An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

Austin smiled brightly as he ushered Jovian into the meeting room with surprising enthusiasm.

Jovian looked confused and somewhat unprepared. Before entering, he had already imagined many possible scenarios for their meeting.

He had mentally prepared for a range of reactions from Austin-whether he would be ignored, faced with cold indifference, or dealt with arrogance. He was ready for any of those. After all, the rumors about Austin painted him as a “hellraiser” who did whatever he pleased.

But, to his surprise, Austin didn’t give him any trouble at all. Instead, he was giving him a warm reception, which left him utterly confused.

Something felt off. He couldn’t make sense of Austin’s sudden warmth, and he had no idea what game he was playing.

“Bring the tea!” After inviting Jovian to sit, Austin gestured for the attendant to serve the tea.

The drink was a rare specialty from West Lucozia, a premium elixir tea not sold to the public but reserved for high-ranking officials. Its black market value was nearly a million per ounce, and demand far outstripped supply.

Compared to the tea Boston had been served earlier, the quality of this one was on a whole other level.

Once the tea was brewed, a rich, fragrant aroma filled the air and quickly spread throughout the meeting room. Just a single breath of it was enough to leave anyone feeling refreshed and alert.

Though Jovian wasn’t particularly fond of tea, he knew enough to recognize its quality, and this was clearly no ordinary brew. Austin’s attention to detail in offering such tea showed how much he valued this meeting.

I’ve heard so much about you. I’ve always looked up to you as a role model and

no time, immediately heaping on the compliments. After all, Dustin had personally instructed him to handle this

unexpected, Jovian still maintained a polite smile. “Your Highness, you flatter me. I’m just

three heroes of the Ballard family? The eldest in politics, the second

elite troops to wipe out 3,000 rebels in Mount Cloudcrest. That feat made waves

raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Oh? I didn’t expect you to know about

was just being polite with the usual

one of Jovian’s few

your accomplishments, but I’m certainly familiar with

already used

hadn’t accomplished much in his life. Aside from the Mount Cloudcrest counterinsurgency operation, there wasn’t

was so pleased with the compliments that his face was filled with pride that

the Ballard family name to open doors. But today, his charm and charisma had won Austin’s admiration. If word of this

like you. Having someone like Mr. Jovian

to ear. He was practically charmed out of his skin. “You flatter me,

a hellraiser?

you stay with us for a while? Let’s have a drink tonight,”