"Yeah, add me on WhatsApp," Maria said. "Makes it easier to reach you if anything comes up. I'll scan your code."
William opened the app and asked, "How do I do that?"
Maria froze, staring at his screen. "…Don't tell me you've never used WhatsApp before?"
William nodded seriously. "Today's my first day using a phone. Still figuring it out."
Maria was speechless.
"You… you're really from the mountains, aren't you?"
William nodded again. "Can you show me how to use it?"
Maria was officially stunned. She couldn't even imagine it—someone in this day and age who didn't know how to use WhatsApp? Kids barely out of diapers could send voice notes and stickers. But this guy?
Still, she patiently walked him through the setup and explained the basics.
While she was at it, she asked, "You out of money or something?"
William didn't hide it. "Flat broke."
"No way," Maria said, genuinely surprised. From the moment she met him, she'd assumed he was some rich kid slumming it for fun. But now? She believed it. He really had come down from the mountains.
Then again, maybe that was a good thing. Guys from the mountains were usually grounded, hardworking, and didn't overthink things.
"I'll give you a two-thousand-dollar advance," Maria said, pulling out a stack of cash. "You earned a decent commission tonight anyway. A grown man walking around with zero cash? That's not gonna work. But don't blow it all at once. If you run into trouble, come talk to me."
William's impression of Maria improved. So far, she'd been solid—straightforward and generous.
He was starting to believe that if Evelyn ever needed help, Maria would step up without hesitation.
Moonlit Harbor Pub was doing great business. Even though William had turned heads tonight, most customers were too busy with their own drinks and dates to really notice. So in truth, not many people were paying close attention to him.
Still, even while working, William kept an eye on Evelyn.
Places like this weren't much different from the brothels of old—every kind of person came through. With Evelyn's looks, she should've been getting hit on constantly.
But surprisingly, most guys only tossed out a line or two. Even the ones who tried to invite her for a drink backed off quickly when she declined, usually just laughing it off.
William noticed why.
There was always a woman nearby—chatting, laughing, keeping things smooth. Someone was clearly running interference.
By 3:30 a.m., the crowd had finally thinned out. Maria called William and Evelyn over.
Aside from the staff still busy or leaving with customers, everyone else was gathered in a private room.
It was a quick end-of-night meeting—who did well, who needed to tighten up, what to watch out for.
Maria had William and Evelyn introduce themselves. She gave William a light compliment, saying he'd done pretty well for his first day, but didn't go overboard with the praise.
After dismissing the others, she pulled William aside.
"William," she said calmly, "you're new. When a rookie shines too bright, it's easy to become a target. Keep it low-key. When it's time to act drunk, act drunk."
Even if he could drink a thousand shots without flinching, sometimes it was smarter to fake it.
Maria figured he was just a young guy, still learning the ropes. What she didn't know was that William had lived for over a billion years and possessed power beyond imagination. He understood all the rules—he just followed them when he felt like it.
Tonight, there wasn't anything else to deal with, so Maria waved them off.
"Alright, shift's over. Go get some rest."
William changed back into his own clothes and didn't go out of his way to strike up a conversation with Evelyn. But as he stepped out of the bar, all he caught was the sight of her riding off on a bicycle, her figure disappearing into the early morning streets.
He wandered the city for over an hour, walking through the quiet streets of New York as the first light of dawn crept in. Along the way, he saw a lot—people, places, moments—and by the end of it, he'd figured out how to hail a cab and even learned how to pay with his phone.
At the school gates, he stopped by a Starbucks, ordered a sandwich and a coffee, and ate in peace. After that, he headed onto campus. But as he approached the dorm building, he noticed something odd—people were sneaking glances at him, their expressions a mix of curiosity and something else.
When he reached Room 306, he knocked on the door.
It opened almost immediately.
The three guys inside stood frozen in the doorway, staring at him like they were seeing a ghost.
"William, you're back?" said the one who'd chatted with him in the hallway yesterday—Wyatt.
William gave a small nod and smiled. "Yeah, I'm back."
Wyatt grinned. "Your bed's already made."
What William had done yesterday had spread like wildfire. No one at this school had ever pulled something like that off. It was beyond anything they could've imagined.
Ryan wasn't just some random student—he had status. And William had taken him down clean, along with every guy Ryan had brought with him.
"We should probably introduce ourselves properly," Wyatt said. "I'm Wyatt Edwards. Just call me Wyatt."
"I'm Daniel Rivera. You can call me Daniel. Have you had breakfast yet? I can go grab you something," the second roommate offered quickly.
"No need. I ate at the gate," William replied. Their attitude didn't surprise him. No matter the era, people respected strength. Wyatt and the others had probably been pushed around a lot on campus. But yesterday, William had flipped the script and put the so-called bullies in their place. Naturally, that changed how they saw him.
The last roommate, a heavyset guy who looked to be over 200 pounds, chimed in, "I'm Paul Nelson. Just call me Paul."
From their introductions alone, it was clear—William's place in the dorm was already set.
He walked over to his bed. It had been the only empty one in the room, but now it was neatly made. Whether it was his roommates or Ryan's crew who'd done it, he didn't know—and didn't really care.
"I'm William. I'll be counting on you guys from now on," he said. He'd chosen to live in the dorms for a reason—he wanted more interaction with people. That was the only way to really learn.
At least for now.
"William, wanna grab lunch together later?" Wyatt asked with a grin, clearly trying to be friendly.
"Sure," William said, then paused. "When do we head to class?"
"Right now, actually! We've got a general ed class coming up," Wyatt said, glancing at his watch. "We should get moving."
William had never actually attended a class before, so he just followed along with the group.
On the way there, he spotted Evelyn.
And she saw him too.