Chapter 18.

"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and beg Mr.

Spanner for forgiveness!" Chris chimed in, taking advantage of the

situation to add to Dustin's humiliation. Chris was green with jealousy

when Dustin was showing off earlier, so he was now trying to get some

payback. "Will he kneel? Or will he not? If he does, he will forever be

too ashamed to show his face. But if he doesn't, he might be dead or

maimed once Edward retaliates," Chris thought. "Hey punk, don't say I

didn't give you a chance to make amends! I'll spare you if you grovel at

my feet today. If not, don't blame me for being merciless." Edward jabbed

Dustin's chest with his finger with a smug expression on his face. "What

does it matter if he knows how to fight when he has no power and no

status? In the eyes of the public, he's nothing more than a foot

soldier," he continued mentally. "Are you aware that you're playing with

fire?" Dustin asked as he looked at Edward's finger. "Playing with fire?"

Edward smirked. "Not only do I want to play with fire, but I also want to

play with your woman! Believe it or not, I'm going to have my way with

her tomorrow while you watch. And not only me, but my men will each get a

turn as well, and I want you to watch it all helplessly. I want you to

understand what it's like to despair, to believe that living is worse

than death!" Dustin's expression instantly turned thunderous at Edward's

words, and he could no longer hold back his rage. "You asked for this!"

he shouted as his hand shot forward to forcefully grab Edward by the

throat and lift him above his head. He then raised his other hand and

ruthlessly landed two punches on Edward's abdomen. Edward made a gagging

sound as he felt his stomach churn, making him want to vomit, but he

found that he couldn't as his throat was being constricted. His face soon

turned red as he felt himself suffocating. Suddenly, he had a sense that

he had made a grave mistake. "Stop it!" Dahlia yelled, moving forward to

intervene. Dustin ignored her and dealt another vicious punch, this time

to Edward's crotch. The gruesome sound of flesh being minced could be

heard before blood flowed to the floor. Edward let out a groan as his

body spasmed. He was in such excruciating pain that he couldn't cry out

even though he wanted to, and in the end, his head lulled to one side as

he fainted. Everyone was stunned as they stared at the bloodstained area.

Not even in their wildest dreams would they ever imagine that Dustin

could be so cruel as to discontinue Edward's family line with a single

punch. After all, he was Sir Spanner's son! Sir Spanner was the kind of

man who would come after you for touching even a strand of hair on his

son's head, much less injuring him. Safe to say, from today onward,

Dustin had incurred Sir Spanner's vengeful wrath. "Have you lost your

mind!" Dahlia's expression changed drastically as she forcefully shoved

Dustin. "Do you even know what you've done? You've just gotten yourself

into deep shit this time!" An apology or money could be used to rectify

the situation if it was only a light injury or bruise, but there's no way

Trevor will let things slide so easily now that Edward has been beaten to

such a state. "All I did was take care of one of society's scum, is that

so wrong?" Dustin shot back, perfectly composed. "That's not the point,

the point is you shouldn't have harmed him!" Dahlia rebuked, frowning.

"Hey Dustin, you shouldn't drag us all down with you if you're so eager

to die! Do you know what the consequences of harming Sir Spanner's son

are?" Chris' face was flushed with rage. Although Dustin was the one who

had harmed Edward, Chris had also shoved Edward previously; hence, he's

also worried that he wouldn't be able to get away with it when Sir

Spanner investigates and finds out about it. "Alright, that's enough!

Since it's come to this, you should hurry up and run. Get as far from

here as you can while there's still time!" Dahlia reacted quickly. away

She knew that once news of Edward's maiming got out, Sir Spanner would

surely be furious. And when that time came, Dustin would be at a dead end

once he mobilizes all of his forces. "I don't think I need to," Dustin

stated, his demeanor still indifferent. "Stop acting tough! Sir Spanner

is more powerful than you think, your martial arts. skills won't be

enough to save you!" Dahlia chastized. Even if he knew how to fight, he

couldn't stop bullets! "He's not the type of person to listen to reason,

Ms. Nicholson, stop wasting your breath. Furthermore, we should not

interfere in matters unrelated to us in order to avoid bringing trouble

upon ourselves." Lyra quickly interjected. "That's right, this guy can't

run!" Chris said, suddenly blocking the exit as though something had

occurred to him. "What are we going to do if he runs away? What if Sir

Spanner exacts his revenge on us instead? Won't we just become the fall

guys!" "Mr. Nolan has a point!" Lyra chimed in, coming to the same

realization. "If Dustin runs away, we're going to be the ones who

suffer!" "What are you talking about? Dustin just saved us!" Dahlia's

brows furrowed. "Nobody asked him to, he's the one who poked his nose

into our business!" Lyra scoffed. "Exactly! And seeing as he has brought

this upon himself, he should be the one to face it!" Chris chimed in

self–righteously. "Both of you-" Dahlia's pretty face turned cold as she

started to speak when Dustin interrupted her. "You all can be at ease. I

will take responsibility for my actions; I won't implicate any of you."

"This is a matter of life and death! Could you please drop the macho

act!" Dahlia raised her voice, slightly annoyed. "You don't need to worry

about what happens to me, Ms. Nicholson. This has absolutely nothing to

do with you, so just sit back and watch," Dustin declared loudly, "What

do you mean by that? Do you think I'm worried about being implicated?"

Dahlia asked, frowning. "Is that not the case?" Dustin looked directly at

Lyra and Chris as he said this. Dahlia was at a loss for words after his

subtle hint. Although the thought never crossed her mind, the same

couldn't be said for her secretary, who had already drawn a line early

on. In Dustin's eyes, he thought her secretary's words were the same as

hers. "I don't care what you think; you have to leave today!" Dahlia's

tone suddenly became forceful. "And I don't care what you say, I'm not

leaving." With that, Dustin turned and walked out to the flower garden.

"You!" Dahlia was fuming. "Why is he so rebellious?" she wondered.