Surviving In This Filthy World As A Novel Villain - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Backstabbing?

“Cancel all incoming raw material shipments!” Ethan shouted over his phone, his tone sharpened and loud. “I don’t care what deals we made—I don’t want a single extra shipment entering this facility!”

Then he turned to the production team.

“Shut down all machinery. Right now.”

The factory went silent.

The constant hum of production disappeared, leaving only a thick, suffocating tension in the air.

The workers exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what had just happened.

And then… A loud, booming voice echoed across the factory floor.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Ethan turned just in time to see Harold Winters, one of the company’s biggest investors, storming toward him.

The man’s expression was a mix of frustration and disbelief as he took in the halted production lines and confused workers.

He stopped in front of Ethan, his eyes burning with anger.

“Ethan, what the hell are you doing?! We’re supposed to be ramping up production, not shutting it down!”

Ethan took a deep breath and then said to Harold.

“Harold, listen to me. We have to stop. Right now.”

Harold’s brows furrowed deeply.

“Stop? Are you out of your damn mind? We’ve already invested millions into this operation! Do you have any idea what shutting down now will cost us?!” Ethan held his ground.

“Harold, we’ve been set up.”

Harold scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Oh, really? By who?”

Ethan’s expression turned ice-cold.

“Alex Reid..”

Harold froze for a second. But then his frustration boiled over again.

“Alex? What the hell could he possibly do?”

Ethan’s voice was calm but sharp.

“He has a better version of our drug. It’s not just more effective—it’s significantly cheaper.”

Harold’s eyes twitched as he processed that information.

Ethan continued, his tone dead serious.

“If we launch our product now, we’ll be dead before we even have a chance. We need to stop while we still can.”

A heavy silence settled over them. Then… Harold exploded.

“STOP?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” His voice shook the factory walls, making several workers flinch.

“Do you take me for a fool, Ethan?! We have a drug that works! A drug that can dominate the market! And now you’re telling me it’s all some elaborate trap?” Harold took a threatening step forward, his face twisted with rage.

“Or maybe… you just want to take the profits for yourself.” Ethan’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Are you seriously accusing me of that?”

Harold laughed coldly.

“What else am I supposed to think? You suddenly halt production, cancel shipments, and now you’re telling me this is all some grand scheme?” He leaned in, his voice low and accusing.

“Tell me, Ethan… are you screwing me over?”

The air grew heavy. The tension between them was like a bomb waiting to explode. Ethan exhaled slowly, his voice deadly calm.

Ethan Carter felt his face burn with humiliation. Harold Winters was pointing a finger directly at his face, his booming voice echoing across the factory floor.

The older man’s rage was palpable, his chest rising and falling with each angry breath.

Ethan clenched his fists.

As the protagonist of this story, he Should had never been humiliated like this before, but ut was changed way before.

But now wasn’t the time to fight back. Not yet. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to remain calm. His voice was steady, but his eyes held urgency.

“Mr. Harold, please, you have to trust me. I swear on everything, I’m not lying to you.”

Harold’s face twisted in disbelief, but Ethan pressed on.

“Reid Industries has created a superior version of our scar-removal drug. Not only is it more effective than ours, but it’s also significantly cheaper. There’s no way we can compete with them.”

Ethan’s tone became more desperate.

“If we continue pouring money into production, it’ll be like throwing our investment straight into the trash!”

Harold narrowed his eyes. There was a brief pause, but only for a moment.

Then… Harold scoffed. A sharp, mocking sound filled with disbelief.

“Reid Industries also has a scar-removal drug?” He folded his arms. “Alright then, show me. Where is it? Where did you even get it from?”

Ethan stiffened. For the first time, he was caught off guard. His mouth opened and closed before he finally spoke.

“Uh—well—” He quickly searched for the right words. “I got it from Waters Alex butler earlier. There was only a small amount, and I already used it to test the effects.”

Ethan lifted his hand, showing his index finger.

“Mr. Harold, look! I just cut myself earlier, but after applying the the cream that I got from him earlier—” He wiggled his finger.

“Not even a single scar remains!” His voice was full of earnest conviction. His expression was completely serious. And yet, Harold only got angrier.

His jaw clenched. His face darkened with suspicion. Then, his voice exploded like a cannon.

“BULLSHIT!”

Ethan flinched. But Harold wasn’t done.

“You think I’m an idiot?! Where’s the damn scar, huh? I don’t see a damn thing!” Harold stepped forward, his voice sharp with fury.

“You think you can play me, boy? You think I’m some gullible old man you can just fool with a few words?!”

Ethan felt his throat go dry.

“No! Mr. Harold, I swear it’s real! You have to believe me! I really did have a wound, and after using the drug—” Just as Ethan was explaining to Harold everything in a hurry, Harold’s angry voice cut him off completely.

“BELIEVE MY ASS!” Harold cut him off with a furious roar. His eyes were wild with rage, his veins popping from his forehead.

“Do you think I was born yesterday?! I could cover my whole body with our current cream, and I STILL wouldn’t get those results! And you expect me to believe some miracle drug can erase scars INSTANTLY?!”

His hands balled into tight, shaking fists. And then… His voice dropped to a dangerous low.

“Listen to me, Ethan… Carter. I don’t care what tricks you’re playing, but I’ll warn you right now—” Harold took another step forward, his glare like a knife pressing against Ethan’s throat.

“This is my last investment. Every damn cent I have is in this project.” His eyes burned with desperation and fury. “If this project fails—” His voice turned chilling. “I don’t care if I have to die. I’ll make sure you go down with me.”

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

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