Surviving In This Filthy World As A Novel Villain

So, even though Eric's letter painted a miserable picture – claiming his butt was sewn up, then ripped open, then sewn again by five idiot doctors, and that his 'little brother' suffered massive tissue death and could never rise again... it sounded absolutely dreadful.

But Otis wasn't worried in the slightest.

He knew Eric was panicking, but he himself wasn't.

Take away all the dramatic language, and the actual injuries were probably nothing major. Maybe just some small bumps and bruises.

"Another City, is it? It seems I need to pay a visit myself."

Otis's eyes sharpened, then held a hint of disdain. "Years ago, I traveled through Another City. Back then, I happened to save a few people on the brink of death. All of them were leaders of powerful, well-established families and forces. But I've never heard of any Reid family. Must be some nouveau riche family that just sprang up recently, I suppose."

He'd saved countless heads of major families and powerful groups. A mere second-generation kid from some new-money family naturally didn't register on his radar.

If this were the old days, he wouldn't even glance at such 'new money,' let alone offer his medical help. People like that weren't qualified for his attention.

Their status was far too low.

But now, for the sake of his precious, bullied student, he'd have to make an exception and meet this arrogant rich kid.

"Ha!"

Hearing Otis's words, Dawson Head froze, and then his expression changed dramatically. "Benefactor, you mustn't be careless! Reid..."

However, Otis didn't give him a chance to speak, cutting him off with a wave of his hand. His tone left no room for argument.

"I will personally go to City. In a few days, I will bring my student back. When that time comes, your Dawson Family just needs to be ready to fulfill the marriage agreement."

With that said, he was already walking out of the main hall. Soon, his figure disappeared down the end of the corridor.

Dawson Head was left wanting to warn him but unable to get a word in. His mouth hung open slightly, frozen mid-air, before he let out a long sigh.

"Sigh! Benefactor, you are too reckless."

While he had people following Eric Vaughn, he had also ordered an investigation into Alex's background.

At first, he thought Alex was just an ordinary rich kid, or perhaps a self-made millionaire with good business sense.

But the little information they managed to dig up nearly made him collapse in fear. It was terrifying.

That man was not someone the Dawson Family could afford to provoke, nor someone they could even investigate properly.

He immediately called off the investigation into Alex's background.

He had just wanted to share this information with his benefactor, but Otis hadn't given him the chance.

Only after Otis's figure completely vanished did the Dawson Family members finally relax and find places to sit down.

Only Ashley's eyes flickered with thought. She quickly walked over to help Dawson Head sit down, asking curiously, "Dad, is this person really that scary? Our Family has been a top-tier family in the City for years, with deep roots. Do we really need to be so afraid of a frail-looking old man?"

The Dawson Family was a well-known major family not just in City, but across the country. Their businesses spanned multiple industries, covering a wide range.

"You didn't live through that era. You don't understand."

Dawson Head looked troubled. Seeing the disbelief in his daughter's eyes, he explained, "It's true that Eric Vaughn is useless. But this man is a genuine real Miracle Doctor. Back in the day, he traveled the world, saving people wherever he went. Anyone he treated, no matter their illness, was cured without fail. The patients he saved are spread all across the country. Although he never charged money for his treatments, the debt of saving a life is worth thousands, even tens of thousands of times more than gold."

He sighed again, looking completely bewildered. "I just don't understand how such a legendary figure could raise such a complete failure of a student."

They say dragons raise dragons, and phoenixes raise phoenixes. Even though Eric wasn't Otis's biological son, a student is like half a son, especially one taught personally by his side. That kind of attention is even more than most sons get.

Logically, Eric Vaughn shouldn't be so useless.

But... the reality was undeniable.

Dawson Head found it incredible. In all his long years, he had never seen such a bizarrely useless person as Eric Vaughn.

Hearing his father's firm confirmation, the Dawson Family head (Ashley's brother) nodded thoughtfully, his eyes flickering, but didn't say anything.

So, Otis is a real real Miracle Doctor, but ultimately, he's still just a doctor.

And things aren't like they were decades ago.

Times have changed.

With Otis gone, Dawson Head dismissed the gathered family members.

After leaving, Ashley was about to contact Alex to warn him that Eric Vaughn's real Miracle Doctor master was coming down the mountain for revenge. But before she could even get back to her room, a small, pale hand grabbed the corner of her clothes.

Ashley turned around, puzzled, and smiled when she saw who it was. "Clara? You didn't leave with your dad?"

Right now, Clara's face was pale, and her whole body was trembling. She clutched her aunt's clothes tightly, her voice choked with tears. "Auntie, I don't want to marry that psycho!"

She had clearly heard what Otis said before leaving – that when he brought that psycho back, she would have to fulfill the marriage agreement.

When that happened, she might really have to marry a lunatic.

No, no, no, absolutely not!

….

At this moment, in the entire Dawson Family, the only person Clara trusted was her aunt, Ashley.

Grandpa was dead set on marrying her off to that psycho. Her parents didn't dare disobey Grandpa's orders. The only one in the family who might still help her was her aunt... Though young, Clara was smart and could read the situation clearly.

Looking at her pitiful niece, Ashley remained silent for a long moment, then pulled her into a room and locked the door.

"You saw how your grandfather treated that real Miracle Doctor. If you keep insisting on not marrying Eric Vaughn, you'll probably make your grandfather furious."

"Auntie, I'm not afraid! I'd rather die than marry a psycho!" The young girl was on the verge of a breakdown. Especially after having a glimmer of hope, only to have it snuffed out again, the feeling of despair was almost suffocating.

Clara buried her face in her aunt's chest and sobbed loudly. After crying for a while, something suddenly occurred to her.

She lifted her head, resting her chin gently against her aunt's soft bosom. "Auntie, didn't you say that if I had a husband, Grandpa couldn't force me to marry that psycho anymore?"

Ashley nodded slowly.

That had indeed been her plan – to introduce Alex to her young niece. But Otis's sudden arrival had completely disrupted everything.

There wasn't enough time now.

The urgent thing was to warn Alex about Otis. There was definitely no time for Alex to come to City to meet her niece.

"It's too late," she said, her voice tinged with bitterness.

"Huh?"

Clara immediately panicked, rubbing her chin frantically against her aunt's chest, tears streaming down her face again. "What do you mean it's too late? Auntie, don't scare me!"

That was her last hope.

Ever since her aunt told her she would introduce her to someone and arrange a meeting with that man, Clara had been secretly happy for quite some time.

But... she had celebrated too soon.

Right now, as long as she didn't have to marry a psycho, she'd be willing to marry anyone else.

"The person Otis wants revenge against is Alex. The boyfriend I picked out for you is also named Alex. They're the same person," Ashley explained, shifting slightly to move her chest away from her niece's agitated chin.

She sighed.

"The reason I said I wanted to introduce Alex to you was because after he heard about your situation, his sense of justice flared up. That's why he started intentionally targeting Eric Vaughn, subtly or not."

"Ah?" The inexperienced young woman was completely baffled, easily fooled by her own aunt.

Ashley felt helpless too. She didn't want to lie to her niece, but one lie often required countless others to cover it up.

She couldn't think of any other reason to explain why Alex would deliberately go after Eric Vaughn. She certainly couldn't tell her it was because Eric was hitting on Alex's woman!

My dear niece, I'm doing this for the Dawson Family. Please don't blame your aunt... Ashley stroked her niece's head, feeling a pang of pity.

"My original plan was to invite Alex to City in a few days. But now, I'm afraid he won't have time to come here and meet you," Ashley revealed her plan. There was no point hiding it anymore.

"Ah!"

Hearing this, Clara's disappointment was visible. She slumped to the floor, the light draining from her eyes.