Chapter 13

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."