Chapter 121 Courage in the Face of Danger

"Do as I say!" Eric Phillips ordered, his eyes narrowed into slits.

Bill and Ryan nodded in agreement, then shouted at the top of their lungs, "Brothers, let's go!"
"Charge!"

In an instant, every Power Mansion Security Company member pulled out their batons and charged toward Donald Hall's men.

When Donald saw this, his face turned ashen.
"Eric Phillips, it's broad daylight. Do you understand the consequences of starting a brawl right now?" Donald barked.

A public fight of this scale would lead to dire consequences, something that the authorities would never tolerate. Donald never expected Eric to be so audacious as to start a fight out in the open.

"What do we do, Donald Hall?" asked the bald bruiser by his side.
"What else can we do? They're coming at us. Get ready to fight!" Donald replied through gritted teeth.

Just then, the blaring sound of an alarm cut through the tension. The confrontation that was about to explode came to a sudden halt.

An SUV, its siren wailing, followed by a sleek, white Audi, slowly approached and stopped in the middle of the scene.

A middle-aged man stepped out of the SUV. Eric recognized him immediately; this was the same man who had come to apologize to him the last time he was in the precinct. Eric remembered his name seemed to be Max.

Max quickly approached the black Audi and opened the door with utmost respect, and a stately man in a suit stepped out.

"Max, handle this," said the dignified middle-aged man calmly.

"Yes, sir," Max responded dutifully, then hurried over to where Eric and Donald stood.

Eric knew Max held a significant position in New York, but his deference indicated that the man in the suit must have an even higher status.

Max arrived and addressed them anxiously. "Gentlemen, what's going on here? Do you realize how serious the consequences would be if you started fighting?"

"Max, it's not that I want to fight, but he was the one who made the first move," Donald explained quickly, attempting to distance himself from the blame.

Donald also recognized the man in the suit; having been a big player in New York for over a decade, he knew exactly who the man was and the weight his words carried in the city. Seeing him here now, Donald felt even less afraid. He couldn't believe Eric would dare to start a brawl in front of this man, especially since Donald had a close relationship with him.
Upon hearing this, Max turned to look at Eric Phillips.

"Mr. Phillips, cool it, huh? If there's an issue, we can sit down and talk it out," Max said, a nervous chuckle in his voice.

"You wanna talk? Then make him stop that bulldozer first, and then we can discuss how much he owes the orphanage!" Eric Phillips said, his voice icy.

"That's not going to happen! Like I said, that orphanage is coming down today!" Donald Hall stated resolutely.

"So you're saying there's nothing to talk about? Well then, boys, let's do this!" Eric Phillips barked.

Behind Eric, his crew grasped their batons, readying themselves for action.

"Mr. Phillips, think this through!" Max exclaimed, grasping Eric Phillips in an attempt to hold him back.

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a suit came forward, stopping in front of Eric Phillips.

"Mr. Eric Phillips, how dare you issue such commands in our presence? You seem to have no regard for me," The suited man said, looking down at Eric Phillips with a superior air.

Eric sneered, "Who are you to expect my regard?"

Eric had just witnessed this man in the suit getting out of a car, greeted by Donald Hall with an obsequious look. The man nodded at Donald, making it clear there was some connection between them.

Eric suspected the man in the suit backed Donald's boldness in demolishing the orphanage.

So Eric didn't bother with pleasantries.

The words just spoken by Eric made Max jump with fright.

He never anticipated Eric would dare to speak to him that way. In the entirety of New York, no one dared to address him like that.

Donald Hall was secretly delighted, thinking, “Is this guy asking for trouble by talking that way to him?”

As for the man in the suit, his face instantly darkened upon hearing Eric's words.

"Mr. Eric Phillips, you've got guts. No one speaks to me that way in New York," the man in the suit said, his tone cold as ice.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Eric replied calmly, then called out, "Guys, take them down!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

The man in the suit exploded with rage, pulling a gun from his belt and aiming it straight at Eric Phillips's head.
"Due to your actions, I have the right to take you out here!" The middle-aged man in a suit fixed Eric Phillips with an icy glare.

The moment's intensity paled the faces of Ryan, Bill, and the security team from Power Mansion.

The Dean and Olivia, witnessing Eric Phillips with a gun pointed at him, looked even more frightened, their faces ashen and eyes wide with concern.

They all knew Eric Phillips was putting himself on the line for them. If anything happened to him, how would they live with the guilt?

In the center of the tension, Eric Phillips faced the gun without a hint of color on his face, his expression dark as night.

"You think you can kill me? Try it! Come on! I dare you to shoot!" Eric Phillips bellowed, pressing his head against the muzzle fearlessly.

"You..." the man in the suit sputtered after hearing Eric's defiant roar, his complexion turning a shade of cold steel.

Eric Phillips sneered, "I know you must be important, but I'm not afraid of you. If you pull that trigger, I can assure you, my grandfather will make sure you don't live another day! If you want to die, go ahead, shoot!"

The middle-aged man said nothing, his face souring further.

"Shoot! What are you waiting for? Do it!" Eric Phillips shouted.

The scene chilled Max to the core, and Donald Hall was equally shocked; they both knew who the suited man was. In New York, no one dared to yell at him like that.

After a few seconds of hesitation, the man put away his handgun.

He had pointed the gun at Eric Phillips, thinking it would intimidate a mere rich man into submission. But to his astonishment, Eric Phillips didn't blink, his defiance exceeding his own.

The suited man didn't dare to shoot because of the looming weight of Sean Williams behind Eric.

Max hastily took the gun from the man, sighing in awe at Eric Phillips' bravado, having effectively made even this formidable figure back down.

Donald Hall's expression soured. Taken aback by Eric's boldness, he realized that this influential figure had met his match in Eric Phillips.
Upon seeing the weapon lowered, Eric Phillips couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Looks like you chickened out."

"Just because I put down the gun doesn't mean I've chickened out! If you dare take on Donald Hall in a public showdown, not even your grandfather Sean Williams, with all his connections, would be able to contain the fallout," the man in the suit stated coldly.

"Sorry to break it to you, but that kind of talk doesn't scare me," Eric retorted sharply. "Donald Hall's forceful demolition of the orphanage is an outrage, and I won't be intimidated. This could blow up to the state level or even the capital, and I'd still stand my ground."

His tone was bold and unyielding.

Donald Hall, overhearing this exchange, couldn't help but twitch. The realization hit him that Eric's argument was not without merit. If this situation escalated, the consequences would be far graver than those for Eric.

In the moment of tension, the man in the suit exhaled a long breath. "Alright, Mr. Eric Phillips, I must admire your courage and wisdom for standing firm in the face of danger. I'll handle this situation today."

With that, the man in the suit turned on his heel and walked towards Donald Hall, who quickly nodded with a flattering smile.

"Donald, pull back your excavators and get your men out of here," the man in the suit commanded. "He's right. If this gets out of hand, you'll be the one to lose the most."

"But..." Donald Hall began, clearly struggling to accept this.

"No buts!" the man in the suit snapped, his expression turning stern and his tone icy.