Chapter 2

"How dare a lowly human as you insult me, trash. Do you have the world at your feet, huh?" Harry's eyes stared fiercely. The man he was staring at, however, looked ordinary. 

Karina removed Harry's hand from Dustin's collar. "Already, don't take it to heart. You're more than everything, Harry." 

Karina said that with no other intentions, just to make Harry's anger at least diminish a little. She was already too embarrassed with Dustin in front of everyone. She didn't want to be even more embarrassed because Dustin and Harry were fighting like this. 

Harry fixed his slightly wrinkled clothes. Meanwhile, Karina pulled Dustin's arm away from Harry. "You go home first." 

"The show isn't over yet." 

Karina let out a long sigh. "There's no need to wait until it's over. You'll just embarrass my family even more." 

"Yes, you're right, Karina. He shouldn't have forced himself to come here. Soiling our neighborhood," Daniel said. 

The atmosphere was heating up, making Dustin's chest feel tight from the anger he was holding in. Daniel grinned at Dustin. Harry and the others also looked at him. 

"Karina, you're a fool to accept this unlucky match. You should have chosen Harry instead. Look at him. There's nothing he has." Daniel heated up the situation. 

"Crazy bastard." Dustin grinned. 

"Damn it!" 

Before Daniel could move, Karina had already blocked her cousin's body from getting closer to Dustin. "Never mind. We're the center of attention." 

Karina approached Dustin and whispered something. "Didn't you hear what I said? I asked you to go home and stop being so arrogant." 

Dustin let out a long sigh and took Karina's words for granted. Although Karina's family treated him badly, he still persisted because two years together made him fall in love with that woman. It didn't matter to him. 

Everything suddenly became silent. Only soft music could be heard there.

"Can we get back to the show?" the host asked. A little diversion to make the atmosphere less tense. "Okay, next up is the acceptance of gifts from the Hopster family." 

Harry smiled happily. "Look at this, and you'll be amazed at the gift I gave you." 

Karina was silent. The words were directed at her. Please? Not at all. In fact, Karina's current state was embarrassing. Despite living a domestic life for two years without love, Karina still considered and respected the status of husband and wife with Dustin. She showed no interest in other men. 

Harry passed by them with imperious footsteps. All eyes were on him like a prince walking in the center of the palace. Harry walked up to Gerald, handing him something. 

Gerald's eyes fell on a long, neatly rolled paper with a gold band. "The persistence of memory." 

All ears that heard it were amazed when Gerald spread the canvas of a painting that cost hundreds of millions of rupiah. It was as if all the valuable assets in the world were now in Gerald's hands. 

"Wow, I'm too happy to receive all these gifts worth hundreds of millions." Gerald's face was flushed, and he couldn't stop smiling. His heart was bursting to receive all the great gifts. 

The last turn was from Karina's family, who was the most backward Grayson Group family. The poorest among the other Grayson families. Gerald had deliberately put them at the very end of the gift-giving list. 

The scornful and contemptuous gaze returned to Dustin. The shabby clothes alone made his self-esteem disappear, coupled with the pungent smell of alcohol clinging to his clothes. Some people frankly waved their hands in front of their noses when Dustin passed by. 

"You're shameless. An eyesore." 

A sardonic smile was on Gerald's face when all of Karina's family gave given gifts. "Dustin, don't you want to give gifts?" 

What did Gerald expect from Dustin? Can someone like Dustin give gifts? Let alone expensive ones, and he couldn't even bring cheap ones. He came with empty hands and shabby clothes. 

"I don't have the money to buy a gift, Uncle," Dustin answered boldly. His words made everyone there angry. 

How dare he come to the party without bringing a gift. 

Gerald's trick worked. He wanted everyone to see how useless Dustin was by coming to the party, as well as embarrassing himself. 

"Don't you have any self-respect? A man who can only send his wife to work? You live as a parasite!" Gerald spoke in a big voice. 

"He is dust, Uncle Gerald." Donald took this opportunity to further demean Dustin, a remark that was greeted by everyone's laughter getting louder. Of course, without saying anything, everyone already knew how Dustin was. The host broke the ice again, mingling with the music to continue the party. 

"You're embarrassing me. Just go away already!" Eri's anger exploded so much that her head seemed to burst. 

"I don't know why that old fart set my daughter up with you. Useless unemployed man. Can't do anything. It can only hurt the family's dignity. God, I'm going to go crazy because of you!" 

It was the same with Karina. However, Karina already didn't care and didn't want to waste her energy just talking to Dustin. 

"Look at that man who became your husband, no better than me." Harry elevated himself in front of Karina. 

"Don't you ever look in the mirror? Or at least be self-aware. You don't belong here." Harry insulted Dustin.

Karina let out a long sigh. "Dustin, you go home. I'm embarrassed. Please!"

"Karina..." Dustin called out and obeyed Karina's wishes.

Dustin endured everyone's insulting behavior. He decided to go home on foot, and then a luxury car stopped right beside him.

A white-haired old man got out of the car and bowed his head before Dustin. 

"Young master, you are asked to be the successor of the Kendrick family. Your father is no longer able to continue his leadership due to his deteriorating condition."

His name was Albert Cain. He was the head of security, a confidant in the Kendrick family. 

Dustin grinned. "After throwing me out of the family, now he's asking me to continue the leadership? I swear I'll never go back there again."

"Young master, you must return because only you can be the next head of the family." Albert tried to convince Dustin, who was looking at him angrily. 

"I don't care. Don't let you appear in front of me again. He dumped me; remember that."

Dustin resumed his footsteps. He did not care what would happen to the Kendrick family without a leader. The head of the family, Yosan Kendrick, who was none other than his own father, had kicked him out of the house. For three years, he had never seen or heard from his family. 

Dustin was already hurt and hated his father. The fight that night is still vivid in Dustin's memory. Because of that, Dustin's life became humiliated. Like trash, if it's been thrown away, don't pick it up again. 

 

Albert was still standing, looking at Dustin's back, which was getting further away from sight. His eyes flashed. "I can't just leave the young master alone..."