While sipping whiskey and chatting with Nis about his experiences and observations, time slipped by unnoticed. Over an hour later, with the bottle emptied, William gestured to Kyle Grammer.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Devonshire?" Kyle asked in a low voice as he approached.
"Sunday, initiate the transfer," William said calmly.
"Understood, sir."
A minute later, a server from the restaurant counter hurried over to Kyle and whispered in his ear, confirming that the payment had been received.
Kyle, who had been somewhat nervous about this unconventional transaction, let out a big sigh of relief. This was his first time encountering a customer who paid via direct bank transfer rather than using a card.
At the same time, he couldn't help but envy the advanced smartphone sitting in the middle of the table. Kyle thought to himself, If everyone had a phone like this, cash might soon become obsolete.
With this idea in mind, Kyle hesitated before addressing William, who was finishing the last sip of whiskey in his glass. "Mr. Devonshire, if I may ask something presumptuous?"
"Go ahead," William replied, putting down his glass and looking at him curiously.
After a brief hesitation, Kyle pointed at the phone. "Do you have any plans to release a phone like this to the public?"
"Of course," William replied without hesitation. "Anything I develop will naturally be marketed. But unfortunately, this phone is prohibitively expensive to produce. Even if I strip it down to its most basic functions, the final product would still cost over $10,000. On top of that, with traditional telecommunications infrastructure unable to meet the phone's capabilities, using satellite connections for basic usage would rack up significant costs. If I launched it now, it would only ever be a toy for the wealthy."
"That's such a shame," Kyle said, shaking his head in disappointment. "It seems I'll have to wait quite a while before I can use one of your products." With that, he politely stepped aside.
After parting ways with Nis, William drove around New York City for several laps to shake off any paparazzi. Following Sunday's guidance, he eventually arrived at a pawn shop in Queens.
After waiting about ten minutes, he spotted Jesse walking out with a disgruntled expression. William, now wearing a hat, stepped out of the car and followed her for a few steps. He soon heard her muttering under her breath, cursing the pawn shop workers as cowards for refusing to take the gold ring.
Suppressing a laugh, William pulled Jesse's wallet from his pocket and tossed it to the ground. Then he called out, "Hey, miss, is this your wallet?"
"What?" Jesse turned at the mention of a wallet, her professional instincts kicking in. She quickly scanned the ground and spotted a woman's wallet lying there. "Yes, yes, that's mine. Thank you!"
As she approached, however, the closer she got to the wallet, the more familiar it seemed. Memories of her stolen gold ring and the realization that her wallet had been taken back at the restaurant flashed through her mind. Looking up, she immediately recognized William under the brim of his hat.
"Ah!" Jesse gasped, instinctively covering her face with her hands. The gold signet ring in her palm slipped out with a ding, rolling a few feet before stopping at William's feet, guided by his subtle use of telekinesis.
Caught red-handed, Jesse took advantage of the moment when William bent down to pick up the ring to turn and make a run for it.
She hadn't made it more than a few steps before William shouted after her, "Unless you want to end up in the hospital like your idiot partner, I suggest you stay put."
At the mention of her trembling, electrocuted partner, Jesse froze mid-step. Slowly raising her hands in surrender, she nervously scanned her surroundings, fearing that William's supposed bodyguards might fire a taser at her.
Seeing her stand still with her hands in the air, William chuckled to himself, slipping the ring back onto his finger and picking up her wallet. He walked up to her with an amused expression. "What's this? Are you surrendering, or are you planning to kneel before me, the Duke of England?"
"Please, I'm begging you," Jesse said, her face full of despair as she looked at him pitifully. "You've got your ring back. Let me go."
"Do you know why no one dared to take this ring?" William ignored her plea and extended his hand to show her the gold signet ring. "This is called the Fleur-de-Lis Gold Signet Ring. It's the emblem of an organization that has existed for over a thousand years. The reputable pawn shops you went to are all part of established groups. They know that accepting this ring would mean making an enemy of us—or even starting a war."
Jesse immediately felt a pang of frustration and asked irritably, "So you're saying I could have sold it in Brooklyn?"
"Good God, what is going through your mind?" William covered his face in exasperation. "Didn't you hear me say this organization has existed for over a thousand years?"
"But if I don't sell this ring, I don't even know where I'll sleep tonight," Jesse complained as snow began to fall. She sighed dramatically, playing up her misfortune. "Am I really so unlucky? Will I have to sleep in the park or under a bridge in this weather?"
"Alright, alright, stop acting pitiful," William said, patting her shoulder with his right hand. The sudden touch made Jesse flinch and shrink back slightly, but before she could protest, she saw William holding out a handful of cash in his left hand.
"Ten bucks, twenty bucks..." As William counted out the money, Jesse's eyes widened. She suddenly realized that the cash looked suspiciously familiar. Lowering her hands, she rummaged through her bag, only to find that her cash was missing.
"Dammit, when did you take that?" she exclaimed, snatching the money back. Her eyes sparkled with a mix of shock and curiosity as she stared at William. "How did I not notice at all?"
William shrugged. "It was easy. I only had to practice for a few minutes to get the hang of it."
Jesse gawked at him, stunned by his smug expression. Lowering her head, she muttered under her breath, "What a jerk. I hate people who learn everything so quickly."
As she spoke, her eyes caught sight of a massive blue sapphire ring. Her excitement surged for a moment, only to dissipate when she realized it was just her own cheap glass imitation.
"Oh my God, you're amazing," Jesse said in awe, looking at William with a newfound admiration. Feeling the cold snowflakes land on her face, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a fluttering sensation in her chest. Without thinking, she extended her left hand and asked him to put the ring on her finger. "How do you do it?" she asked, her voice tinged with reverence.
William shot her a disdainful look, as if she were hopelessly naive. "It's so simple I don't even know how to explain it."
Infuriated, Jesse felt an urge to bite him. Yet, as someone who considered herself a seasoned pickpocket, she couldn't get over how effortlessly he had outclassed her. Her curiosity burned. "Teach me, will you?"
"Why should I teach you—" William began, but his words were cut off as Jesse suddenly leaned in and kissed him.
His eyes widened in surprise as her face was just inches from his. But before he could fully enjoy the moment, he felt her hand stealthily reaching into the pocket where he kept his phone.
"Dammit," William thought, amused and exasperated. "Is this girl a complete professional even in a moment like this?"
He caught her hand as it reached his pocket and pulled her closer by the waist with his other arm. They stood there on the snowy street, their bodies pressed together, snowflakes gently falling around them.
For a long moment, they stayed like that, until Jesse, breathless, finally pulled away.
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Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
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Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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