Chapter 126 The Triumph of the Petty

"Eric Phillips, I'll give you this—you've improved a lot," Mateo chuckled. "At least you've learned to talk big. You are handing out flyers here, and you dare brag about driving a Lambo! Shameless, aren't you?"

Lincoln stepped forward and patted Eric Phillips on the shoulder with a laugh.

"Keep handing out those flyers under the scorching sun, Eric Phillips. We're off for a shower, maybe a spa day. Meanwhile, someone like you will probably spend a lifetime doing just this."

After tossing their sneering goodbyes, Lincoln and Mateo sauntered off with smug smiles plastered on their faces.

Eric Phillips watched their retreating figures with a cold smirk on his lips. "So this is what they call the triumph of the scoundrels, huh?"

He then shook off the distraction and resumed distributing flyers, believing he'd have his moment to set things straight.

Just then, a young couple approached.

"Here, look at the new project from the Power Group," Eric offered them a flyer.

"Ah!" While taking the flyer, the young woman fumbled with her drink in her other hand, splashing it onto her clothes. She shrieked in dismay.

"You flyer guy! Look what you made me do to my dress! Do you know how much this cost?" she berated Eric Phillips, fuming.

"Ah, my apologies," Eric managed to say.

Her companion barked at Eric, "Apologies won't clean the dress! Pay up! And don't think about walking away with anything less than a thousand bucks, buddy!"

Eric frowned. "Sir, she spilled her drink on herself after taking the flyer. I've already said I'm sorry; that should be sufficient. Expecting me to pay, and a thousand bucks at that, is a bit excessive."

Eric Phillips wasn't one to be arrogant or unreasonable. If he had caused the spill, he would've compensated without hesitation.

But it was her own doing, and now they expected him to fork over a grand? Hardly plausible.

The woman railed at him, "You lowlife flyer trash dare to talk back? You're nothing but a bottom-dweller, and my husband can crush you in an instant!"

Eric responded coolly, "Please, ma'am, watch your words. Who crushes whom–that's still up for debate."

Having come from humble beginnings, Eric Phillips disliked putting on airs, but that did not mean just anyone could walk over him.
"You... you called me an ugly woman?" The young woman looked furious.

"I wasn't insulting you; I was simply telling the truth," Eric Phillips replied nonchalantly.

"You... you..." The young woman started to quiver with rage.

Immediately, she turned to her boyfriend and cooed, "Honey, this guy is picking on me. You have to stand up for me!"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," the young man promised.

Then, the young man faced Eric Phillips and said coldly, "You, a nobody handing out flyers, dare to be so bold? Do you even know who I am? Do you have any idea what will happen if you mess with me?"

"Sorry, but I don't care who you are; you're definitely not more influential than me," Eric said calmly.

The young man burst into laughter upon hearing this.

The young woman also sneered, "A nobody with flyers thinks he can talk big! That's hilarious!"

"Kid, let me tell you something. My dad's a manager at Power Mansion Plaza. Do you know how powerful that is?" the young man declared proudly.

"Is being a manager at Power Mansion Plaza that impressive? If your dad met me, he'd nod and greet me, sir. Just one word from me, and your old man would be out of Power Mansion," Eric replied coolly.

The young couple broke into laughter again.
"Haha! You know how to brag!"
"Seriously, you can lie without even blushing. You're wasting your talent here. You should be an actor!"

Just then, a middle-aged man in a suit, carrying a cup of coffee, hurried over.
"Crimson Cliffs?"

The young man immediately recognized the middle-aged man approaching.
He then said to his girlfriend, "Sweetheart, see that man in the black suit? That's Crimson Cliffs from Power Mansion Plaza, my dad's boss."

"Wow, so that's Crimson Cliffs," the young woman said with the awe of spotting a celebrity.

"But what's up with Crimson Cliffs running like that?" the young man asked, puzzled.

Typically, when the young man saw Crimson Cliffs, he exuded authority, his gait steady and imposing. So why the rush now?
What surprised the young man most was that Crimson Cliffs seemed to be running straight towards them. Could he be coming to see him?

In a moment, Crimson Cliffs had reached their spot.
Crimson Cliffs walked right up to Eric Phillips.
"Mr. Phillips, you must be dried out in this blazing sun. Here's the coffee I got for you," the man greeted Eric respectfully, handing the cup over with both hands.

The young couple watched in silence as Crimson Cliffs offered Eric Phillips the coffee.

"Cliffs, that's thoughtful of you," Eric replied, taking a sip from the cup with a nonchalant air.

The young man and woman could hardly believe what they had witnessed; their hearts pounded with shock. What was going on here? Crimson Cliffs, the esteemed figure, brought coffee for this guy, who was handing out flyers, and even delivered it personally with such respect?!

"Mr. Cliffs... You?" the young man asked, his eyes wide as he stared at Crimson Cliffs.

Only then did Crimson Cliffs turn to address the young man. "Ah, if it isn't Larven's boy. What brings you here? Do you know Mr. Phillips?" he inquired pointedly.

"Mr. Phillips? Uncle Cliffs, isn't he just some guy handing out flyers?" the young man exclaimed.

Crimson Cliffs chuckled, "Handing out flyers? Ha! This man is none other than the director of the Power Group's New York branch, Eric Phillips!"

"Director... Director of the Power Mansion?" The young man's eyes bulged at the revelation, an exploded bombshell in his mind.

The young woman beside him was equally stunned. They were well aware of the prestigious stature of the director of the Power Mansion.

"A director of the Power Mansion... handing out flyers here?" she exclaimed in utter disbelief.

"Our director is setting an exemplary standard by engaging directly with the grassroots," Crimson Cliffs explained.

The couple swallowed hard, their previous mockery becoming dread as they realized the man they had scoffed at was the director of the Power Mansion. Their hearts sank to the depths.

Eric Phillips turned to Crimson Cliffs and said calmly, "I've heard his father holds an executive position at the Power Mansion Plaza. Tell him there's no need to come to work tomorrow."

"Understood, Mr. Phillips," Crimson Cliffs nodded in acknowledgment.

"No, please!" the young man yelled in despair. If his father lost his job, especially because of him, his comfortable days would be over.
Eric Phillips turned his head to look at the young man, speaking with a dismissive calm, “I've said it before your dad would tip his hat and bow down to me. He'd be booted out of Power Mansion with just one word from me!"

Then, Eric glanced at the young woman and added, "When I call you ugly, I'm just stating the cold, hard truth. You are indeed quite unattractive."

Having said his piece, Eric turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the pair with faces of fear and trepidation.

...

Eric Phillips was distributing flyers on the Power Mansion Plaza until noon, marking the end of his task.

Subsequently, he treated all the flyer distribution staff to a quick meal at one of the diners on Power Mansion Plaza before he departed.

At the entrance to Eric Phillips's home in the shantytown

"Hey, kid, hold it right there!"

As Eric parked his car and approached the doorstep, a burly man suddenly blocked his path.

It was Puma, sent by Donald Hall.

"Who might you be?" Eric asked with a slight frown, eyeing the man before him.

"I'm the one here to take your life!" Puma's voice was gruff.

"If you're after Eric's life, you must go through me first!"

A raspy, deep voice emerged from behind Puma.

Puma spun around, only to lay eyes on Wolfman standing there.

"So you're the kid's bodyguard, huh? Well, I'll take you out first, and then it's his turn."

As he spoke, Puma shed his jacket, revealing his well-built muscles.

"There have been many who wanted to take me down. But they all ended up the same—dead," Wolfman's gruff voice intoned.
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