The evening meeting ended with dinner together at a long, luxurious table. They looked happy, but not Karina's family. The face that was already too embarrassed could only bow its head.
"I'm embarrassed!" said Eri after they got into the car. Their vehicle was less pleasant and luxurious than the other Grayson family members. Arguably, it was the ugliest among the rest. Even though their family was well-respected in the city, they were still the most backward part of the Grayson family. Arriving home, Eri tossed her bag carelessly. She ruffled at the waist. The glint in her eyes indicated that she was still furious. "Where's that useless dust? I have to teach him a lesson!" Jake's voice boomed. "Looks like he's still on the road. he came home on foot because he had no money." Karina told it like it was. "You bastard! That husband of yours crossed my face in front of everyone! My pride is at stake," Jake snapped. He kicked the innocent sofa to his right. Karina massaged her forehead. This wasn't the second or third time they had gotten angry over Dustin. Thousands of times, being humiliated in front of the Grayson family was no surprise. But in front of prominent figures, it was the biggest humiliation for their family. And it was all because of Dustin. "That man is a dustbuster, a scumbag, an unemployed, useless parasite living off the land. That son of a bitch!" cursed Eri just as emotionally as Jake."Mom ...." Karina called softly. Although both her mother's and father's words were true, sometimes Karina also felt uncomfortable hearing them. Significantly since she also contributed to bringing Dustin into this family. However, she could not refuse her late grandfather's choice. "Karina, you should just divorce your husband. Harry is better for you. Harry deserves to be your husband!" said Eri. "Mom, what are you saying?" Dustin had just arrived and heard the commotion right at the end. "Did you forget that I'm Karina's husband?" Eri rolled her eyes. "You think of yourself as my daughter's husband? What can you do but act like a beggar and live here?" Eri folded her arms over her chest. Her eyes flashed like a predator about to pounce on its quarry. "Have you ever given a gift to your wife? Ah, I forgot. How can you give my daughter a gift when you still ask Karina for money to buy vegetables from the market? How disgusting!" "You're so disgraceful. You don't know any better. You've brought shame to this family. So people talk, insult, and even worse, you've brought this family under someone else's feet! Is there nothing you can do other than being a useless person?" Jake also spoke harshly like that. Eri laughed bitterly. "Look, your clothes reflect how qualified you are. You're the equivalent of a street person whose only job is to beg. Rotten bum!" Karina bit her lower lip. "Mom, stop it. Never mind, we're used to this." "Because it's common, I am even more annoyed and irritated at that useless dust! Don't you think how ruined this family is because of him?" Eri's eyeballs were about to pop out when she looked at Karina. Karina just let out a long sigh. No matter what, everything had already happened. "Never mind, whatever!" She finally decided to go inside because she felt dizzy. Eri pointed her index finger at Dustin's face. "Next time, I'm not taking you to any party!"Jake grinned. "If it weren't for Dad saying the Grayson family would be lucky to have you in our family, I would never have agreed to Karina marrying you. Everything that the older man said was wrong. You're just a burden on the family!" "If only that old man were still alive, he would also be very sorry for choosing you to be part of the Grayson family!" Eri added to Jake's words. Eri and Jake walked away from Dustin. Their mouths were chattering behind Dustin's back. The man couldn't help but smile. "I like it better this way," Dustin muttered. He went to the room after Karina. Although they were in the same room, they didn't sleep in the same bed. Dustin slept on the sofa, Karina on the bed. That was how their married life had been for the past two years. No love, no touch. However, Dustin didn't mind. Just seeing Karina's face sleeping peacefully like that made Dustin happy.**The next day. Everyone was surprised by the arrival of an anonymous gift at Karina's house—a paper bag bearing a luxury and expensive jewelry brand. Of course, just from looking at the logo on the paper bag, everyone could already tell what was inside. "This is for Miss Karina," said the package courier. Eri and Jake were excited. They shouted for Karina, who was in her room making up. The courier took his leave, and Eri was like someone who had gotten a treasure chest. "Can you guess what that jewelry is? I think it's a necklace or a ring," Eri guessed. Eri was impatient and immediately opened the paper bag. There was a small black box that looked luxurious from the outside. Eri opened the box. Eri and Jake's eyes lit up. They were mesmerized by the contents inside the box. "This is so beautiful. Karina must know." "Karina! Hurry up and come here! You're so slow!" Eri kept shouting. Eri's eyes lit up. "This is a gift from Harry." Jake nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, that's for sure. This is the most expensive gift our family has ever gotten." Karina approached her parents. "What is it?" "There's a present for you. Hurry up and open it!" Eri pleaded excitedly as if she hadn't seen it yet. Karina opened the gift. At the same time, Dustin, who had just returned from shopping for vegetables at the market, became curious about the item in Karina's hand. "Did you get a present?" "Yes, of course. It's a costly gift from Harry. A useless son-in-law like you wouldn't be able to give this luxurious gift to my daughter." Eri was proud of herself.Dustin was silent. He was also curious about what was in the paper bag. Eri continued to force Karina to open it quickly. A small box came out of the paper bag. Eri, Jake, and Karina's eyes lit up at the sight of a brightly glowing object. Eri was getting excited and took the box's contents before Karina could touch it. "Oh my goodness. This is a costly diamond necklace. I've seen one of the richest family members wearing this necklace." Eri expressed her opinion. "This is the ninth most expensive diamond necklace in the world. The heart of kingdom ruby. It's amazing. It could cost hundreds of billions." Jake was genuinely amazed. Dustin frowned. Looking at the shape of the necklace, he could already guess that Albert had sent the gift. The necklace was decorated with over 40 carats of heart-shaped ruby as the main stone. Along the necklace and around the central stone was also decorated with 150 white diamonds with a total weight of 155 carats. The red ruby gemstone is unique to Dustin's family."Hurry up and put it on!" Jake enthused. Eri stood behind Karina and put the diamond necklace around the princess' neck. "Look, it suits you perfectly. I'm so proud of Harry." "My daughter is charming. Harry is good at picking out things that suit our daughter," Jake said. "Yes, he is. It's not like anyone in this house is useless!" Eri quipped to Dustin.Dustin just smiled. Even though he knew it belonged to his family, he remained tight-lipped and kept his true identity a secret. "Yes, that necklace suits you, Karina. You're getting prettier." Dustin ignored Eri's words and preferred to focus on Karina's growing beauty. Hearing a compliment from Dustin for the first time made Karina misbehave. She smiled, trying to hide her heated cheeks.Not out of love, but what woman wouldn't smile when complimented on her beauty by a man? Karina removed the necklace because she was not used to wearing fancy jewelry. "Why did you take it off?" Eri was inflamed. "It's uncomfortable. It's too heavy, and I feel uncomfortable wearing it." Karina put the necklace back into the box. "You're a fool not to want to wear it. It's a gift from Harry. You should cherish it." "No, Mother. Keep it." Karina gave the box into Eri's hands. Just then, there was a knock on the door of the house, which was open. They were all surprised to see an uninvited guest
Jake rubbed his face roughly. "At this rate, what will happen to our family? Just a few minutes ago, I was happy that we would get a rich son-in-law." Eri massaged her nape and temples together, then remembered something. "The necklace!Eri looked at the gift she thought was from Harry. She picked up the jewelry box and hugged it. "Don't let this gift be taken away again." Jake shook his head. "Take it easy, and I'll block Harry from trying to take it back." Eri nodded quickly. "Yes, that you must do. This is our most precious family treasure. Don't let him take it. It's already ours." "He won't, Mom. He won't take it. The gift is not from him." Dustin suddenly commented on his mother-in-law's anxiety. Eri looked down at Dustin. "You're such a smart ass. You're an arrogant ass. What do you know? Don't be a smartass. Better put your brain to work." "Who is this gift from if not him? From God? God has abandoned this family since my daughter married you, damn it!" Jake was inflamed
The other salesgirl laughed. "How can you afford to buy fancy clothes here? Even at a street-side shop, I don't think someone like you could buy a single shirt." "That's right. Just look at his clothes. He looks like a bum." another employee insulted. Dustin was particularly annoyed when the salesman pinched the hem of his shirt like he was grasping dirt. "It stinks!" "I'll buy everything in this store," Dustin replied. Suddenly, all the servers in the store burst into laughter. From any angle, Dustin's appearance was inappropriate for entering the store. Let alone want to buy all the goods there? "Are you kidding me? Are you a drunk lunatic? Already, get out of here. We don't serve crazy people like you!" One of the salesmen pushed Dustin's body to leave, but Dustin persisted. "Oh, you don't want to leave here?" "Security!" called a salesgirl. The security at the front approached them. "What's wrong?" The salesman pushed Dustin's body hard. "Get this lowlife out of here. It
The manager looked incredulous at Dustin's appearance of having a black card. However, seeing that the card Dustin was holding looked genuine, made him afraid it was real. "There has never been a fake black card before. Does that shabby man have it?" That was the content inside the manager's head, who was also scared. Dustin extended his hand, and the manager respectfully took Dustin's black card. Looking from all sides and observing, the manager seemed confused and surprised. How could a man who looked like a bum in front of him have a card like this? The male and female sales looked at each other with Dustin's condescending gaze. "My guess is right that the card is fake and can't be used. What a shameless lowlife!" "That's it, just kick him out of here. Shame on you!" "Shut up, damn it!" the manager snapped at the salesgirls. Suddenly, they fell silent. The manager was now getting scared because he knew Dustin had real cards. His hands were shaking because the servers had offe
Upon arriving home, Dustin heard a familiar female voice. Eating sounded like a loud laugh. From afar, he already knew who the woman was inside.Dustin stepped into the living room, and it turned out that his guess was correct. There was indeed a woman he knew, and it was Vera, Karina's best friend.Dustin also saw many paper bags in the store's name containing the luxury goods he had bought earlier. Some luxury clothes were already on the sofa.Dustin smiled as he approached Karina. "All the items are beautiful. Vera's eyes narrowed. "Haven't you ever seen luxury goods? These are all gifts from men who like Karina!""Maybe all these gifts were given by Justin. He's been after you for years, Karina." Vera looked convinced.Dustin grinned. "That guy couldn't have bought them.""All this expensive stuff was never given to you by the man who says he's your husband. What a piece of shit!""Isn't he ashamed of being such an embarrassing man? Even he's just living off of you," Vera insulte
"Ah, it's you!" The man was Steve, a member of the Grayson family—Karina's cousin who often looked down on Dustin. "Are you looking for a job?" he asked mockingly. Dustin only responded with a nod of his head.Steve noticed Dustin's appearance. "With wet clothes like that? You look more like a beggar!"Steve laughed at his own words. "You're an idiot. No one will take you in."Dustin remained silent. Steve continued to watch Dustin's appearance, and then an idea popped into his head."I can get you a job," Steve spoke arrogantly.Dustin frowned. "What job?"Steve spoke while folding his arms. "Being poor, uneducated, and looking like a sewer rat, your best job is cleaning toilets."Steve laughed out loud as if his words were a funny joke.Dustin let out a long sigh. "I was expecting this. I knew you just wanted to make fun of me.""What did you expect, stupid? You're useless!" mocked Steve.Dustin shook his head and brushed past Steve because he felt there was no point in talking to
Lewis had been curious all along. He watched Dustin for a moment as he continued to drive. "Why didn't you tell him your true identity?"The question had been nagging at the back of Lewis' mind for a while, but he only dared to say it respectfully and cautiously for fear of offending Dustin.Dustin gave Lewis a glance with a faint smile. "I don't want my name to be a burden." Then he turned his gaze back to stare out the window.Lewis frowned. He didn't understand what Dustin meant by his name being a burden. "Why would you think that? Your name is not a burden. People will respect you more and won't insult you as Steve did earlier."Dustin smiled slightly. "Precisely because of that, I can't reveal my identity because it's a burden."Dustin stared straight ahead as memories of his past suddenly flashed back. "When I was a kid, everyone changed after discovering who I was. They suddenly became too nice to me, so it felt like a poison killing me daily."Lewis understood exactly how Dus
Steve was angry. He felt insulted by Dustin's words. Steve grabbed Dustin firmly by the collar. "You're a liar. A fool like you couldn't possibly have my skills. There's no way you're working at Cloa! You're making that up!""I work there. You're the one with no skills," Dustin retorted as he pushed Steve's body.Steve was annoyed; he almost fell over from the forceful push. That poor, lowly man really made him angry. "That's where the greats are. You won't be able to work there!"Dustin grinned as he straightened his clothes that had become wrinkled because of Steve. "You're jealous of me because I'm much better than you? I work there as the head of the Cloa company."Eri chuckled in annoyance. Her arms folded across her chest. She couldn't believe what her son-in-law was saying. "You're imagining things too much. Head of the company? Never mind, there's no need to act so much! I doubt even being an OB there!"Karina let out a long breath, looking at Dustin. "You don't have to lie, D
Karina covered her mouth in disbelief at what Dustin had just said. Her eyes filled with tears. She jumped into Dustin's arms."I'm so happy, Dustin." Karina wiped away her tears while releasing a hug from Dustin. She held the man's hand. "Come on, let's go to the hospital now to make sure that your memory has indeed fully recovered."Dustin smiled, then nodded in agreement. "Alright." He also couldn't wait to find out.They quickly got into the car and ordered the driver to go to the hospital where Dustin usually went for medical checkups. As for Ludwig and Agnes, they left it to the bodyguards and nannies to take the sleeping children back home.Along the way, Karina continued to hold Dustin's hand with an indescribable feeling on her face. Her heart kept beating fast, eager to discover if Dustin's memory had fully recovered.When they arrived at the hospital, Dustin was immediately examined by a doctor. All the examination results will be known within the next 2 hours.Karina bit h
They decided to spend time together there, making a campfire on the beach and enjoying the small waves that occasionally came closer.Ludwig was having fun today. He ate the grilled corn and sausages with gusto. "This is fun. This place is also very beautiful and makes me happy."Karina nodded her head. "That's right. Mom is always happy to be here, too." She rested her head on Dustin's shoulder. "Now everything feels complete. This happiness, the children, and our togetherness."Dustin frowned as a memory flashed through his mind. "Ah, yes. I can remember that."Karina smiled happily. They watched Ludwig, who was feeding his new pet dog and looked at Agnes, who was already sleeping peacefully on the trolley.Dustin kissed Karina's forehead warmly. The images and flashbacks in his mind continued to swirl, showing how many memories it would be a shame for him to forget.Ludwig approached them while stroking his stomach, which looked slightly distended from overeating. "Mom, Dad, I'm sl
When they arrived home, they saw Clark waiting at their door. Ludwig and Agnes rushed into the house first, along with their maidservant. Meanwhile, Karina and Dustin approached Clark.Clark immediately stood up and bowed respectfully when he saw them. "Good afternoon. I'm sorry if I'm intruding."Albert immediately lowered his head when he saw Dustin glancing at him. Dustin's gaze seemed to ask why Clark wasn't waiting inside the house. Although Albert knew that Clark was the one who had saved his master, he didn't want to be presumptuous in inviting the white-haired man into the house without Dustin's permission."Not at all. Come on, come in." Dustin touched Clark's back, led him into the house, and sat together in the living room."You should have told me in advance that you were coming here so I wouldn't have gone anywhere and kept you waiting for a long time." Dustin felt bad for making Clark wait for him. He had no idea how long he had been waiting.Clark seemed to exhale softl
Axel bowed his body before Dustin, looking very sorry for this incident. "I apologize for this unpleasant incident."Dustin nodded slowly. "It doesn't matter. It's also my fault as a parent for not paying proper attention to my child."Axel did not expect that something like this would happen at his mall. The problem was it happened to Dustin. Axel felt bad.Dustin looked back, seeing how Ludwig was doing. "Are you okay?" Ludwig nodded his head. Dustin patted Ludwig lightly on the shoulder. "You're a very extraordinary boy. You don't have to fear anything if you're in the right situation."Dustin held his son's shoulders as he leaned over slightly, looking earnestly into his son's face. "If someone else wants to push you down, you have to push them back."Ludwig exhaled softly with a severe face. "Father, don't treat me like a child. Of course, I know that." He folded his arms across his chest. "You saw that yourself, right? I can deal with both of them."Dustin smiled, then hugged Lu
Karina immediately embraced Ludwig's body. The look on her face was one of deep concern. She had been trying to avoid approaching Ludwig, holding back the resentment and anger in her heart towards the man with glasses and his son."Are you okay? No injuries?" Karina watched Ludwig's face and body, who had been pushed several times until he almost fell.Ludwig only answered with a shake of his head.Dustin slammed Nueve's hand down so hard that the man took a few steps back and dropped his glasses. His nearsighted eyes squinted, trying to see who was before him."You're the father of this fucking kid?" Nueve tapped Dustin on the shoulder with the tip of her index finger. "Look at this!" He pointed at his glasses that had fallen to the floor. "You made my glasses fall off. Compensate now!" He clucked in annoyance while holding his head. "Ah, how unlucky I am to have met two damn people like this."Dustin remained silent, looking at Nueve with a sharp gaze. He was holding back his anger
"You've hurt my son." The man's voice was so loud that it scared Ludwig because he had never been yelled at like that by anyone, not even his parents.Ludwig was scolded by the man with glasses. The man's eyes were not good, so he thought that Ludwig was a damn person who abused his son."He's the one who's not careful." Ludwig tried to defend himself. He looked at the boy sharply."Don't be evasive." The boy pushed Ludwig's shoulder, causing Ludwig to take a few steps back. "You're the one who knocked me down." The boy held up his index finger, pointing at Ludwig, seemingly not wanting to take the blame for his actions earlier.Ludwig was waiting in line for his turn to play the basketball game, but since it was filled with kids who were quite a bit older than him, Ludwig decided not to play the game and left. But when he turned around, he accidentally bumped into the boy, knocking him to the floor.It wasn't all Ludwig's fault because the boy he hit was playing with his cell phone,
After breakfast, Karina took Dustin to the office where they used to spend time together doing their work. Dustin looked around and was surprised to see so many reports on the desk.Karina stroked the edge of the brown desk and looked at Dustin. "Actually, this is all your work, but I'm helping you finish it little by little even though it seems like the reports are never finished because they keep adding up every day."Karina picked up one of the files there and opened it, then handed it to Dustin. "Maybe you'll remember it better if you see this."Dustin took the file and looked at Karina. "So, this is all my work?" He did not expect his duties as the head of the Kenderick family to be this extraordinary. He opened the file and skimmed through it. "It's overwhelming and confusing."Karina nodded her head and sat on the table while gently stroking Dustin's shoulder. "At first, I also had a hard time working through all of this, but I forced myself and managed to do it." Karina smiled
Dustin nodded his head. "Yes, I'm fine." He raised both hands while smiling kindly. "As you can see."Clark nodded. He sat on the chair next to Dustin's bed. "I had no idea that you... ah, I mean, you were such a wonderful person." He smiled with a cautious-looking face. "You are the leader of the Kenderick family."Clark looked very awkward in Dustin's presence. Even now, he dared not look directly into Dustin's eyes. He only dared to glance occasionally.Dustin smiled at Clark's behavior, which was different from usual. "Just act normal. Don't be awkward or feel reluctant towards me. I already think of you as my friend."Clark smiled happily as he raised his hand. "This is truly a tremendous honor for me."Dustin shook his head with a soft sigh. "Don't overdo it. Just behave as you normally do. I am deeply indebted to you for taking such good care of me."Clark smiled as he bowed his head for a moment. "It's my duty as a doctor."Clark looked at Dustin. Although Dustin's memories we
Karina released her embrace from Dustin. She wiped away her tears, and then Dustin's hand gently wiped away the remaining tears on Karina's cheeks. The woman's face reddened slightly."So, are you my wife?" Dustin asked again to make sure. He was still not entirely sure because this felt strange to him. Even with all the images in his memory, it felt like something new.Karina nodded her head. "Yes, I am your wife." Karina stroked Dustin's face affectionately. "You are my most handsome husband."Karina's pupils lit up. The longing in her heart for Dustin was so great. She couldn't imagine if Dustin had died in the helicopter crash. She wasn't ready and never would be, especially with Ludwig and Agnes still young. They desperately needed Dustin's love.Karina smiled, lowering her hand carefully. "You are a great person. You protected me under any circumstances. You were even willing to risk your life for me several times." Karina tried to unlock Dustin's memories. "You were very good a