Dustin had declared himself Natasha’s husband, and Gilbert noticed that she didn’t contradict him. She gazed at Dustin with a softness he had never witnessed before. Rage surged through him, making his entire body tremble.
“You fucking want to die?” Gilbert roared and swung his fist, all pretense of civility abandoned. “Don’t you dare!” she snapped, her expression turning icy.
“Natasha, what’s so great about this little boy toy? How am I any worse than him? I’ve been nothing but devoted to you,” Gilbert said, his expression turning sour.
“Cut the crap and get out,” she said impatiently.
“You…” Gilbert choked on his words, then redirected his fury toward Dustin. “You got the guts to fight me one-on-one? Or are you just going to hide behind a woman like a coward?”
“One-on-one?” Dustin’s lips curved into a faint smile. He found this amusing
“What’s wrong? Scared?” Gilbert sneered. ”
If you don’t have the balls to fight, then get on your knees and apologize. Admit you’re a coward, and maybe I’ll let you off easy.”
Dustin nodded with a smile. “You’re right. I am scared.”
“Huh?” Gilbert froze, looking even more contemptuous.
Before he could say anything sarcastic, Dustin continued in an unhurried tone, I’m afraid I might accidentally kill you.”
“You son of a bitch!” Gilbert exploded. Rage consumed whatever reason he had left. Without another word, his fist shot straight toward Dustin’s face.
When the punch was inches from his nose, Dustin reacted. He didn’t do any flashy technique and simply raised his right hand in what seemed like a casual motion, but it was lightning fast.
A sharp, resounding slap landed squarely on Gilbert’s face. The sound echoed through the entire office.
Gilbert felt an irresistible force hit him.
Half his face went numb, his ears buzzed, and sparks burst across his vision while he staggered and spun halfway around. A moment later, he dropped to the floor with a heavy thud and went out cold.
The office fell silent.
Security guards and the secretary who’d just rushed in stood gaping at the scene. The slap itself wasn’t what shocked them, but it was the man on the receiving end.
Gilbert was a direct descendant of the ancient Chandler family. Striking someone of his status and background was tantamount to courting death. However, Natasha didn’t see it that way. Instead, she felt nothing but satisfaction.
With Dustin’s background and capabilities, putting Gilbert in his place meant nothing. As long as he didn’t kill Gilbert, there wouldn’t be a problem.
Several seconds passed before Gilbert’s body twitched. He jolted awake from his momentary blackout. The searing pain on his face and the taste of blood in his mouth brought the humiliation flooding back.
He screamed, “I’m gonna kill you!”
The humiliation and agony pushed him over the edge. He scrambled up from the floor, eyes bloodshot, and pulled a knife from behind his back. With a roar, he lunged at Dustin, aiming for his abdomen.
“Watch out!” Natasha shouted.
Dustin’s gaze turned cold. He had only meant to teach Gilbert a lesson, but the man actually dared to strike with a knife and aimed straight for his vital spot. That was clearly a murder attempt.
In that case, Dustin had no reason to hold back. As the knife thrust toward him, he sidestepped. His movement was barely visible as he slipped away from the strike. At the same time, his right hand shot out and clamped onto Gilbert’s wrist in a crushing grip.
The sound of bone snapping echoed through the room.
“My hand!” Gilbert let out a bloodcurdling scream. The knife clattered to the floor as his wrist bent at an unnatural angle. Dustin had snapped it cleanly. Without a word, he kicked Gilbert’s abdomen.
Gilbert flew backward, slammed into the office wall, then slid down to the floor. He curled into a ball, tears and snot streaming down his face as he gasped for air. The pain was too much for him that he couldn’t even scream.
“Get out,” Dustin said flatly. Gilbert stared at Dustin, a mix of terror and hatred in his eyes. His face had gone pale, and sweat poured down his temples while he struggled to speak through clenched teeth.
“Just… Just you wait! Natasha, and you, boy toy. You’d better watch your backs. I swear I’ll make you pay for this. My family … will never let this slide.”
With that, he pushed himself up with his uninjured hand and scrambled out of the office, stumbling as he went. He didn’t even bother to pick up the knife he’d dropped on the floor.
