An Understated Dominance Novel (Dahlia & Dustin) by Marina Vittori updated 2025-26 - An Understated Dominance Chapter 2733

Chapter 2733

Over the next few days, the crisis engulfing Dash Corporation showed no immediate signs of easing, even after Dahlia’s explanation.

Although Natasha had temporarily halted direct retaliation, tension still hung over the commercial battlefield like smoke that refused to clear.

Most customers and suppliers affected by the turmoil chose to wait and see, as if some unseen hand were quietly guiding events from behind the scenes.

Natasha mobilized every resource available to the Ballard family and launched a counter-investigation.

She didn’t believe in perfect conspiracies. Anyone bold enough to impersonate Prince Mosey’s influence was bound to leave traces behind.

At the same time, she increased the frequency of information sharing with Dahlia.

Though misunderstandings still lingered between them, fragile cooperation became unavoidable when facing an enemy lurking in the shadows.

Under Natasha’s firm insistence, Dustin began living a relatively calm and restrained life.

Having lost all his cultivation, he now felt the fragility and limits of ordinary mortals more deeply than ever before.

Yet from another perspective, it was a rare experience.

Setting aside his identity as someone extraordinary, he was finally able to experience the rhythm of the city from the viewpoint of an average person.

That afternoon, the sunlight was bright and warm.

Dustin went for a walk alone in a large city park not far from the villa district.

Lush trees cast cool shade. The artificial lake shimmered with clear blue ripples. Everywhere, people relaxed and enjoyed themselves.

Middle-aged women danced in the plaza. Young parents played with their children. Students read quietly on benches. Vendors lined the paths, selling snacks.

The park buzzed with life—loud, vibrant, and unmistakably real.

Dressed in simple casual clothes, Dustin strolled along the lakeside path with his hands in his pockets.

He felt the warmth of the sun on his skin, smelled fresh grass and trees mixed with aromas drifting from food stalls, and heard layers of laughter, chatter, and music overlapping around him.

Being fully immersed in such ordinary daily life felt unfamiliar—yet strangely refreshing.

His gaze moved calmly across the crowd, observing their joys and frustrations without judgment.

As he neared an open lawn, two figures caught his attention.

They stood out sharply from the surrounding crowd.

The man looked around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with handsome features and an ancient, restrained aura that didn’t match his age. He wore a dark blue, modified traditional long gown with a front opening. The fabric was clearly high quality, faintly gleaming in the sunlight.

Strapped to his back was a long, narrow object wrapped in aged cloth—unmistakably shaped like a sword.

The woman beside him appeared no older than twenty. Her beauty was striking, almost ethereal, as though untouched by worldly dust.

She wore a moon-white, wide-sleeved flowing dress embroidered with delicate silver patterns along the hem. Her long hair was secured with a simple jade hairpin, loose strands framing her temples.

In a park filled with T-shirts, jeans, and sportswear, the two looked as though they had stepped straight out of an ancient costume drama.

But what sharpened Dustin’s focus wasn’t just their unusual appearance.

Though his consciousness lay dormant and his cultivation was gone—leaving him unable to sense spiritual energy—his instincts, honed through countless battles and brushes with death, sounded a quiet warning.

These two were not ordinary.

The man’s steps appeared casual, yet each one carried perfect balance and precision, as if he were seamlessly merged with his surroundings—yet ready to break away and strike at any moment.

The woman, meanwhile, held a pink cotton candy that looked almost comical in her refined hands. She licked it slowly, her satisfied smile softening her features and lending her an unexpectedly sweet charm.

But when her eyes swept over the surroundings, a faint indifference flickered within them—as though she were observing all living beings from a higher vantage point.

They were Hayden and Corinne.

Corinne seemed fascinated by everything in the park, especially the snacks.

After finishing her cotton candy, she darted toward a sugar painting stall, watching the vendor skillfully shape birds and animals from molten syrup. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Hayden followed half a step behind, his expression calm as he took in the scenery. He paid no attention to the curious stares, whispered comments, or pointing fingers around them, as if an invisible barrier separated him from the noise of the world.

“Brother, this is so interesting!”

Holding up a freshly made sugar-painted phoenix, Corinne turned to Hayden with a bright smile. In that moment, she truly looked like an innocent young girl enjoying a carefree outing.

Hayden smiled faintly, a trace of indulgence in his eyes. “I’m glad you like it. Even though spiritual energy is scarce in the mortal world, these little things have their own charm.”

They continued walking, Corinne admiring the sugar painting while glancing around with lively curiosity.

As she rounded a corner, her attention was drawn to a group of young people performing street dance routines. Distracted, she failed to notice a couple approaching from the opposite direction.

“Oops!”

The collision knocked her off balance.

Corinne fell to the ground, the sugar painting slipping from her hand along with the empty cotton candy stick.

The phoenix-shaped sugar painting shattered the instant it hit the pavement.

The man who had bumped into her wore trendy clothes and earrings, one arm wrapped around a stylish woman with heavy makeup.

He staggered slightly, then frowned, his eyes sweeping over Corinne’s unusual outfit with open disdain.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” he snapped aggressively, showing no intention of apologizing.

His companion glanced at the broken sugar painting and sneered. “Dressed like that—it’s creepy. Don’t you have any manners? You’re the one who ran into someone. Don’t you know how to apologize?”