“My Liege, we’ve cracked the code.” The following morning, Drake met Dustin with exciting news, and those were the first words he uttered. Drake handed over a slip of paper. Dustin eagerly opened it. The note read: the Hanks family in Hattan. “My sister is with the Hanks family in Hattan?” Dustin’s face tightened upon seeing those words. Hattan was vast, and there must be countless Hanks families in the area. The scope of information Wilhelm provided was too extensive. After a moment’s thought, Dustin reasoned that Wilhelm would not leave him to search aimlessly. This Hanks family must be one of the more prominent ones in Hattan. “Start investigating the notable Hanks families in Hattan. Look into which family has an adopted daughter and whether she hails from the western region,” Dustin ordered. “If you don’t find anything among the prominent families, then investigate every single Hanks family in Hattan until you do!” “Understood!” Drake promptly left to ca
Dustin said nothing. Whether the box’s contents held material value or not, the main Langley family would undoubtedly treat it as a prized relic. It was unlikely they would give it up easily. Some unconventional methods might be necessary. After packing up, the family boarded a flight to Hattan at dawn. It was almost noon by the time they landed. “I’ve already contacted the main family. They said they’d send someone to pick us up,” David said. The group waited for quite some time outside the airport with their luggage but saw no sign of anyone. An hour passed, then another. “Where’s the person picking us up? Why aren’t they here yet?” Monique complained impatiently. David tried calling again but the line never connected. “Maybe they’re delayed on their way here,” he said helplessly. Dustin’s expression remained indifferent. Was this their way of making a statement right from the start? “David, why don’t we go to my friend’s place? I have some conne
“What did you say? How could you say a thing like that?” Monique demanded angrily. “Archer, no matter what, I’m still your elder. Can’t you speak more politely?” said David because he could not hold back his frustration. “Polite?” Archer sneered coldly as his face filled with contempt and disdain. “You people who split from the family are nothing but parasites of the Langley family. Every time you come, it’s either for money or something else. Look at what you’ve made of yourselvesF!! in the poor and desolate West! You’ve brought shame to the Langley family! And you are asking me to be polite to you? “Ha! Do you think you deserve that? If it weren’t for the elders of the family and their orders, do you think you’d be qualified enough for me to personally come and pick you up?” Archer stood tall and afforded no respect for David’s family in the slightest. His words were harsh and insulting. “People from the branch family like you only deserve to stay here. You’re not worth
“Apologize!” Dustin tightened his grip again. “F*ck...” Archer cursed. Crack! Dustin frowned and twisted Archer’s hand. It snapped Archer’s wrist completely. The scream that followed was high-pitched and unbearable. Dustin released him, and the latter collapsed to the ground before curling into a ball. “Dustin... you... ahhh!!!” David sighed. He had not expected Dustin to act so decisively and break Archer’s hand without hesitation. Dustin was just standing up for his family. Archer had been infuriating. So, David merely sighed instead of blaming him. “David, respect is earned, not given for free,” Dustin said seriously. “Since the main family looks down on us so much, I don’t think we need to worry too much about their opinion while we’re in Hattan.” David remained silent in thought. Perhaps he was also considering whether the branch family should stop enduring the main family’s repeated humiliation. “You... How dare you... Do you have a death wish?” Archer
“Dustin, which friend of yours are we meeting?” David asked curiously inside the taxi. He had never heard of Dustin’s friends in Hattan before. “Just… a regular friend,” Dustin said awkwardly. The truth was, he had never met this person before and did not even know their name. “But… wouldn’t it be rude to show up unannounced?” David asked in concern. “David, don’t worry. He owes me a favor and is eager to return it,” said Dustin and chuckled. David and Monique relaxed. The area grew more luxurious as the taxi moved forward. They passed through the city center of Hattan and into a vast and luxurious villa district. “Wait… Your friend lives in a villa district in the heart of Hattan?!” David exclaimed in surprise. Hattan was one of the most prosperous cities in all of Lovellia. It was second only to Central Harbor. Property prices here were astronomical and often reached millions. Villas in the central area were even more exclusive. Whoever lived here was no
“They’re decent people. You can trust them. If anything comes up in Hattan, feel free to ask for their help,” Dustin said and told them to introduce themselves. “My name is Brian Lee. I work at the Hattan Provincial Administrative Center. I’m a humble civil servant. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m happy to help.” A man stepped forward. “I’m Dennis Copper. I run a small business in Hattan with a decent reputation. I look forward to serving you in the future,” said another man as he introduced himself. “I’m Sebastian Fowler. I manage a few people, mostly for hauling and transportation. If you need anything, just say the word...” Each person came forward to greet David and his family with great courtesy and offered to help them in any way possible. Their warm welcome left David and Monique speechless. They could only smile in response. “Gentlemen and ladies, you will stay in the villa behind me. It’s fully equipped with all the necessary amenities, an
Dustin and David spent the day at the oriental garden villa. “David, Monique, there’s no need for all this formality. Just treat it like your own home,” Dustin said with a smile as he was amused by their reactions. David and Monique were both awkward and unsure in the villa and avoided touching anything or exploring the space. They refused when the servants offered to help and insisted on doing everything themselves. Although Simone seemed a little more relaxed, she was still quite uncomfortable with the idea of being waited on by so many people. “We couldn’t possibly treat it like our own place. This is their home. We’re just staying here as guests,” David said awkwardly. Dustin felt helpless. He had not told them that the luxury villa was already under his name. It was a gift from Skyler, and he had done the paperwork secretly. Dustin had no choice but to accept it. Since they had just arrived in Hattan and had not found a place to stay yet, Dustin did not wan
The butler left. After a while, Dustin and his group arrived at the Langley family villa’s living room. “You must be David Langley, right?” Conan, the patriarch of the Langley family, sat in the main seat and looked at them with a serious and commanding look. His gaze focused mainly on David. “It’s an honor to meet you, Conan,” David said and bowed politely. “How dare you!” someone from the main Langley family shouted angrily. “You can’t address the patriarch by his name!” They glared at David and yelled at him for being disrespectful. “I am the patriarch of the Langley family. Know your place!” Conan said coldly. David’s face froze. “My apologies. I was out of line.” David bowed again. Dustin watched all of this, and his face darkened. Originally, he and Simone’s family had come to Hattan just to deal with the issue between the main branch and the off-shoot families of the Langley family. As long as they handed over the box, he was not planning to get involved.
“I’ll need your help to start a pharmaceutical company and later build a private hospital. Both will be set up right across from the Langley family’s ones,” Dustin said with a smile. “I’ll do my best to help you!” Skyler said earnestly. “Are you planning to go against the Langley family?” Skyler asked. “If that’s the case, there’s no need for all this. Just give me the word, and I can make them go bankrupt in less than a week!” Dustin shook his head. His plan was not just to make the main Langley family surrender. Once Simone’s family took control of the main family, there was no need to start other businesses from scratch. With Dustin’s help, they could quickly grow in the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceuticals made enormous profits. This would be a shortcut to help the Langley family rise to the top of Lovellia’s elite families. Once the Langley family became powerful, it would save him a lot of trouble in the future. Meanwhile, the others were in a room on the vi
Dustin, Simone, and her parents reached the door and saw the driver waiting for them. As soon as the driver saw them, he quickly ran over. “Mr. Fox, we can’t move the car,” the driver said with a serious look. “What happened?” Dustin frowned and asked. “It was fine when we parked it, but now, the main Langley family is refusing to let us drive it away,” the driver said in frustration. “Someone said you broke his son’s hand, and he is demanding the car as compensation.” Dustin smirked mockingly. “How can he do that? Even if we pay for all the medical bills, it won’t be as expensive as that car, right?” Simone said angrily. That Rolls-Royce Phantom was worth over 10 million. This was practically robbery! “Keeping a luxury car worth over 10 million as compensation for a simple medical bill? Why doesn’t he just rob a bank?! “He is clearly targeting us!” Simone and Monique were both furious. “Of course, I’m targeting you. What are you going to do about it?” Orion wal
“Luna, how didn’t I notice before how cruel you actually were?” Justin said in disgust. “You still want his hands to be severed? Who gave you the right to ask for that?” His face was cold. “From now on, we’ll have nothing to do with each other!” Luna was stunned. Had she been dumped? Justin was ending their relationship for a few people from the branch family?! The main Langley family members were shocked. They thought it was just a small disagreement, but Justin was serious. “Justin, is this really necessary? Do you really have to break up over this?” an elder from the main family asked. “Is it really worth breaking up over a few people from the branch family? Luna is your girlfriend!” “Calm down! There’s no need to take it this far. This kind of joke isn’t funny.” Justin sneered, and his expression turned fierce. “Do I look like I’m joking?” The main family members froze. They were shocked by his scary expression. They exchanged confused looks. They did no
All the main family members were anxiously waiting in the living room. Simone and her parents were also worried. No one knew what Dustin and Justin were discussing outside. The main family members were worried that Justin might not be able to deal with Dustin, while Simone and her parents feared Justin might punish the latter. Thankfully, it was not too long before Dustin and Justin returned. Luna quickly ran to them, grabbed Justin’s arm, and asked, “Justin, how was it? How are you going to deal with him?” Justin’s face was cold as he brushed her hand off. Everyone in the room looked confused. “Justin, what are you doing?” Luna looked annoyed. Justin ignored her and turned to the main family members. “I’ve already investigated the whole situation,” he said indifferently. “There’s no need to investigate. These people came here to cause trouble. That brat is completely out of control. He hurt three people and even threatened us. Someone like that must be evil. I th
It did not matter which prestigious family Dustin came from. Justin could not care less because he was loyal only to the army and his commander. Dustin indifferently pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Justin. “Take a look.” “Fine, I’ll look.” Justin took the token and glanced at it. At first, he did not care much. “Why are you showing me this useless thing?” Justin asked disdainfully. “Turn it over and look closely,” Dustin said. Justin chuckled and then flipped the token over. What he saw was a golden dragon with five claws. Suddenly, Justin’s smile froze, and his eyes widened in shock. He stared at the token in disbelief. After studying it closely, his hand started to tremble. This token was something every soldier with some rank in the military knew about. “T-The Dragon Warlord Token!” Justin’s eyes widened. He never expected Dustin to have something like this! It was the Dragon Warlord Token! For the soldiers of Lovellia, the Dragon
“Justin! Are you okay, Justin?” Luna was really scared. She kept shaking Justin and crying out for him. “You’re asking for trouble!” Several of Justin’s soldiers rushed into the living room and aimed their rifles at Dustin. “Shoot, and you’ll regret it!” Dustin said indifferently. For some reason, the soldiers, who had fought battles and killed enemies before, felt nervous under Dustin’s intense stare. Their hands holding the rifles trembled. Just then, Luna managed to wake Justin up. He gasped, opened his eyes, and looked shocked. When he fought Dustin earlier, he was confident, but when their fists collided, his expression changed. The strength Dustin had was much greater than his, and it was overwhelming. He lost instantly, without even a chance to fight back. Dustin’s incredible power left him stunned. Justin, who had always been a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, had never met someone his age who could completely overpower him in strength and p
Dustin stayed where he was. Simone calmly stayed by his side. David and Monique were worried but did not do anything. They just nervously stayed where they were. Soon, the main family members walked in while surrounding a young man in a military uniform. He walked confidently, and despite his youth, he had an intimidating presence. His sharp gaze made others uncomfortable. Luna proudly linked her arm with his. Having such a promising boyfriend made her look good and gave her a lot of influence in the Langley family. Once they entered, Luna’s expression quickly changed. She angrily pointed at Dustin and complained to Justin. “Justin, he slapped me, twice! Look at my face! It almost scarred me!” she said pitifully and showed Justin her sore cheeks. Justin looked at her face and frowned. “Did you slap her?” he asked Dustin. “I did,” Dustin said calmly. Justin suddenly smiled. “You’re brave,” he said in praise. “You dared to hit Luna, my girlfriend. I like that
“Talking big, are you?” The main family members were furious when they heard Dustin’s words. Handing over the position of the patriarch in two weeks? Why was he so confident? Did he think the main family had no power? “Young man, just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you can cause trouble here. Do you think that’s enough to control us? You’re dreaming!” Conan said coldly. “Being strong doesn’t necessarily mean you have power. There are many things in this world that you need to think about!” A simple fighter thinking he could challenge the Langley family? They all thought Dustin was naive and arrogant. “You don’t want to give us the box, huh? Fine! Soon, I’ll make you beg us to accept it,” said Dustin indifferently and ignored Conan’s threat. With that, he turned to leave with Simone and her parents. “Stop!” Luna, who was lying on the floor, suddenly jumped up. Her hair was messy, and she looked scary. “You slapped me twice, and now you want to leave? Not until
The main family was powerful, and it was hard for the branch family to compete because they were much weaker. David did not want to cause any conflict or stir up trouble. Just as David was about to stop Dustin, Simone held him back. “Dad, things have come to this. We should trust Dustin,” Simone said softly. “The main family is being unreasonable. Why should we still be respectful?” David looked resigned. “Simone, it’s not that I don’t trust Dustin, but we can’t win against them.” “Dad, I believe in him. He’s never let me down.” Simone smiled. David paused, then fell silent. At this moment, the Langley family finally understood what Dustin had said and started laughing. “This is ridiculous! You want to fight for the position of the patriarch of this family? Who do you think you are?” one of the main family members said mockingly. A young woman who was moderately beautiful laughed the hardest. Her gaze was full of disdain. “Who do you think you are? How could you e