An Understated Dominance Novel (Dahlia & Dustin) by Marina Vittori updated 2025-26 - An Understated Dominance Chapter 2728

Chapter 2728

Grace withdrew her gaze from Adam and turned instead to Mateo—who was trembling uncontrollably—and to Hayes, whose face was drained of all color. Her voice was calm, firm, and absolute, carrying an authority that left no room for argument.

“Mateo and Hayes have openly disregarded the law,” she declared. “They gathered accomplices to commit violent acts, used weapons to injure others, interfered with official duties, and have a long history of misconduct. The evidence is irrefutable.”

Her tone hardened.

“They will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

Then she looked back at Adam, still kneeling on the ground, and delivered her final warning.

“Adam, if you want to blame anyone, blame your ‘good’ nephews—for doing what they should never have done, and for offending someone they should never have offended.”

She pronounced their fate clearly, each word landing like a hammer.

“Effective immediately, Mateo and Hayes are stripped of all privileges and status. They will be handed over to the judicial authorities for strict sentencing. From this day forward, they will spend the rest of their lives in prison—reflecting on their crimes.”

Life… in prison?!

Adam’s mind went blank. His face turned deathly gray as he collapsed onto the ground, completely unable to even beg.

He knew it was over.

Once the princess spoke, there was no appeal.

Mateo and Hayes were finished.

Worse still, the Spanner family had now left an indelible stain—not only in the princess’s eyes, but in the emperor’s as well.

“No! Uncle! Save me! Uncle—save me!”

Mateo finally snapped out of his paralyzing fear. Letting out a pig-like scream, he scrambled toward Adam, crawling desperately across the floor.

“I don’t want to go to prison! I don’t want to! Uncle—please!”

Hayes stood frozen in place, his face ashen, lips trembling. He wanted to speak, to plead, to explain—but not a single word would come out. Only endless fear and despair swallowed him whole.

“Take them away.”

Grace waved her hand, her expression indifferent.

The two men in black behind her—clearly from a special enforcement unit—stepped forward at once. They efficiently subdued the screaming Mateo and the stiff, unresisting Hayes, snapping specially made restraints onto their wrists.

“Uncle! Uncle, say something! Save me! I’m a descendant of the Spanner family!”

“Let me go! Do you know who I am?!”

“Your Highness! I was wrong! I really was wrong! Please forgive me—I’ll never do it again!”

Their cries, struggles, and desperate pleas echoed through the detention room, shrill and heartbreaking.

Adam remained kneeling on the ground, watching helplessly as his two nephews were dragged away like dead dogs. Their voices grew fainter and fainter, each scream cutting into his heart.

Yet he didn’t dare say a single word.

He didn’t even have the courage to look at Grace again.

He knew that from this moment on, Mateo and Hayes had fallen into a bottomless abyss—one they would never climb out of.

All because they had offended someone who appeared ordinary… but wasn’t.

When the black special vehicle parked outside finally disappeared into the darkness of the night, the cries stopped completely.

A suffocating silence descended over the police station.

Only a broken Adam—and Director Wang, who scarcely dared to breathe—remained.

After everything was settled, Grace took out her phone and dialed a number.

“It’s taken care of,” she said simply.

“Thank you,” Dustin’s voice replied from the other end.

“There’s no need to thank me,” Grace smiled. “If you ever need anything in the future, just come to me.”

“Alright. We’ll talk again,” Dustin said.

“Mhm.”

After hanging up, Grace frowned slightly.

When she had received Dustin’s call earlier, she had been genuinely surprised.

In her eyes, he was someone nearly omnipotent—capable of resolving almost any problem on his own.

She hadn’t understood why he would need her help at all.

Mateo and Hayes were insignificant compared to him. With a flick of his finger, he could have erased them completely.

Yet despite her confusion, she hadn’t asked any questions. She had immediately mobilized her intelligence network and crushed the matter with overwhelming force.

And exactly as Dustin requested—

The two were sentenced to life imprisonment.

…

After leaving the police station, Dustin and Natasha didn’t head straight home.

After receiving basic first aid at the hospital, they stopped at a roadside food stall for a late-night meal.

The stall was crowded, lively, and noisy. The air was thick with the irresistible scents of barbecue, stir-fried noodles, and spicy crayfish.

Natasha efficiently ordered a spread of grilled skewers, stir-fried rice noodles, and two bowls of chilled mung bean soup.

Resting her chin on her hand, she studied Dustin’s profile—slightly tired, yet calm and composed—and couldn’t help feeling both concern and curiosity.

“What does it mean that you’ve lost all your cultivation?” she asked softly. “Is it serious?”

Dustin picked up a sizzling mutton skewer, took a bite, and unconsciously narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.

“It’s not a bad thing,” he said calmly. “It’s a necessary stage before breaking through. You have to experience certain things to reach the next level. During this time, though, I can’t use any power.”

Natasha didn’t fully understand, but hearing him say it wasn’t dangerous eased her heart.

“Then eat more,” she said gently, handing him a fragrant chicken wing. “Take good care of yourself.”

Dustin smiled and raised another skewer, offering it to her lips.

Amid the bustling noise of the city, the two quietly enjoyed the warmth that came from surviving a disaster together. Their conversation was soft, unhurried, filled with an unexpected sense of peace.

Just then—

Natasha’s phone rang.

The moment she answered it, her expression changed completely.