Chapter 119 A Visit from Donald Hall

"Grandpa!" Hailey whined, but her grandfather just closed his eyes, refusing to say more.

Realizing her appeals were futile, Hailey knew she had to act on her own. "Fine, if you won't do anything, I will!" She huffed and then stormed off.

"Hailey, come back!" Her grandfather's voice echoed as he hastily opened his eyes and shouted after her, but she didn't turn around.

"It's not that I don't want to help, Hailey," her grandfather said with a shake of his head and a weary sigh. "I truly lack the power to do so. All I can do... is keep you safe."
Meanwhile, Hailey's grandfather picked up his cell phone and made a call...

...

Elsewhere.
In the luxurious executive office of Horizon Group.
A bald man, his head shining under the harsh light, burst through the door in a sheer panic.
"Mr. Hall, you've gotta stand up for me!"
The bald man shouted as he charged in, his voice echoing against the polished walls.
"What's the problem? Why is your face all swollen? Didn't I send you to secure that orphanage property?" Donald Hall said, his brow furrowing with impatience.
"Mr. Hall, my face got like this at the orphanage. My guys... they all got beat up too," the bald man lamented, his face a canvas of misery.
Bang!
"Who dares to strike one of Donald Hall's men?!"
Donald slapped his hand on the desk, standing up so quickly that his chair nearly toppled as his face turned a shade of stormy blue.
In New York, attacking Donald Hall’s people was unforgivable.
"Mr. Hall, it was Eric Phillips from Power Mansion. His bodyguard did this. Even after I dropped your name, he didn't hold back. This isn't just a slap to my face—it's a slap to yours!"
The bald man's voice rose as he reported.
"Damn it, Eric Phillips again!" Donald Hall's eyes ignited with rage at the mention of that name.
The bald man continued, "Before that Eric Phillips kicked us out, he told me to pass along a message. He said to tell you to mind how you treat people and earn some goodwill. He also said... he said the New York orphanage is under his protection now."
Crash!
Donald Hall, in a fit of fury, smashed a glass on the floor at the bald man’s feet.
"Idiot! That damn fool!"
Donald roared, his anger nearly ripping him apart. His plans kept being foiled by Eric Phillips, and now the man had the audacity to send such a taunting message—it was an utter disgrace to Donald Hall's name.
"He's too arrogant, Mr. Hall. You gotta put him in his place, or he’ll just push you around even more," the bald enforcer spoke up.
"I'm going to take this to the mat with Eric Phillips. He wants to protect the orphanage? I'll show him! I, Donald Hall, am tearing it down!" Hall's palm smashed against the desk as he pledged his vengeance.
Donald Hall looked up at the bald muscleman and barked, "I need ten bulldozers and five hundred people, ASAP! Full gear! We're heading to the orphanage. I'm gonna tear it down today. Let's see who's gonna stop me!"

"Right away, boss!" The enforcer saluted sharply before hustling out of the CEO's office.

...

Meanwhile, at the orphanage.
Hailey Anderson rushed in, breathless.

"Hailey, what's the word? Is the government sending protection?" Olivia asked, her face full of hope.

The director looked at Hailey with equal anticipation.

"Director, Olivia, I've let you down," Hailey confessed, her head hanging in shame.

A sense of dread washed over Olivia and the director. They had thought that with Hailey's influence, the authorities would take their plight seriously and provide protection for the orphanage, but the reality was grim.

"The department that oversees our orphanage... I reached out to them, but they told us to figure it out on our own. They're not going to intervene," the director added.

Olivia's worry deepened. "But..."

"Don't worry. Even if they don't care, I do. I will not allow anyone to cause trouble here," Hailey declared, her resolve firm. As she spoke, she drew her service pistol.

Just then, four young men entered.
Hailey recognized them immediately; they were her colleagues.

"Hailey, your grandfather insists on ensuring your safety, by force if necessary," the crew-cut leader stated.

"I'm not going back!" Hailey's tone was resolute.

"You don't have a say in this!" He retorted.

After saying this, they moved to restrain Hailey, handcuffing her wrists behind her back. Although she struggled and shouted vehemently, she was no match for the strength of four men.

"Let me go! I can't let anything happen to the New York Orphanage! I can't!" She cried out, her voice raw with desperation yet ineffective.

And so, Hailey was forcefully taken away.

After being secured in the car, Hailey could do nothing but watch powerlessly as the vehicle slowly drove away from the orphanage. Defeated, she stared despairingly at the fading building as tears streamed uncontested down her cheeks.
At that moment, Hailey Anderson's gaze locked onto a spectacle that seemed almost surreal. Leading the way was a Bentley with the license plate "6666," cloaked in an air of austere authority. Its luxurious presence was sharply contrasted by the trail of ten hulking excavators rumbling behind it, and further back, a veritable sea of people clad in black forming a formidable procession heading straight for the orphanage.

"That Bentley... that has to be Donald Hall's ride," Hailey instantly recognized the unmistakable license plate.

"Is Donald Hall really about to bulldoze the orphanage?" Hailey's eyes widened in disbelief and anger.

"Jerk! Jerk!! Jerk!!!" The words erupted from her, her eyes blazing with fury as she shouted into the void outside the car, yet no amount of yelling could alter the grim reality in front of her.

Hailey knew all too well that, in the face of Donald Hall's ruthless onslaught, the unprotected orphanage had only one fate...

...

Inside the orphanage.

"What do we do now, Director?" Olivia's voice quivered with anxiety.

Olivia had been certain that with Hailey's intervention, everything would have been alright, but now, this development shook that belief to its core.

Just then, a youth, about sixteen or seventeen, came rushing in, his face etched with urgency.

"Director! Olivia! There's a squadron of ten excavators outside, escorted by hundreds of people in black!" He exclaimed, catching his breath.

"What?!"

Both the Director's and Olivia's faces paled significantly.

"Oh no, it must be Horizon Group coming to tear us down," the Director said, her face ghostly as the shadow of despair appeared in her eyes.

She knew they were powerless if Donald Hall decided to proceed with his aggressive demolition plan.

"Wait, Mr. Phillips!"

Olivia suddenly remembered Eric Phillips. He had told them when he left that if Hailey couldn't handle it, they should reach out to him.

Desperation trumped hesitation, and Olivia decided to cling to that sliver of hope.

...

At Power Group.

Eric Phillips answered Olivia's call.

"They've sent ten excavators from Horizon Group to demolish the place?" Eric's eyebrows shot up in alarm.

"Alright, I've got it! Don't worry, I've taken on this responsibility, and I'll see it through," Eric reassured her over the phone just before hanging up.

"Eric, those jerks are pushing a demolition? We've got to stop them!" Wolfman clenched his teeth, rage flickering in his eyes.

Wolfman himself had grown up in an orphanage that was torn down, so this kind of news hit a raw nerve.

"Don't worry," Eric said, nodding with a determined glint in his eye, "I'm on it."

...
Outside the orphanage gates, ten excavators stood ominously, ready for action.

Donald Hall stood with a commanding presence just outside the entrance, leading a crowd of five hundred that had the place besieged as if he were going to war , "Mess with us, and you're done for!" His very presence today was a clear proclamation of his resolve to demolish the orphanage.

Rushing from the building, the director and Olivia went pale-faced with shock as they were confronted by the imposing scene before them. Upstanding and unaccustomed to conflict, neither had ever witnessed such an intimidating display.

The bald, burly man who had taken a beating that morning now stepped forward, pointing proudly at Hall. "You know who this is? This is the infamous Donald Hall, Donald Hall himself!" He boasted.

"Is that really Donald Hall?" Olivia gasped; she was completely taken aback.

"My God... Donald Hall came in person?" The director trembled in fear.