Eric Vaughn was full of fighting spirit. He clenched his fists, stood up, and patted off the dirt stuck to his clothes. With his head held high, he strode confidently toward the gathered crowd.
“Step aside, all of you! I’m a doctor, and I’m here to… save a life.”
The people forming a circle instinctively parted, creating a passage for him. Eric walked in with his head held high, stepping into the center of the crowd.
Lying on the ground was an elderly man with graying hair, his eyes shut tight as he lay unconscious. His breathing was growing weaker by the second, he looked as though he was on the verge of death.
“A doctor? Who’s the doctor? Where is he?”
The middle-aged man kneeling beside the old man sprang to his feet at the mention of a doctor. He looked around anxiously, but after scanning the crowd, he saw no one who fit the part.
Eric Vaughn stepped forward confidently. “No need to look around—I’m the doctor.”
“You?” The middle-aged man’s expression darkened as he took in Eric’s disheveled appearance, his tattered clothes made him look no better than a beggar.
Since when could just anyone claim to be a doctor? Were his thoughts with some other lines.
Eric smiled, undeterred. “That’s right. And I’m the one who can save him.”
The middle-aged man’s face hardened. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, “Listen, kid, get out of my sight before I lose my patience. Otherwise, I promise you’ll regret even thinking of such a joke… there’s a life at stake here..”
If this had been any other day, he wouldn’t have bothered with a madman joking around in front of him. He had always been a tolerant person, he wouldn’t usually argue with someone who was clearly not in their right mind.
But today was different. His father had collapsed suddenly in the middle of the street, his life hanging by a thread.
And now, of all times, some clueless idiot was trying to pull a stunt? Did they really think he had no temper?
A balding man wearing glasses reached out to grab Eric’s arm, his expression one of deep displeasure. “Hey kid, this is not the time to mess around. A person’s life is at stake—don’t cause trouble.”
“That’s right, that’s right!” A plump middle-aged woman placed her hands on her hips and pulled a red banknote from her wallet. “You’re just here to beg for money, aren’t you? Fine, here—take it and leave. Don’t make a scene here.”
“And Someone quickly, call 911.”
A trendy-looking young man wearing oversized headphones waved his hand in irritation. “Just take the money and go. If you want to beg, do it somewhere else. If you mess around with the old man’s, can you take responsibility for that?”
“Daddy, I think this guy is crazy…” A little girl clung tightly to her father’s clothes, peeking out from behind him with wide, frightened eyes.
Eric Vaughn’s arrival had seemingly ignited the fury of the entire crowd.
Honestly, you couldn’t blame the onlookers for their reaction. No real doctor would dress like a beggar.
Eric Vaughn’s T-shirt was riddled with dirt and even some small holes like he hadn’t even bathed in weeks, his hair was a tangled mess, and he reeked of sweat and mildew—clearly, he hadn’t bathed in days… bathed it looked like he hadn’t even washed his face.
A guy dressed like this, claiming to be a doctor? For the onlookers If he didn’t looked like a beggar, he had to be a lunatic.
“Enough!”
Eric Vaughn’s furious shout cut through the noise. He jabbed a finger at the unconscious old man on the ground. “I’m the only one who can save him. If you waste any more time, you’ll be planning his funeral.”
Smack!
A sharp slap landed across his face before he could react. Eric was completely stunned. His cheek burned with pain, his mind momentarily blank.
“How dare you say such a thing about my father? Are you tired of living?” The middle-aged man let out a cold snort. “I’ve lived this long, and I’ve never met someone so desperate so shameless… saying anything for a few cents and for messing around.”
Eric’s words instantly ignited the crowd’s rage.
“Holy shit, I’ve never seen someone this shameless in my life! Just because we won’t let you ‘save’ him, you start cursing him to die? You’re a real piece of shit!”
“We already gave you a few dollars! What more do you want?”
“I swear, I wanna beat the crap out of this guy! Cursing someone’s father to die and that too in front of his son—he’s the one who deserves it!”
As the crowd erupted in fury, a well-dressed office worker suddenly spoke up. “Henry Wade? You the Henry Wade? The head of the Wade Family?”
The moment the name registered, gasps filled the air.
“The Wade Family… they’re the a well known family in the city! And Henry Wade—he’s the head of that family. He’s always been low-key and humble, barely ever shows up in public. This is the first time I’ve seen him in person!”
“That beggar is done for. He actually dared to curse the Wade Family’s head father? He is totalllly done for!”
The murmurs and hushed discussions filled the air.
Originally, Eric Vaughn had planned to throw his hands up and walk away with a dramatic motivational quote but when he heard that the man who just slapped him was none other than Henry Wade, the head of the Wade Family, his entire attitude shifted.
The Wade Family owed him a favor now.
And no one—not even god himself—was going to stop him from reedeming that favor.
A smirk crept onto Eric’s face. He could already see it: Wade family treating him like an honored guest, the Kleinberg Family drowning in regret.
This was his moment.
At the back of the crowd, a red expensive sports car was parked. Sitting casually on the hood was Alex, watching the scene unfold with amusement.