Surviving In This Filthy World As A Novel Villain

"I was in the middle of thanking someone…" Liam said in a microphone while looking at him and clearly displeased as someone had just interrupted him at the most important moment.

"So why did you stand up?"

Ethan froze at those words. His brain stalled for half a second, his body stiffening as if his muscles had suddenly locked up.

"…Huh?" He blinked, as if he had misheard. A strange silence settled over the hall. No one spoke. No one even breathed. For a moment, it was as if the entire world had paused.

Then… Lily spoke as he heard the most absurd thing in the world "What do you mean?" Lily’s voice broke the silence. She frowned, confusion and slight annoyance flashing across her face as she turned toward Liam.

"Isn’t the person you’re thanking Ethan?" she asked, her tone growing more assertive.

"He gave you Hundred and Fifty million to fund your research! That money made all of this possible! If it weren’t for that investment, would you have ever been able to develop retinal-iris technology?"

She folded her arms, her stance firm—completely convinced that she was right.

Ethan still didn’t speak, but his expression showed the same confusion. Something wasn’t adding up.

Liam let out a quiet chuckle.

"You two…" he said, shaking his head, "are hilarious." His voice was calm, but there was a sharpness to it, like a blade hidden beneath silk.

"Yes, you invested Hundred and Fifty million. That’s a fact. But let’s not forget something important—we signed a contract." His gaze locked onto Ethan’s, unshaken and unwavering.

"Everything was written in black and white clearly. You provided funding, and in return, you get dividends if the company makes a profit."

Liam stopped as to let them get the words fully in their brain to understand and then spoke again.

"If we failed, you would’ve had to accept the loss. That’s how investments work." His words weren’t just factual. They carried facts. A reminder to what they had signed on.

Ethan’s expression stiffened. Something wasn’t right. Something felt off. His instincts told him this situation was slipping out of his control.

Without even looking at her, he raised a hand, silently signaling Lily to stop talking. The last thing he needed was her making this worse.

He took a slow breath, keeping his voice calm and measured.

"Alright…" Ethan said, choosing his words carefully. "Let’s assume you’re right. Our contract is just a standard investment agreement. But now that your company has successfully developed retinal-iris technology…" He leaned forward slightly, his tone still composed, but his gaze sharp.

"Shouldn’t we be entitled to a fair share of the profits based on our dividend percentage?"

"No, no, no—Mr. Ethan! I think you might have misunderstood something." Liam Jensen’s voice remained calm, but there was a subtle weight to his words.

He lifted a hand slightly, as if trying to pacify the situation before it could spiral out of control. The entire hall was watching, and tension was shpwing clearly on everyone’s face and mostly on Ethan’s face.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at him, sensing that something was definitely off. But before he could say anything, Liam continued speaking.

"Perhaps I didn’t explain this clearly enough earlier," he said, keeping his tone measured. "Yes, our company did develop the retinal-iris technology. That much is true."

He paused for a brief moment, letting the words sink in before delivering the next blow.

"But the patent? It doesn’t belong to us." Ethan’s brows furrowed slightly, but Liam wasn’t done yet.

"And as for the final profits from this technology?" Liam added, tilting his head slightly, his expression still calm. "They have nothing to do with us, either."

The moment those words landed, Ethan’s entire body went rigid. His heartbeat slammed against his ribs. His pupils shrank slightly as his mind rapidly processed what had just been said.

"What?!" Then—A chill ran down his spine as a terrifying thought took hold. His expression changed instantly, the confidence he had been exuding just moments ago vanishing in an instant.

"…What did you just say?" His voice was lower now, and despite how hard he tried to control it, there was a slight tremor underneath.

"I don’t think I heard that right," Ethan said, forcing out a strained chuckle as if trying to convince himself that he had simply misunderstood.

"You’re telling me that I invested Hundred and Fifty million into your company… but you don’t own the patent?" His voice carried a sharp edge now, his usual composure starting to crack.

Liam didn’t react to the rising aggression in Ethan’s voice. He remained as calm as ever, standing there like an immovable mountain.

"Yes," he replied simply.

Ethan took a step forward, his movements no longer relaxed. His fingers twitched slightly as if resisting the urge to grab Liam by the collar.

"If that’s really the case…" he continued, his tone turning ice-cold, "then what the hell was my Hundred and Fifty million for?" His jaw clenched, and his breathing became slightly heavier.

’His!?" Liam thought, ’it was clearly Mr. Alex’s money which he sent to his half sister to study and live abroad and this… man is saying his money?’

Liam couldn’t help but feel somewhat angry at tge thought that such a foolish person can even exist. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Are you telling me that I just threw Hundred and Fifty million into thin air?" His voice was rising now, his emotions barely restrained.

"Did I just fund your research and development for free?" His fingers curled into fists at his sides.

"Like some kind of… charity sponsor?" He could feel a wave of heat surging through his chest, a mix of anger, disbelief, and something far worse—humiliation.

"No dividends?" he pressed further, his voice growing colder by the second.

"No profits?" His entire body felt like it was on the verge of boiling over.

"Mr. Liam…" Ethan’s lips twisted into a forced smile, but his eyes were anything but friendly.

"You’re joking… right?" His words were slow, deliberate, as if giving Liam one last chance to say that this was all just some terrible misunderstanding.

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(A/N: Next Chapter Soon! Some Golden tickets guys!!!)

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