“Dahlia! Did this bastard feed you a love potion? How can you believe him?” Florence was both furious and shocked. She couldn’t believe her daughter had turned into such a shameful woman. She was ignoring her brother’s death for the sake of a wretched man. She was even defending the killer. It was foolish behavior!
“I believe him because there are indeed questionable circumstances surrounding James’ death. I don’t wish to unjustly accuse a good man,” Dahlia explained.
“A good man, my fucking ass! You can tell he’s a wretched person just by how obnoxious and cunning he is! I must hand him over to the authorities today!” Florence was unyielding, shouting, and ready to act.
“Mom, can you calm down?” Dahlia stood in front of her mom, trying to stop her.
Florence was enraged and tried to push her daughter aside. “Get out of my way!”
The result was the same, as Dahlia stood her ground. In the end, the two started pushing each
other.
“Mom, listen to me. This situation-” Before Dahlia could continue, an enraged Florence delivered. a heavy slap across her face.
“Dahlia! What the hell are you doing? James had just passed away, and here you are defending the murderer? Don’t you have a conscience? James is your brother! What kind of a sister are you?” Florence fumed with rage as she screamed. Throughout her life, she had never laid a hand on her daughter until today.
“Florence, you can scold her and be mad all you want, but it’s a little inappropriate to hit your child.” Realizing that the situation was getting out of hand, Victoria tried to calm the situation.” Dahlia, you’re in the wrong too. How can you fight your mother for the sake of an outsider?”
“That’s right, Dahlia. Stop being stubborn and step aside.” Julie reasoned as well.
Dahlia kept her composure even as her cheek burned Calmly, she told her mother, “Mom, can you believe me this once? Give Dustin a chance to prove his innocence; I’m begging you.”
“You-!” Florence was frustrated at Dahlia’s behavior and was about to strike her again, but ultimately, she was unable to bring herself to do it. She knew her daughter’s personality well. It was hard to change her mind once she had made a decision.
Dustin finally spoke up. “Give me five days. I’ll definitely catch the murderer within five days. Otherwise, you can do whatever you want with me.” His words were resolute.
“Fine, I’ll give you a chance! Let’s see what tricks you can come up with!” Florence suppressed her anger and turned to Dahlia before saying, “As for you, you’re going to regret going against us for that bastard someday!” And with that, Florence left, irritated.
“Rhys, you have five days! I’ll be sending someone to tail you!” After a final threat, Julie and her
mother followed Florence out the door.
“I’m sorry for putting you through that.” Noticing her slightly swollen cheek, Dustin felt a pang of guilt Florence hadn’t held back earlier.
“It’s nothing.” Dahlia shook her head slightly. “Your main priority now is to find the murderer. Otherwise, my mom will never let you off the hook,
“I understand; I’ll take care of it right away.” Dustin nodded and left soon after.
The only reason he was searching for the murderer was to clear his name. However, he was now driven by a personal grudge, and it was poised to be deadly.
