin with her words. Now that Dahlia thought about it, she regretted saying them. With his temperament, Dustin would never have lost his temper so easily. She had made a mistake…

Natasha and Dustin sat in the backseat of a silver Benz.

“Mr. Rhys, this is the Harmon family’s platinum card. Please accept it as a token of our gratitude.” Natasha handed Dustin a black card edged with gold as she explained. “With this, you will be treated as an honored guest in all establishments under the Harmon family.”

“Ms. Harmon, I don’t need this.” Dustin shook his head.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Rhys. This is just a personal gesture. Regarding Mr. Anderson’s request for the canscora, I will send the herb to your place tomorrow,” Natasha said with a smile.

“That’s very kind of you, Ms. Harmon. Thank you very much.” Dustin chuckled and accepted the card.

Since it was a gift from her, it would come in handy. As they were talking, the car suddenly pulled over.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Harmon! I was forced to do this!” The car driver confessed before getting out and running for his life.

At that moment, two black SUVs swept by. They blocked the silver Benz in the front and rear. More than ten men got out of the SUVs. They approached the car, armed with weapons, and with covered faces. A bald, burly man who seemed to be the leader set his foot on the Benz’s bonnet.

Brandishing his knife, he threatened, “Ms. Harmon, my boss wants to meet you. We will escort you.”

“How bold of you to hijack my car!” Natasha replied, unfazed. She emitted a stately aura befitting a queen.

“We wouldn’t have dared with all your bodyguards around. However, they are now at the hospital guarding your grandfather. You are alone with your little boy toy! How could we pass this precious opportunity up?” the bald guy smirked.

“Well, you do have some brains in that numbskull of yours to bribe my driver. However, please satisfy my curiosity. Who’s your boss?” Natasha asked calmly.

“You will know once we get there! Now, will you get off?” the bald guy urged.

“You have no right to order me around!” Natasha didn’t budge.

“Since you are going to be difficult, I have no choice but to resort to force!” The bald man gestured to the others for a large hammer. As he was going to smash the windscreen, Dustin opened the door and got out.

“Ms. Harmon, your boy toy has no guts. I’ve not even started and he is already peeing his pants in fear. What did you see in him?” the bald guy said mockingly.

Natasha frowned and reached into her bag silently.

“You have five seconds to cram,” Dustin warned.

“Punk, do you know what you’re saying? Are you trying to be a hero? Go to hell!”

Before the bald man could finish his sentence, a slap landed on his face. The overwhelming pressure almost dislocated his jaw. He staggered back, stars spinning around his head.

“Fuck! How dare this punk fight back? Kill him!”

The other men immediately rushed toward Dustin with their weapons in hand. Dustin faced them fearlessly. He weaved through the crowd, his movements as light as a feather. Each time someone came within arm’s length, he dealt out a firm slap.

After a few loud cracks and cries of pain, the men fell over one by one. None remained standing after receiving a slap from Dustin. Beating up more than ten muscular men seemed as easy as pie for him. The bald man was scared shitless. Never in his dreams would he have thought that the young man before him was such a terrifying monster. Even though all of them came at Dustin at once, not a hair on his head was harmed.

“Interesting.”

Natasha’s eyes shone with interest, a slight smile playing on her lips. She replaced the handgun she had lying in her bag. Initially, she thought that Dustin was going to have some trouble taking down a group of bloodthirsty men by himself. Who knew that he was such a capable fighter? He was much more skilled than her bodyguards. Not only was he skilled in medicine and combat, but he was also handsome as well! A man like him was one in a million!

“Stop! Stand back!” The bald man pleaded for his life as Dustin approached him. “Don’t come near me! I will make you pay—”

Before he could finish, Dustin landed a punch on his abdomen. The man threw up and kneeled on the ground in pain.

“He’s all yours, Ms. Harmon.”

Dustin stepped aside.

“Thank you.” Natasha nodded and stared down at the bald guy. “Tell me, who’s your boss?”

Sweat running down his forehead, the man hesitated.

“Are you not going to tell me?” Natasha smirked and picked up a knife from the ground. She held the blade against his neck and threatened, “I shall have to torture you slowly until you confess then.”

With that, she raised her arm and swung.

At the last moment, the bald man screamed, “Please don’t kill me! I’ll tell you everything! It’s Trevor Spanner of the Drey Group!”

His life was more important than his loyalty right now.

“As expected.” Natasha smiled. “Return and inform Trevor that I’ll remember this! When I have some free time, I’ll visit him. Get lost right now!”

The bald man and his men ran away with their tails between their legs.

“Ms. Harmon, things are not as simple as it seems. First, your grandfather was cursed. Next, your car was hijacked. Trevor will not be easy to deal with,” Dustin warned.

“Trevor Spanner is just a crazy bastard. However, he has strong allies backing him up. I’m not going to do anything about this yet. It’s better to lay in wait for an opportunity to round all of them up at one go!”

Natasha narrowed her eyes. It would be rash to attack right now. She would take all of them down in one blow!

“As long as you have a plan, that’s alright.” Dustin nodded.

He had no interest in the conflicts between rival families.

“Mr. Rhys, it seems that you are really my family’s benefactor. You saved my grandfather, and now you have saved me from getting kidnapped. I have no way to pay you back.” Natasha fluttered her eyelashes.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Dustin replied carelessly.

“No, we owe you too much! I must return the favor!” With that, Natasha shot him a sultry smile. “To show my sincerity, shall I repay you with my body?”

“What?” Dustin’s face froze.

He never thought Natasha would say something like that. Taking a closer look, he found that her beauty was different from Dahlia’s. She was sensual like Aphrodite, and her smile could take anyone’s breath away. In short, she was a natural femme fatale, ensnaring men with her bewitching charms.

“Why are you so shocked? I’m just playing around.” Natasha’s breasts heaved as she laughed heartily at Dustin’s face. It was all Dustin could do to tear his eyes away from her voluptuous curves. The more he looked at her, the harder it was not to gawk at her figure.

“Mr. Rhys, back to the issue at hand. I need to ask a favor from you again.” Natasha’s expression grew serious.

“What is it?” Dustin asked.

“You know that all my bodyguards are stationed at the hospital, so I don’t have anybody to protect me. Now that this incident has happened, no one knows when the next attack could occur. I hope that you can be my bodyguard and protect me 24/7,” Natasha said in earnest.

“Personal bodyguard?” Dustin raised his eyebrows. “Ms. Harmon, wouldn’t it be better for you to stay at a safe place?”

“It’s impossible, Mr. Rhys. For your information, the Harmon family will be organizing a charity dinner tonight. As the main organizer, I have to be present. What if someone appeared tonight and made a scene? A damsel like me would be defenseless. Besides, who would bring you the canscora if something unfortunate befell me?” Natasha blinked innocently.

“Well…” Dustin hesitated for a moment and nodded. “Alright, I’ll protect you.”

Although it was a hassle, he had to do it for the canscora. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong until he managed to get his hands on the herb.

“Many thanks, Mr. Rhys.” Natasha gave him a sly smile. Truth be told, she was much more interested in the bodyguard than being protected.

…

It was the evening at the Mirage. The Mirage was the most prominent club in Swinton. The building was as large as a hotel and inspired by the Victorian period. It had gabled roofs, large bay windows, and decorative sculptures. The interior was similarly designed, exuding grandeur and magnificence. Outside, the club was surrounded by vast gardens, vineyards, and even a man-made lake.

A black Benz stopped at the entrance of the Mirage. A gorgeous woman dressed in a black evening gown got out of the car. She had flawless skin and legs that went on for miles. Her intricate features complemented her graceful motions. The second she arrived, everyone’s eyes were drawn to her as she outshone all the other women in her presence.

“What a beautiful woman! Is she a famous actress?”

“Her face and figure are of out of this world!”

“Isn’t she the president of Quine Group? She is one of Swinton's Four Beauties!”

People milling at the entrance whispered among themselves, marveling at Dahlia’s beauty. However, none of them went forward to introduce themselves as they were too intimidated.

“I’ve never thought that the Mirage could be so grand! What beautiful designs and sculptures!” Lyra exclaimed as she got out of the car.

“The Mirage is one of the main establishments of the Harmon family, that’s why the design and quality are impeccable. It is extremely difficult for most people to get an invitation to the Mirage.”

Dahlia surveyed the surroundings. Even with her high standards, she had to admit that the Mirage was in a class of its own.

“Dahlia, there you are!” A bespectacled young man in a suit came up to both of them. It was Chris, the second son of the Nolan family.

“Mr. Nolan, are you interested in tonight’s charity dinner as well?” Dahlia greeted him.

“I’m not interested in just any charity dinner. Having said that, this dinner is organized by the Harmon family. Who wouldn’t be interested?” Chris answered with a smile.

The Harmon family was one of the Mighty Three, the top three most reputable families in Swinton! Their financial power and influence were unrivaled in Swinton. Many people would die for the chance to just enter the Mirage, let alone to be invited to the Harmon family’s charity dinner.

“Mr. Nolan, are you sure that’s all you are interested in?” Lyra smirked knowingly.

“Of course I have an ulterior motive. I’m here to be of help to both of you.” Chris chuckled.

“Help us?” Lyra was confused.

“I heard rumors that the Quine Group is shortlisted to be one of the Harmon family’s partners. It’s not easy to be partners of such a powerful group, especially for Quine Group. That’s why I’m here to put in a good word on your behalf. This will boost the possibility of signing a contract with the Harmon family!” Chris boasted, his voice filled with confidence.

“That would be great! Thank you, Mr. Nolan!” Lyra was overjoyed.

If the Quine Group became partners with the Harmon family, not only would this elevate the company’s reputation, her status as secretary to the president would rise significantly as well.

“You’re welcome. Granting my relationship with Dahlia, this is no trouble to me at all.” Chris shot her a deliberate smile.

“Of course, we are already one family.” Lyra returned the gesture.

Dahlia had not heard a word of their conversation. Her gaze was fixed on a luxurious car in the distance. A man’s silhouette was standing by the car.

“Could that be Dustin?”

Dahlia finally recognized the man. After she found out the truth about that fight, she had been feeling guilty about it. Dahlia decided to address the misunderstanding since Dustin was coincidentally here. With that thought, she walked up to him.

“Dustin!”

Dahlia was about to continue when she stopped in her tracks. She noticed a striking figure next to Dustin. The woman was dressed in a skin-tight, fiery red dress that showcased her tiny waist and alluring curves. In addition, her porcelain skin and captivating features radiated an aura of nobility, like a queen who had come to grace her presence on her subjects.