"You do know who I am, don't you?" Arnie threatened, struggling to get to his feet.
"You're done, young man!"
Alex stared at him coolly, as if he had just fanned away a mosquito.
"Call security!" someone from the crowd yelled.
"Stop!" Arnie called the person who was about to make the call. He turned back to Alex and said, "I'd like to see how tough you really are."
This boy is a fool, Arnie thought. I'm a leader in the industry, yet he thinks he can embarrass me in such a way? I'll teach him a lesson.
At that moment, another man walked up with a domineering expression.
"Young man," said Peter Wilson of Windsong Media. "You don't know much about our industry, do you? Apologize to Mr. Hampton!"
Peter's media company was second only to Hampton Enterprises. It was worth millions, and Peter was regarded as one of the richest people in Baltimore.
"Stay out of this," Alex said.
Although Alex was only friends with Cassidy, he had taken Arnie's insult to heart. The man had disrespected Cassidy, and he would pay for it dearly.
"You're really crazy. Are you the owner of the Birchwood House project?" Peter asked, irritated that Alex had disregarded him. "Perhaps you don't know who I am? If Arnie and I say the word, you'll never sell a property in this town."
"Apologize to me and pay me what you owe me," Arnie demanded, glaring at Alex. "If you do, I'll forget about this little matter and allow your real estate company to paddle along."
A murmur of voices rolled through the crowd of onlookers, some nodding in agreement and some voicing their thoughts aloud.
"Young man, you've gone too far. Apologize to Mr. Hampton."
"You have no business in our industry. Get out while you can."
"We've been doing this a lot longer than you, boy. Heed our advice." This last advice came from the influential developer of Star River Residences, some of the finest apartments in the city.
Alex gazed around at the crowd, his thoughts in turmoil. He hadn't expected to meet such a backlash. If he couldn't get the real estate developers and media companies on his side, then he would never get the Birchwood project off the ground. He needed their support, especially their money.
Arnie stepped forward again, his expression triumphant as he felt the wave of support from those surrounding them. "I'll give you one last chance. Apologize for hitting me, and we can put this all behind us."
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Alex snapped as he lifted his foot and aimed a kick at Arnie's midsection. The man fell back and slid across the floor.
"How dare you hit him!" someone shouted.
"Security, security!" another voice called out.
"Get him out of here!" Peter roared.
"You're finished in Baltimore," Arnie panted. He hadn't expected the young man to fight back, and he was thoroughly embarrassed. "You'll never succeed. By this time tomorrow, I'll have spread the word about you across all our media platforms. No one will work with you."
"So, you think you can stop me?" Alex smiled. "I'd like to see you try."
"Be quiet before you say anything else you'll regret," Peter told him.
The room was full of astonished voices. No one could believe the young man had struck Arnie Hampton, not once, but twice. They were a peaceful group of real estate and media companies, and no one had ever acted so disrespectfully to them before.
Arnie was beyond anger. He stared at Alex and flatly said, "You'll pay for what you did here tonight."
Soon, a team of security guards rushed into the room.
"Get him," Peter said, pointing at Alex. "He attacked Mr. Hampton."
The security team headed toward Alex, but when the team leader saw Alex, he stopped and stared at him in surprise.
"Mr. Ambrose?" he asked. He had met Alex before and knew how skilled he was, so he had no interest in trying to stop him.
Alex looked at the security guard and smiled, relieved to finally have some form of support in the room.
"Send them away," Alex ordered, pointing at the crowd. "It's time for this party to come to an end."
Then Alex took Cassidy's arm and swaggered away, while Edward trailed behind. The security team simply watched them go, and the crowd was confused.
"I'm sorry, gentlemen!" said the security team leader. Then he turned to Peter and Arnie. "It's time to go."
"What do you mean?" Peter frowned.
"I mean, the party is over," the guard said. "Go home. Anyone who doesn't leave now will be blacklisted from visiting the Imperial Hotel again."
With grumbles of dismay, the party began to break up. No one quite understood what had happened between the young man and the security guard, but obviously, the young man had some pull.
**
On the drive back home, Edward voiced his concerns. "Alex, you just made a roomful of enemies back there. Arnie Hampton and Peter Wilson are powerful, and you don't want to be on their bad side."
When Alex didn't respond, Edward continued. "Now that you've offended them, what are you going to do about the real estate company? We still need endorsements and advertising if we're going to sell any properties. I think we should get my father involved. He knows how to soothe ruffled feathers."
Alex knew Oscar Steadman was well respected across the city, but for now, Alex wasn't ready to reveal his own identity or connections.
"Don't worry. It's okay," Alex said soothingly. "Birchwood will become the most popular real estate company in Baltimore. We may not have the money to back us, but I'm not ready to call it quits."
He stared out the car window for a few moments, a small smile on his face. Then he added, "We don't need help from any of them. We can run this business ourselves."
"You sound a bit cocky," Cassidy said, smiling.
"No, I know it's not going to be easy," Alex admitted. "But the real estate market is struggling, so I may be getting into it at just the right time."
Alex had a plan. In fact, he had many plans. Since acquiring Birchwood House, he had also acquired new inner strength and new skills. He could now control the weather, making it warm in winter and cold in summer, and he planned to use that to his advantage.