Chapter 186 — Even at Midnight, Fiona's House Was Still Lit
Caught off guard as she was suddenly lifted into his arms, Estefania let out a startled cry—but the surprise quickly melted into delight.
After all, wasn't this exactly what she'd gone to such lengths to prepare for?
Feeling the strength in William's arms, she couldn't help but admit—this was exactly her type of man.
"Ah~"
She gasped softly, half in surprise, half in admiration of his raw strength.
Before long, the apartment filled with laughter and breathless excitement.
William didn't bother holding back. With someone like Estefania, there was no need for restraint—he simply followed the moment.
And Estefania herself was no stranger to indulgence. If anything, his intensity only made the experience more thrilling for her.
Given her background, most men she'd been with in Brazil had always held back because of Nando—they never dared cross certain lines with her.
But William was different.
At one point, he paused, looking down at her with a hint of curiosity.
"Want to try something different?"
Her response caught even him off guard.
William blinked, momentarily stunned.
Damn… she's even wilder than I thought.
Compared to Fiona or Teresa, Estefania's boldness was on an entirely different level.
The daughter of a cartel boss—her experiences had clearly shaped her into someone far less restrained than ordinary people.
Still, since she asked, he wasn't about to refuse.
By the time it was all over, she felt an unfamiliar pull deep inside her—a strange, almost instinctive desire to yield to him.
Before leaving, William placed a key and a slip of paper on the table.
"Estefania, give this to Steve. Tell him to pass it to your father."
"What is it?" she asked weakly, her body still too drained to even sit up.
"You don't need to know. Just do as I say."
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, she simply nodded obediently.
With the delivery arranged, William left the apartment.
Hours passed.
It was nearly dawn.
Estefania was still lying there, lost in the lingering afterglow, her mind filled entirely with thoughts of him.
At this rate, she felt like no other man would ever measure up again.
Just then, the front door opened.
Steve returned, dragging himself inside, utterly exhausted.
Customer service clearly wasn't his thing—he'd been stuck doing manual labor in the back all day.
Lately, this had become routine: come home drained, collapse onto the couch, and fall asleep instantly.
Honestly, if not for his constant cravings—for food, for comfort—he probably wouldn't push himself this hard.
It was as if something was missing, and he was trying to compensate for it in all the wrong ways.
He dropped onto the couch, ready to pass out on the spot.
But Estefania hadn't forgotten William's instructions.
Forcing herself up despite her fatigue, she grabbed a robe and wrapped it tightly around herself—covering up completely, almost instinctively avoiding exposure in front of Steve.
Even she didn't fully understand why.
Somewhere deep down, her instincts had shifted—subtly, but undeniably.
She walked over and nudged him.
"Don't sleep yet! William told you to give this to my dad!"
Steve, half-conscious, barely registered her words.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah… got it…"
He muttered something incoherent, too tired to care about anything except sleep.
He didn't have the ability to do anything about it anyway.
"Get up, Steve!" Estefania snapped, clearly irritated by his half-hearted response. She kicked him without hesitation.
Compared to William, Steve wasn't even worth a fraction—he couldn't match even a single toe of his.
That thought surfaced in her mind almost instinctively.
"What the hell, Estefania?!" Steve, rudely awakened, was annoyed—but he didn't dare do anything.
If her father ever found out, he might very well end up chopped into pieces and dumped into Lake Michigan.
So he could only grumble under his breath, not daring to push further.
Seeing his attitude only made Estefania more annoyed. She grabbed the note and key William had left on the table and shoved them toward him.
"Give! This! Nando!"
Her English was broken, but the message got across.
The moment Steve heard Nando's name, he snapped fully awake.
He had no choice—his life might depend on it.
"What is this?"
He took the note and key, scanning them with confusion.
"William… leave," Estefania added, doing her best to explain in English, worried he wouldn't understand Portuguese.
At the mention of William, Steve stiffened.
He didn't care much about whether William had been there—what mattered was staying alive.
From her words, he quickly pieced things together. Whatever he was holding likely had something to do with the arms deal William had arranged with Nando.
He didn't dare delay for even a second.
Whether it was Nando or William, angering either of them wasn't something he could afford.
He was just the son of a surgeon—wealthy, sure, but powerless in the grand scheme of things.
People like Nando or William could make him disappear without a trace.
That thought sent a chill down his spine.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his phone and called Ado downstairs.
North Wallace.
Inside a battered delivery van, Lip lay flat on the hard floor, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.
It was summer, and even with the windows open, the heat inside the van was suffocating. Not to mention the constant mosquito bites.
Lip had grown up poor—but this was his first time truly being out on the streets.
Fiona may not have made much money, but she had still managed to take care of all five of them.
Unfortunately, Lip would never truly understand that.
In his mind, this was just another hardship—something he could grit his teeth and endure.
No matter what, it had to be Fiona's fault.
He, of course, couldn't possibly be wrong.
At the same time, outside 2119.
A black AMG pulled up in front of 2118.
After stepping out, William noticed the lights were still on next door.
Curious, he walked over.