Chapter-27
"Do you have a plan in mind, Mr. Rhys?" Natasha asked.
"I need to get a clear understanding of the situation first. I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions." Dustin cleared his throat before continuing, "Where did you go today, and did you meet anyone there?"
"I met Edwin today. We talked about work, and he asked about us being in a partnership, but I rejected his offer," Natasha answered truthfully. "I see. Did you drink anything he offered you?"
"Of course not. That man has been eyeing my family business for ages. I'd never let my guard down around him."
"Then it really is strange how you got drugged, sis," Ruth piped up.
"Truly." Natasha rolled her eyes.
"When you two met, did you smell or touch anything in particular?" Dustin then asked.
"Now that you mention it…" Something suddenly dawned on Natasha. "When I stepped into the place, I did smell something particular. I didn't pay much attention because I thought it was just perfume. But then, after a while, I started feeling dizzy. My body felt oddly warm too. Good thing I left soon after that. Who knows what could've happened if I had stayed longer?"
"It seems like that fragrance really is the problem," Dustin concluded.
"What's next, Mr. Rhys?"
"There was ambergris residue found on your skin earlier. It must've been the main ingredient in the fragrance that was used to drug you."
"So what? We still need to track down the person who made that drug," Ruth huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Ambergris is a rare substance, so our target pool is quite limited. We can look at recent buyers and narrow down our search from there," Dustin replied.
"Good plan. I'll have someone get to it right away!" Natasha agreed. With her family's influence, this sort of thing could be settled in a jiffy.
"I trust my work here is done, Ms. Harmon. I'll take my leave now." Dustin made a move to stand up.
"One more thing!" Natasha suddenly stopped him.
"Why don't you join us for dinner?"
"Thank you, but I… already have plans tonight."
Natasha gave him a curious look. "It can't be with your ex–wife, can it, Mr. Rhys? Don't you find me attractive? Hm?" With that, she arched her body to show off her curves. Dustin froze up. "U–uh…"
"Hahaha, alright, I'll stop teasing you," Natasha giggled, "I won't make you cancel your plans. But before you go, here is a token of my appreciation."
She made a quick gesture, and a servant came over with an elegant–looking box.
"I hope you can make good use of these wines, Mr. Rhys. I've had them in store for quite some time." Natasha beamed, handing him the box.
"You have my thanks, Ms. Harmon." Dustin gladly accepted it. He deserved some compensation for work done, and a gift from Natasha Harmon herself wouldn't be just some lousy trinket.
"See Mr. Rhys out, Ruth," Natasha called.
"Okay," Ruth's tone was tinged with reluctance, but she still brought Dustin out to his Lamborghini, Suddenly, his phone rang. It was a phone call from Henry Nicholson, Dahlia's grandfather,
"Hey Dustin, are you up for lunch today?"
"Thank you, but I already have plans today, sir."
"You still need to eat, don't you? Dahlia should've cut you some slack. I'll make sure to tell her about this!" The old man grunted.
"It's just some personal business, sir, nothing to do with Ms. Nicholson."
"Alright, enough defending her. I know how you are, and I'm sure this is because of her. Don't you worry; I'll make sure to confront her about this. We're family, and family needs to spend time together."
"Uh… sure, I guess," Dustin reluctantly agreed.
In the three years after marrying into this family, only this old man treated Dustin as his own. That was why he respected and cared for him deeply. But they wouldn't see each other for a long time after that. So let this meal be the final goodbye for both of them…
Dustin drove over to the Nicholsons' home at noon. The villa was in a secluded neighborhood, with flowers and hedges decorating the front yard. Dahlia was right outside. Dustin tried to avoid her but was still spotted.
"Stop right there! I need to talk to you!"
"What is it?" Dustin asked. Their backs were to each other as they spoke.
"I haven't told Granddad about our divorce because of his condition."
"Do you think we can keep him from finding out?"
"I'll find a chance to tell him after, just not today."
"Alright. Anything else?"
"Nope." Dahlia turned and went inside the house without another word.
They never once looked at each other, acting like complete strangers. Dustin took a deep breath and went in as well, wine in hand. The living room was filled with people, including most of the Nicholsons. Only John, Dahlia's father, was absent, still outside on his trip. Yet someone was sitting in his usual seat this time, an outsider too–Chris Nolan.
"How rude to have us elders wait on him like this," Florence jeered, her expression mean.
"Shh, Mom. He might get upset and hurt you!" James chirped loudly. He hadn't let go of what had happened yesterday. The bruises were still visible on his face.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's have dinner." Henry Nicholson announced, beaming at Dustin. "Come and sit beside me, kid."
"Sure." Dustin smiled in return and helped the old man to his seat. James scowled, his eyes burning with jealousy. "Kiss–ass!"
He had never understood why his grandfather doted on Dustin. James was the old man's grandson by blood!
"Come, let us all drink!" Henry toasted.
"Granddad, look at this." James pulled up a decorated box of wine. "Chris brought this beautiful wine over, a fine Grand Cru from La Romanee Conti. We should all toast with this!"
"La Romanee Conti? That's a really expensive vintner, no?"
"Yes, it is. It was 100 thousand dollars a bottle!" Chris boasted.
"What? 100 thousand dollars a bottle?!" everyone exclaimed in shock. The sky–high price had been way beyond their expectations. The Harmons were pretty well–off, but even they hadn't had a chance to try something this expensive.
"Why'd you spend all that money on this, Chris? It's too much, no?" Florence questioned, though pride laced her tone. After all, Chris was her first choice for a son–in–law.
"100 something thousand isn't much. I have another barrel of this at home, so please, you all enjoy," Chris grinned like a cat that ate the canary. The pride was evident on his face, however.
"Mr. Nolan, you're really generous."
"Yeah, we're really in for a treat tonight!"
The family began praising Chris for his wine, feeding his ego further.
"Hey, boy, look at how sincere James is. His wine costs 100 thousand dollars. But what about yours, hm? You bought them from the dollar store, didn't you? Cheapskate!" Florence sneered and even kicked James in the calf.
"Why don't we have a look?" James proposed with a conspiring smile. He swiftly opened Dustin's box of wine.