Chapter 13
Author: Marina Vittori
The hall where the event was held had become lively. On the stage, a group of dancers dressed in vintage clothing danced to classical music. Every facial expression and move was full of charm and grace, leaving a lingering impression in the audience's mind.

Below the stage sat a crowd of well-dressed celebrities. While some clinked their glasses and chatted, others quietly enjoyed the performance. Dustin had found an empty seat and sat down, sipping on a glass of juice as he watched the show.

"Yo, Rhys! Didn't think you would actually sneak in here!"

Suddenly, a discordant voice disrupted Dustin's moment of peace. Glancing over at the source, Dustin spotted Chris and Dahlia together with the secretary.

"Hmph, what an unlucky day. Why are you everywhere?" Lyra huffed in annoyance.

Dahlia didn't say a word. She threw a cold glance at Dustin and went to take a seat in the front row.

"Hey, the charity auction is starting soon. Can you even afford to participate? Why are you sitting here?" Chris jeered.

"Who says I can't sit here because I can't afford it?" retorted Dustin.

"That's the rule! How can a sucker like you sit with us?" Chris said with a contemptuous look.

"Are you deaf? Get up now!" Lyra kicked the chair Dustin was sitting in.

"What happens if I don't?" Dustin looked up at him.

"I'll call the guards to kick you out!" threatened Lyra.

"Go ahead and try," Dustin responded with an unbothered expression.

"Fine, you asked for it! Don't blame me when you get humiliated!" Just as Lyra wanted to raise her hand and call for the guards, Dahlia stopped her.

"Cut it out. Let him be."

"But…" Lyra frowned.

"Mind your own business," Dahlia simply replied.

"Hmph, consider yourself lucky."

Lyra glared at Dustin and left it at that. At this moment, her phone rang. After answering the call, her expression froze and the arrogance on her face was quickly replaced with horror.

"What's wrong?" Dahlia asked upon sensing something amiss.

"Ms. Nicholson… it's… it's bad!" Lyra blurted nervously. "I just received a tip-off that the Harmon family wants to remove the Jackson Group from the candidate list!"

"What?" Dahlia's face fell at the news. "Are you sure the tip is reliable?"

"It should be. My friend overheard it at work!"

"How could this happen?" Dahlia's expression was awful. After all, she'd expended great effort in getting the Jackson Group on the candidate list. Not only were large sums of money involved but she even owed countless favors over this.

She thought that since they passed the preliminary screening and got on the list, she could effortlessly secure the position of the Harmon family's partner as long as she met with the Steel Lady beforehand.

Who knew that they would get removed at the very last minute? It was so sudden that Dahlia couldn't comprehend what had happened.

"Ms. Nicholson, what do we do now? If we make it on the candidate list, all of our hard work will be in vain!" Lyra lamented unhappily.

"Let me think…" Dahlia's brows furrowed as she fell deep in thought.

Working as the Harmon family's partner, they would be able to elevate their social status while making extra profits. Although the Jackson Group had grown quickly over the years, it lacked a solid foundation. Hence, if they could join the Harmon family's business venture, they would have sure backing. Dahlia was so close to tasting success, yet everything had come to naught.

"Mr. Rhys." Just then, a manager from the Harmon family walked up to Dustin's side and handed him a folder. "The Steel Lady wants you to review these documents and make the final decision."

"Hmm?"

Dustin took the folder and his expression became a little strange. He was looking at documents consisting of Dahlia and the Jackson Group's information. Natasha was indirectly making him choose to whether kick them out of the candidate list.

"What the hell is she planning?"

Dustin held his chain while thinking, feeling some uncertainty. Needless to say, Natasha was doing this on purpose. She wanted the power in deciding the fate of Dahlia's company to fall on him.

After thinking it over, Dustin chose not to remove them. Although they were divorced, their relationship wasn't as bad as to require revenge. Besides, they had been married for three years. One way or another, he genuinely hoped that Dahlia would do well in her life.

"Mr. Rhys, are you sure about your decision?"

The manager couldn't help asking because he knew that Natasha wasn't fond of Dahlia.

"Yes." Dustin nodded.

"Okay. We'll do as you say."

After giving him a polite smile, the manager promptly left with the documents. Deep down, however, his impression of Dustin dropped slightly. To him, this was Dustin's best window of opportunity to gain Ms. Harmon's favor. Meanwhile, in the front-row seat, the clueless Dahlia and Lyra were still worrying about the matter. Based on their status, they weren't qualified to change the Harmon family's decision.

"Ahem…" Chris suddenly cleared his throat to get their attention before saying, "Dahlia, if you're worrying about the candidate list, I might be able to help."

"Really?" Lyra lit up at once and asked hurriedly, "Mr. Nolan, how can you help us?"

"To be honest, my father has some connections with Old Mr. Harmon. As long as my father makes the request, I believe the Harmon family will do something about it."

"Is that so? That's awesome!" Lyra was filled with excitement as she said, "Mr. Nolan, if you can help us with this, you will be our greatest benefactor!"

"It's not a big deal. I'll make the call now."

Chris laughed heartily, then dialed his father's phone number to briefly explain the situation.

"Alright, I got it. I'll talk to Andrew when I have time," Chris' father, David, agreed perfunctorily and hung up the call. Thinking that he'd solved the problem, Chris started to claim credit and said, "My father has agreed to help. You guys don't have to worry. It'll be over soon."

"Great! Mr. Nolan, thanks to you, we can rest assured."

Lyra sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Mr. Nolan," added Dahlia.

"It's a small matter. Don't worry about it."

Chris pretended to wave his hand generously. Then, he looked toward Dustin with a provocative gaze. Dustin was enjoying his juice, completely ignoring Chris. At this moment, Dahlia received a phone call. Taking out her phone, she realized that it was from the general manager of Harmon Group.

"Hello, is this Ms. Nicholson? I have good news for you. The top management has decided to appoint you as the Harmon family's partner."

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    "We were chosen?" Dahlia was shocked. She couldn't believe his words. The general manager wasn't talking about her place on the candidate list, but was referring to their appointment as the Harmon family's partner! They’d even skipped the final assessment. What was happening?"Did you mean what you said?" Dahlia questioned tentatively."Of course. If you don't believe it, you may come to our office tomorrow to sign the contract. I have other things to attend to, so I'll hang up now." After saying a few words, the general manager ended the call.Dahlia on the other end was feeling both astonished and delighted. Never had she expected things to go so smoothly. A few moments ago, the Jackson Group was just about to get removed from the candidate list but in the blink of an eye, they had become the Harmon family’s partner. Everything was happening too abruptly.Of course, it must've been due to Chris' help that she was able to make it this far. The Nolan family's influence was surprisi

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    Never in Dustin's wildest dreams would he think that was how Dahlia viewed him. She had no faith in him at all. As it turned out, three years of marriage meant nothing when compared to an outsider."You're right. I'm despicable, while Chris is a hero. I slandered him. Are you happy now?" Dustin said self-mockingly. It was pointless to defend himself when there was no trust to begin with."What's with your attitude? Are you saying I'm accusing you?" Dahlia frowned."Not at all. I'm the one to blame for badmouthing a good person," Dustin replied curtly. "You're so stubborn!" His words angered Dahlia. She never knew that Dustin would act like this out of spite and refuse to admit his mistake. Was he finally showing his true colors after their divorce? "It's all right, Dahlia. Don't get too worked up." At this time, Chris put up a pretentious act of kindness and said, "Dustin must be doing this because he doesn't like that I'm too close to you. I don't blame him. Everyone makes mist

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    “Then go to die!” Dustin stated expressionlessly, but his hard gaze was unnerving.“Go to thell?” Edward burst out laughing.Even the group of bodyguards standing behind him burst into laughter; all of them looked at Dustin as though he were an idiot.“You little punk! Don’t you know who I am? You’ve got some nerve speaking to me that way,” Edward said cockily.“I don’t know who you are, and I couldn't care less. You have three seconds to let her go, or else,” Dustin stated plainly.His words instantly caused a stir; even the people who were holding Dahlia were shocked.None of them expected that Dustin would say such a thing; he was remarkably brave compared to the silent Chris.However, such bravery was useless.“You really don’t know what’s good for you. You’re going to die!” Chris’ face was full of resentment because Dustin’s show of bravado only made his cowardice even more apparent.Naturally, Chris was irritated and even filled with resentment when a good-for-nothing l

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    Poseidon scoffed. "You're so full of yourself." The surrounding seawater surged violently. It transformed into countless razor-sharp water spikes and whistled toward Dustin. The deadly edges glinted under the sunlight. Like a silver rainstorm, the barrage swallowed every inch of space around him.Dustin's sharp gaze locked onto the incoming strikes. With a light swing of the Celestial Blade, a streak of black sword aura shot out. Every water spike in its path shattered into mist and rained down in a cascade of droplets.However, Poseidon refused to relent. His attacks came in endless waves, an unbroken torrent.He gripped his trident with both hands and spun it, creating several blue energy rings. Each one expanded rapidly and surged toward Dustin like crashing waves.Dustin's figure flickered and vanished from his spot. The next second, he reappeared just outside the energy rings.Hovering in midair, he spun at incredible speed. The Celestial Blade in his hand turned into a b

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    "Logan, I have to admit that you're stronger than I thought. I never expected you'd push me this far," Poseidon said.His arms slowly spread wide, and his blue eyes glowed with murderous intent. "As a mark of respect, I will give it everything I've got. You'll witness the true extent of my power."With a flick of his hand, he made a grabbing gesture. His trident, which had fallen to the bottom of the sea, shot back up through the water and landed firmly in his grasp.Compared to his earlier arrogance, Poseidon now stood with a newfound seriousness. It wasn't just Dustin's strength that had him on edge but his terrifying potential.At only 20, Dustin already possessed this level of strength. If he continued to grow, he would become a serious threat to the Hall of Gods. Hence, Poseidon resolved to eliminate him today."Watch closely," he said.Poseidon slowly raised his trident and gripped it like a javelin. While channeling his energy into the weapon, it pulsed with an intense blu

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    "Let me correct you," Dustin said.As his hand slowly tightened into a fist, a white longsword formed from his true energy. "In Dragonmarsh, there is no 'God. ' We only have the Lord of the Dead."The moment the words left his mouth, a tempest of sword aura exploded outward. Within a radius of several dozen yards, the winds howled, sand and stones were sent flying, and the waves along the shore grew even more violent."Such overwhelming pressure. That sword aura is insane. Is this Logan's actual strength?"Feeling the surge of energy, Warrick and the others couldn't help but turn pale. It was then they realized that Dustin hadn't been fighting seriously before. Or perhaps, with their strength, they hadn't even earned the right to make him fight for real. They figured only someone of Poseidon's caliber could force Dustin to go all out."Interesting… truly fascinating." Poseidon suddenly laughed. "I thought you were just a pup, but it turns out you're a hungry wolf. Now, this is s

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    Poseidon hovered in the air with his trident in one hand and radiated a commanding presence. He stood like a god, and his figure was so intimidating that it struck fear into those who beheld him.With a wave of his hand, an invisible energy struck Warrick and expelled the three silver needles from his body. Feeling sensation returned to his limbs, Warrick's face lit up. He quickly rose to his feet and clenched his fist to his chest in salute."Thank you, Lord Poseidon, for saving me. I will never forget this kindness!" he said."No need for formalities, Sir Prescott. Now that you've pledged yourself to the Hall of Gods, it's only natural that I ensure your safety," Poseidon replied with a faint smile as he descended gracefully."Your timely arrival was a blessing," Warrick said as he bowed his head slightly in deference. "Otherwise, we would have perished tonight."The Hall of Gods' royal gods were figures he could only look up to. Everything about Poseidon, from his power to hi

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    Mulder knew Warrick had been on the battlefield for years, and his physical strength was unmatched. On top of that, he was already halfway to becoming an ultimate grandmaster. Even if Warrick couldn't defeat the prodigious Logan, Mulder figured the difference wouldn't be too big. But he never expected Logan to take down Warrick with a single finger, leaving him severely injured and unable to stand. The difference in their strength was far beyond anything Mulder could have imagined.In other words, Logan had been toying with them from the start and didn't take the fight seriously. If he had, they would've all been dead.Warrick clutched his chest and coughed up blood as he staggered to his feet. His chest was a charred ruin, the flesh torn open and slick with blood. It was an awful, gory mess."I didn't expect you to be this strong. I underestimated you," he growled.He slowly raised his head, and his face twisted with a menacing look. "Guess I was just unlucky to fall into your

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