They Mocked the Wrong Man

Chapter 003

"Hmph! He doesn't have that kind of ability at all!"

Cliff raised his head to see two young people entering the ward side by side, their arrival commanding immediate attention.

The woman leading the pair was strikingly attractive, though her appearance leaned heavily toward ostentatious—designer clothing, expensive jewelry, makeup applied with a heavy hand. Everything about her presentation screamed wealth and privilege. Her expression radiated arrogance, the kind of superiority that came from a lifetime of getting exactly what she wanted.

This was Wanda Sutton, Wendy's younger sister.

"Dad, this Cliff character is nothing but a complete fraud!" Wanda announced as she crossed the room to stand beside Quinn Sutton, making no effort whatsoever to disguise her contempt for Cliff.

"Grandfather's improvement has absolutely nothing to do with him. It's all thanks to Cheney, who went to the trouble of bringing in Chris from overseas—the Master of Western Medicine himself!"

The name carried weight, and Wanda delivered it with theatrical emphasis.

Chris was a cancer specialist whose reputation extended far beyond national borders. He was internationally renowned, a medical celebrity whose expertise commanded astronomical fees. According to rumors circulating in elite medical circles, his skills had reached almost mythical levels—so advanced that even the President of Ameri had allegedly received treatment under his care.

"What?!"

Quinn Sutton stood frozen for a moment, processing this revelation. Then his expression transformed into one of overwhelming excitement as he turned to the handsome young man standing beside his daughter.

"Cheney, is what Wanda saying actually true?"

"Uncle Sutton, Chris is already here at the hospital," Cheney Wainright replied, his demeanor radiating confidence bordering on arrogance. His gaze swept dismissively over Cliff, as though evaluating something beneath his notice.

"Would I lie about something like that?"

As a scion of the Wainright Family—one of the Three Great Families that dominated River City's economic and social landscape—Cheney naturally looked down on someone like Cliff. Everything about the convict screamed poverty and irrelevance.

"Chris is only agreeing to use his newly developed wonder d**g on Grandfather Sutton as a personal favor to me," Cheney continued, his voice taking on a mocking edge. "It's an experimental treatment that hasn't even been released to the general market yet. Normally, patients would kill for this opportunity."

He paused, letting his words sink in before delivering his next jab.

"But who could have imagined we'd encounter someone so shameless? Chris's wonder d**g clearly caused the improvement, yet this charlatan has the audacity to claim credit for himself. It's genuinely laughable."

Cheney's sarcastic commentary immediately shifted the room's attention back to Cliff, and the expressions that turned his way were uniformly derisive.

Earlier, some of them had wondered if maybe—just maybe—this convict actually possessed some legitimate medical knowledge. The old man's finger had moved, after all. That wasn't imagination.

But now? Now it seemed obvious that Cliff was just a pathetic clown, taking credit for another doctor's work.

Cliff's eyebrows drew together, forming a deep crease across his forehead. However, he didn't bother responding to Cheney's accusations. The name Chris triggered something in his memory—he'd heard it somewhere before, though he couldn't immediately place where or in what context.

Before he could pursue that thought, the ward door swung open once again.

A tall, thin foreign man strode into the room, surrounded by an entourage of fawning medical professionals who practically tripped over themselves in their eagerness to stay close to him. Their body language spoke of deep reverence, the kind usually reserved for celebrities or religious figures.

"Chris, sir, your medical skills are truly transcendent!" one doctor gushed, his voice unctuous with flattery.

"Absolutely remarkable!" another chimed in. "The wonder d**g started showing effects within minutes of administration! The patient actually responded! It's miraculous!"

"You truly deserve your international reputation as a cancer expert," a third added, practically prostrating himself with verbal worship. "We are completely humbled in your presence. Our skills are nothing compared to yours!"

Chris walked toward the hospital bed with an air of supreme confidence, his posture and expression radiating self-satisfaction. He'd clearly grown accustomed to such adulation and expected nothing less.

But as he approached to examine his patient, his eyes fell on the silver needles still protruding from Zenith Sutton's chest, and his expression immediately darkened with irritation.

"Who put these primitive needles in my patient?" he demanded, his tone sharp with displeasure.

Cliff showed no sign of intimidation. He stepped forward to stand directly in front of Chris, meeting the foreign doctor's eyes without flinching.

"I inserted them to help Grandfather Sutton," he stated calmly. "Right now, this is the only method that can actually save his life."

Chris looked Cliff up and down with obvious disdain, his lip curling slightly as he took in the man's cheap clothing and unremarkable appearance.

"Are you seriously suggesting that your... treatment... is somehow superior to my wonder d**g?" His voice dripped with condescension.

He gestured dismissively at the needles.

"Traditional medicine, acupuncture—these are nothing but primitive superstitions with no scientific foundation whatsoever! How could such backwards practices possibly compare to modern Western medicine? It's absurd!"

Chris turned his attention to Quinn Sutton and the assembled family members, his tone becoming more cutting.

"If you people continue allowing this amateur to interfere with my treatment, you're going to kill the old man! Get this charlatan out of my sight immediately. His presence is contaminating my work environment!"

When they heard Chris declare that Cliff had nearly killed Zenith Sutton, the assembled Sutton Family relatives could no longer contain themselves. The room erupted into chaos, voices rising in a cacophony of outrage and fear.

"Pretending to know what you're doing when you're completely ignorant—do you have any idea that you're gambling with a human life?!" David Sutton jabbed an accusatory finger at Cliff, his entire body trembling with fury.

After all, if Zenith died, the Sutton Family's standing in River City would plummet overnight. All of David's carefully cultivated business connections, his social status, his access to elite circles—everything depended on the family's continued prominence. Without the old man's reputation propping everything up, David would lose his leverage, his advantages, his ability to profit from the family name.

"That's right, Cliff! What exactly were you thinking?!" May Bailey added her voice to the chorus of condemnation. "Someone call the police right now! Get this convict arrested and thrown back in jail where he belongs!"

As several people actually began reaching for their phones, preparing to dial emergency services, Wendy panicked. She rushed forward, desperately trying to defend Cliff.

"No, wait! Cliff had good intentions! Think about it logically—how would harming Grandfather possibly benefit him? What would he gain from it? Nothing!"

"Good intentions?"

Wanda's lips curved into a mocking smile as she turned to address Quinn Sutton, her voice saccharine with false sympathy.

"Dad, just look at the wonderful husband Sister has brought into our family. He hasn't even officially moved in yet, and his 'good intentions' have already nearly killed Grandfather!"

She gestured toward Cheney with obvious admiration.

"Cheney went to so much trouble—upgrading Grandfather to a VIP ward, personally arranging for Chris to come all the way from overseas, coordinating everything behind the scenes. All that effort and expense almost got completely wasted because of Sister's cursed husband!"

Wanda's voice took on a pointed edge.

"Honestly, I think as long as Sister and her useless live-in son-in-law just stay out of the way and let Cheney handle things, Grandfather will recover much faster!"

At that moment, Cliff—who had been silently observing the escalating chaos—suddenly stepped forward and plucked the vial of wonder d**g from one of the attending physician's hands.

He examined it for perhaps ten seconds, his eyes scanning the label and contents. Then his expression darkened considerably, his voice dropping to a dangerous register.

"I think the person who nearly killed Grandfather Sutton is actually you, Chris."

The room fell silent, everyone turning to stare at Cliff in shock.

"This medication has questionable origins. It's still in clinical trial phases—not even approved for general use. Not only will it fail to cure Grandfather Sutton, it will actively worsen his condition and accelerate his death."

"What did you just say?"

Chris's face flickered with something that might have been panic, but he quickly masked it behind a veneer of outraged disbelief.

"You don't even understand what a wonder d**g is, yet you dare to criticize my medical expertise? Do you have any comprehension of who I am? Of my credentials and reputation?"

The doctors clustered around Chris immediately sprang to his defense, eager to curry favor with such a prestigious figure.

"Where did this amateur come from? How dare you speak so disrespectfully to Chris! You must have a death wish!"

"Do you realize you almost killed a patient with your reckless needlework? Chris saved you from a malpractice disaster, and instead of showing gratitude, you have the audacity to question his medications? Unbelievable!"

Cheney Wainright released a cold laugh, looking at Cliff as though he were observing a particularly stupid insect.

"If Chris's wonder d**g can't cure Grandfather Sutton, are you seriously suggesting that you—a convict—could do better?"

"That's exactly right. Only I can cure him."

To everyone's astonishment, Cliff responded to Cheney's sarcasm with complete seriousness, nodding firmly.

"If you allow me to continue the acupuncture treatment consistently, I can completely cure Grandfather within one month."

The entire room stared at him as though he'd lost his mind. This was beyond arrogance—this was pure delusion!

What an absolutely ridiculous claim!

"Young Master Wainright, I only agreed to come here as a favor to you," Chris announced coldly, his tone dripping with offended dignity. "I had no idea the Sutton Family would be so ungrateful and disrespectful."

With that pronouncement, he turned sharply on his heel and headed for the door.

Watching this scene unfold, the Sutton Family members immediately panicked, their faces going pale with horror.

"Chris, sir, please wait!" Quinn Sutton lunged forward, practically grabbing the foreign doctor's sleeve to prevent his departure. "There's been a terrible misunderstanding! We would never dream of showing you disrespect!"

He whirled around, his face contorted with rage as he directed his fury at Cliff.

"You shut your mouth right now! Who the hell do you think you are, questioning Chris's methods? What gives you the right?!"

His voice rose to a shout.

"Are you determined to kill Wendy's grandfather? Is that your goal? Get out! Get the hell out of this hospital!"

David Sutton certainly wasn't about to miss this golden opportunity to further humiliate Wendy. He immediately joined the attack.

"Wendy! Are you deaf? Take this useless husband of yours and get out of here! Now!"

Seeing that Cliff was preparing to say something else, Wendy could only helplessly cut him off, placing a restraining hand on his arm.

Faced with so many furious relatives, she knew that further explanations would accomplish nothing. The mob mentality had taken hold, and reason had fled the room.

Besides, if she was being completely honest with herself, Wendy didn't really trust Cliff either. She barely knew him. He was a convict she'd married out of desperation, not some miracle worker.

"Cliff, we're leaving," she said quietly, her voice resigned.

In the hospital's ground floor lobby, Cliff finally caught up with Wendy's retreating figure and moved quickly to intercept her.

"Listen to me," he began urgently, his voice low and intense. "This Chris character is nothing but a mercenary who cares only about fame and money. He's been using illegal, unapproved drugs to line his pockets. He's not interested in actually healing patients—he's running a profitable scam!"

Cliff pulled out his phone, quickly navigating to information he'd researched about Chris, displaying evidence of questionable practices and suspicious treatment outcomes.

"Look at this. See for yourself what kind of person he really is."

He thrust the phone toward Wendy, his expression grave.

"Grandfather Sutton absolutely cannot continue receiving treatment from this man. If he does, it won't be healing—it will be murder."