Chapter 23 Worshipping Philip
"You know who I am?" Philip stood in front of Lucius, his hands casually tucked into his pockets.
"Of course I know you, Mr. Russell."
Lucius, his face bruised and battered, showed nothing but respect.
"And yet you want to accuse my guy of attempted murder?" Philip's voice was icy.
Lucius glanced at Frederick, taken aback. "Mr. Russell, is he really your subordinate?"
"Absolutely, he's my right-hand man!"
Philip's gaze shifted to Frederick, a charming and enigmatic smile playing on his lips.
Even though he was Frederick's cousin, Frederick had always outshone him in every aspect since childhood.
He had no choice but to accept it, begrudgingly.
After all, his cousin was undeniably more capable.
Now that his cousin had gotten married and was pretending to be poor, Philip saw an opportunity to take advantage.
Philip's thoughts were clear, but Lucius interpreted them differently.
Rumors from the grapevine came to mind.
Could it be that Philip and the man driving the Bentley had that kind of relationship?
Was Frederick's marriage to Xandra just a cover arranged by Philip?
The thought made Lucius shiver with disgust.
But despite his revulsion, he dared not show it in the face of absolute power.
"Sorry, it's all a misunderstanding. I take back what I said."
"So, you're not pressing charges?" Philip asked.
"No, I'm not."
Was he kidding?
He wanted to do business with the Russell Group!
Offending Philip's lover would bring him no benefits at all!
"If you're not pressing charges, my guy might press charges against you," Philip said coldly. "What did you do to that young lady just now?"
Lucius felt a chill down his spine and quickly replied, "Sorry, Xandy and I are old acquaintances. I was just reminiscing about the past, and emotions got the better of me."
Got the better of him? More like coercion and threats.
Xandra scoffed internally, her face remaining composed and silent.
"Ray, do you want to press charges?"
Frederick's cold gaze swept over Lucius, his thin lips uttering just one word.
"Get lost!"
Only pressing charges? That would be too lenient.
Lucius's eyes flickered. The man driving the Bentley was supposedly just a subordinate, but his presence felt even more commanding than Philip's.
Could it be that in their relationship, Philip was the submissive one?
Lucius took a deep look at Frederick, suppressed his resentment, and limped away.
The debt collectors who witnessed the scene quickly changed their attitude, now groveling before Philip.
Philip's gaze swept over them, feigning ignorance. "What are you all doing here?"
"Nothing, nothing."
The five men sneaked glances at Xandra, too scared to tell the truth.
Philip sneered, "Nothing? Don't say it's nothing in front of me and then turn around and harass a widow and her child!"
"No, we won't!"
The five men hurriedly assured him with awkward smiles.
Xandra looked at Philip's cold, handsome profile, her eyes flickering.
Though she didn't follow entertainment news much, Philip's frequent appearances with celebrities had made him recognizable to her.
She knew he was the general manager of the Russell Group.
Most people feared the powerful. These debt collectors seemed terrified of Philip. Could she leverage this to resolve the debts?
With that thought, Xandra spoke up. "Aren't you here to collect debts? My father owed you money..."
"I remember now, your father's debt was settled in other ways long ago."
"Yes, yes, it's all old news."
The five men quickly responded.
Xandra's eyes flickered. "But you were just holding the IOUs."
The five men hurriedly pulled out the IOUs and tore them up in unison.
Now they had no proof to extort money again.
Xandra felt relieved, somewhat emotional.
Society was indeed realistic.
Power was useful.
In the face of absolute power, ordinary people had to bow down.
Philip was pleased with their compliance. His attractive eyes shifted, and he spoke again.
"So, you guys came here because you heard the Cavendish family was in trouble and decided to visit?"
The five men were stunned.
Could they say no?
Of course not!
"Uh, yeah, sure!"
"If you came to visit, why'd you come empty-handed?"
The five men exchanged glances.
They were all seasoned businessmen, sensing a bad omen.
Sure enough, Philip spoke leisurely.
"You're all big bosses, don't you know basic etiquette? Visiting someone in the hospital without bringing gifts? You should at least transfer ten or twenty thousand dollars as a greeting gift."
The five men fell silent.
They had been instigated by Lucius, knowing Xandra's mother was being treated here, and brought expired IOUs to extort money.
They hadn't expected to encounter Philip.
At this moment, they felt like killing Lucius.
They came to extort money but ended up being extorted themselves!
Truly, go for wool and come home shorn!
Xandra's eyes widened in disbelief.
Could it be handled like this?
Frederick glanced at Philip, a silent smirk on his lips.
Seeing Xandra standing there in a daze, he said, "Phone."
"What?"
Frederick didn't waste words, took her phone, unlocked it with her fingerprint, and opened the payment code.
"Who's first?"
"I'll go first."
Someone gritted their teeth and transferred ten thousand dollars.
The others craned their necks to see and followed suit.
Each of the five men transferred ten thousand dollars.
Philip, learning of this, still sneered, "So stingy, no wonder you can't make big money."
The five men smiled obsequiously, looking pathetic.
"Remember this well. I consider Ray a brother. His wife is my sister-in-law. Anyone who dares to touch her or her family is opposing me!"
Philip's tone was cold and warning.
"We wouldn't dare!" The five men quickly assured him.
The Russell family was the biggest and most prestigious family in Seaside City.
Philip might not be the head of the family, but he wasn't a minor figure either.
Opposing someone from the Russell family? They must have a death wish!
"Get lost!"
"Yeah, yeah, goodbye, Mr. Russell."
The five men wiped their cold sweat and hurried away.
The corridor fell silent.
Philip turned to Xandra, his cold demeanor softening, eyes smiling.
"Xandra, you okay?"
"I'm fine, thanks, Mr. Russell." Xandra said gratefully.
"No need to thank me, thank your husband."
Philip glanced at Frederick, raising an eyebrow.
"Your husband is an outstanding young talent. I just snatched him from my cousin, and now he's my right-hand man! Naturally, I'll help with his family matters."
Look at him, praising Raymond so much!
Xandra glanced at Raymond, her expression softening.
She had indeed benefited from her quick marriage to him.
Meeting him seemed to turn things around.
Thinking of the fifty thousand dollars she just received, she asked, "Mr. Russell, about the money they just transferred…"
"It's yours, take it, don't feel burdened."
Philip said, "They're all businessmen, spending more than that in a single visit to a club. Just consider it me taking from the rich to give to the poor."
With him saying that, being modest would seem pretentious.
Xandra smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Mr. Russell."
"It's a small matter, don't worry about it." Philip waved his hand.
Frederick had remained mostly silent throughout.
Seeing Xandra's eyes sparkling as she looked at Philip, his deep eyes narrowed slightly.
Was Xandra starting to admire Philip just because he helped her out?
For some reason, he felt a bit annoyed.