With Hector and Jacob's arrangements, all the guests in attendance at the
Harmon family gathering gradually
left, and the annual event came to a jarring end.
In order to prevent any other parties from taking advantage of the situat
ion, Hector gave everyone firm
instructions to keep what happened a secret and that under no circumstanc
es was any information to be
leaked.
When all the guests had left, about 100 of the Harmons stayed back. As pa
rt of the Harmon family, they understood that if anything were to happen
to the family, they would be similarly implicated, so they were all
in it together.
"We really appreciate your help in finding the
culprit, Dustin. Had it not been for you, the Harmon family would have su
ffered a tremendous loss." Hector patted Dustin on the shoulder with admi
ration in his eyes. It was
rare to come by such a fine young man.
"Dad, Dustin saved our entire family. Surely you're not just thanking him
verbally?" Natasha prompted.
"Of course not." Hector smiled. "Dustin, if there's anything that you nee
d, just name it. I'll try my best to fulfill
your wish,"
"If you really mean it, Mr. Harmon, I'd like to request that you annul Na
tasha's marriage alliance and let her
have her freedom," Dustin said earnestly.
"Well
Hector frowned. A moment later, he shook his head. "I'm really grateful t
o you for saving my family.
but this is one thing I cannot promise you."
"Why? Is it only because the Grants are able to help you defeat the Dark
Lord?" Dustin questioned.
"It's one thing to defeat the Dark Lord." Hector sighed and continued hel
plessly. "The marriage alliance had been agreed upon a long time ago. If
we suddenly decide to annul it, it would be akin to publicly disgracing t
he Grant family, and its repercussions would be beyond our imagination!"
There were three prominent families in South City. The Murrays had a mili
tary background, and with General Christopher Murray as head of the house
hold, they were highly respected and had the military behind them. The Hi
ll family, on the other hand, had their connections in the martial world.
As someone who had been a master of the Balerno martial arts, Paul Hill
had a myriad of disciples across the nation. His prestige in the martial
world was unrivaled. As for the Grants, they had both military power and
connections in the martial world. Their multifaceted development made the
m the family who thrived and flourished the most out of the three influen
tial families. Their wealth of knowledge, experience, and resources, and
how extremely well-
informed they were about current affairs because of all their connection
s made them more formidable than the Dark Lord himself. He amounted to no
thing when compared to the powers that the Grant family possessed.
Harmons stood a chance against the Dark Lord, but they were utterly helpl
ess against the Grants. And that just was how things stood with the Harmo
ns now. Annulling the marriage alliance was
simply out of the question. They dared not even think about it.
"Say, Mr. Harmon, would it change things if it wasn't the Harmons who dec
ided to cancel the marriage but the
Grants instead?" Dustin asked cautiously.
"I know you're holding out hope for that, but chances of that ever happen
ing is about as close to zero." Hector shook his head. "The reason why th
e Grants agreed to the marriage alliance was because they were Interested
in our family's potential in the business world so that they can bring t
heir family's status up to a whole new level with our support in the indu
stry."
"But would you agree to it if the Grants decided to annul the arrangement
?" Dustin probed.
"If it really comes to that, I guess I'll be forced to agree." Hector chu
ckled.
"Dad! Mark your words!" Natasha broke out into a grin when she heard his
words. "As long as Tyler Grant decides to annul the marriage arrangement,
you must never force me into a marriage again!"
"What do you have in mind?" Hector felt uneasiness coming over him. This
daughter of his always had the wildest ideas.
"Don't you worry about that. All you've got to do is remember what you ju
st said." Natasha did not explain any further.
"You" Just as Hector was about to say something, Mrs. Davys came over.
"Mr. Harmon, the Grants are here to visit." she reported.
"Hurry up and welcome them!" Without wasting any time, he personally went
out to welcome them with the rest of the Harmons in tow.
Outside the gates, a large throng of smartly dressed people awaited.