Chapter 453

Dustin did not leave right after meeting Natasha. Instead, he stayed in t

he Harmon estate under the pretense of treating Hector's illness.

Naturally, to prevent the two of them from eloping, Mrs. Davys kept a clo

se 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 Du

stin obeyed begrudgingly.

With that, the night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, the Harmons' annual family gathering had officially beg

un.

Countless people began pouring into the estate, luxury cars casually clus

tering 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 impor

tant family guests had all been invited

as well making the place much livelier.

Hector, the head of the family, looked much better after receiving anothe

r round of treatment from Dustin.

Although the older man still looked weak, he was able to move around with

out much difficulty.

"Is the gathering

this packed every year?" Dustin was shocked by the volume of guests headi

ng 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 gathe

rings 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 behin

d 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 enc

hanting looks only making her more bewitching. In comparison, Quentin loo

ked 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 s

coffed.

"Mind your manners, Quentin," the woman admonished Quentin before flashin

g 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.

"Alright, then. I'll be waiting, then." The woman, Celeste Marrow, smiled

teasingly, brushing against Dustin as she walked past, releasing a uniqu

e and calming aroma.

"Hey, our annual family gathering is not something you can join. You shou

ld piss off," Quentin growled a warning before following the woman, emitt

ing the same scent.

"What are you looking at?" Natasha regarded Dustin coldly when she realiz

ed 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 uniqu

e 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 reputa

tion is horrible."

"It's inevitable that people would criticize a couple with such a large a

ge 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 woma

n 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 h

e found out about his son sleeping with his wife.

As time passed, more guests filled the banquet hall, and things became ev

en livelier. People crowded together to share wine and chat together. Bev

erages 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 tu

rned 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 an

d 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 t

he scene with Dustin.

Dustin studied the sick man before testing his pulse. "He was poisoned by

a powerful poison!"