{Chapter: 332 Dog Eats Shit}
White Queen leaned in with an impish grin. "So, are you a virgin?"
Pepper blinked, stunned. "Excuse me—what the hell kind of question is that?"
White Queen kept smiling, undeterred. "Just answer. Yes or no?"
Pepper let out a sharp exhale, clearly uncomfortable. "Jesus. Fine. Yes. Happy now?"
"Very," White Queen said smugly, as if she'd just won a bet. "Not that I needed you to say it. I already knew."
Pepper narrowed her eyes. "You knew? The hell does that mean?"
"Oh, come on," White Queen said, wagging her finger. "Some things are just obvious to someone with eyes as smart as mine."
Alice and Ada both chuckled behind their hands.
"Oh my god," Pepper muttered, covering her face. "You are such a little gremlin."
"I'll take that as a compliment," White Queen replied brightly. "It's a skill, really. The way you walk, your posture—it's different from these two loose ladies over here." She gestured at Alice and Ada with a theatrical wave. "They've been around the block. You haven't. I'm just saying."
William leaned against the wall with an amused grin. "Queenie, you're getting bolder by the day."
White Queen gave him a cheeky wink. "Only because you let me."
Pepper groaned and rubbed her temples. "You're, what, thirteen?"
"Wrong," White Queen said, tapping her temple. "I look thirteen. Mentally, I'm older than all of you combined. I view the world through the lens of science and logic. Don't be such a prude."
Pepper snorted. "No one in this freakshow is normal, especially anyone who willingly follows him."
White Queen beamed. "Then congratulations, you're one of us now. You made it official the second you walked through that door."
Pepper's expression twisted, caught between resignation and reluctant amusement. "Yeah, well… since I've been here, I haven't felt normal in any way."
"Welcome to the club." White Queen nodded. "But you can relax. I'll stabilize the extremis virus in your body—no more overheating, no more spontaneous combustion. You'll be stronger, safer, and way hotter. Metaphorically."
Pepper's eyes softened, her tough exterior cracking just a little. "Thanks... I mean it. I know what you can do."
White Queen waved a hand dramatically. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get sappy on me now. We're practically family. I'm just doing my part."
"That's right," Ada chimed in. "From the moment I saw you, I knew you'd come around."
Pepper looked surprised, then slowly extended her hand. "You got good instincts, I'll give you that."
Ada smiled and shook her hand warmly.
William, sprawled across the couch like he owned the place, smirked. "Why are we all still standing? Come on. Sit down before Pepper combusts from sheer awkwardness."
Pepper rolled her eyes. "Oh, bite me. This isn't my house, you know."
William shrugged. "It's mine now. I'm planning on relocating the whole damn place."
Pepper snorted. "What, like you're gonna dig it up and carry it on your back? It's a damn building, not a flower pot."
"Don't worry about the logistics, sweetheart," he said with a wink.
Pepper gave him a long, unreadable look. Something about that cocky grin made her stomach twist in knots. The worst part? She wasn't even sure if it was anger or something else.
She opened her mouth, hesitated, then spoke quietly. "Why do you do it?"
William blinked. "Do what?"
"All this." She motioned vaguely around the room. "You've got power most people would kill for. You could change the world, help people. Instead you're… doing whatever the hell this is. You're not a monster, William. I know you're not. So why act like one?"
William was quiet for a beat, the smirk slowly fading from his face.
Pepper sighed, her voice breaking just slightly. "You're not who I thought you were… but you're also not not him. And it's driving me fucking crazy."
William leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, studying her. "You think I enjoy this chaos? That I get off on playing the villain?"
Pepper didn't answer. She didn't need to. The silence said enough.
William gave a slow, crooked grin. "You do like me."
"I hate you," she snapped, cheeks flushed.
"You hate that you like me."
Pepper scowled, but the way her eyes flicked away betrayed her. "Ugh. You're insufferable."
"And yet here you are."
White Queen clapped her hands. "God, just kiss already and get it over with!"
"Shut up, goblin," Pepper snapped, but her lips twitched at the corners. "Why tell me?"
Alice and the Ada and White Queen burst into laughter, as though they'd just heard the punchline of an inside joke.
Pepper frowned. "What the hell is so funny?"
Alice smirked, crossing her arms. "You. You sound like a damn schoolteacher trying to lecture a wildfire."
"I'm laughing at your innocence, Pepper," White Queen added with a mischievous grin. "Your question is like asking why dogs eat shit. William does bad things like it's in his nature. He breathes villainy like air."
William's expression darkened. "Can you not compare me to a goddamn dog for once?"
White Queen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Sorry. Just slipped out. But really, asking William to be a good person is like asking a dog to stop sniffing butts. It's just… biology."
"Would you stop with the dog analogies?" William groaned.
Pepper turned to him, eyes narrowed, but her voice was soft—tinged with something that even she wasn't sure was anger or hope. "I want you to be better, William. Is that so impossible?"
William stood, his hands in his coat pockets, face carved with a proud smirk. "Pepper... I'm the goddamn boogeyman of this world. People whisper my name like a curse. Nobody believes I could be good—because I won't be. That's not who I am. Never has been."
Alice leaned against the armrest, giving Pepper a sympathetic shrug. "Tried hoping once. Didn't work. He's evil, babe. Might as well enjoy the ride."
"I don't give a damn," Ada said flatly, adjusting the strap of her utility vest. "I was trained to kill without asking questions. Mission first, always. Whether he's a saint or Satan doesn't change a damn thing."
Pepper exhaled slowly, pressing her palm against her forehead. "Yeah… I know. I know what he is. I just…" She trailed off, then shook her head. "It's stupid. He could snap the president's neck in front of the world and still sleep like a baby. It's a fucking fantasy to want someone like that to turn over a new leaf."
White Queen grinned, amused. "Oh, please. Killing the U.S. president is a PR nightmare wrapped in a magnitude-10 earthquake. I bet half the world's leaders are still shaking in their silk suits."
William scoffed, brushing nonexistent lint from his shoulder. "It was just a president. They come and go like rain. Replaceable."
"Only you would say that with a straight face," Pepper said, not even trying to hide her disgust—and something else—underneath.
"That's because I'm William, sweetheart," he said with smug satisfaction. "Untouchable. Unbothered. And completely unapologetic."
"Oh, Jesus," Pepper muttered, rolling her eyes. "You're unbearable."
William suddenly perked up. "By the way, how's Jane doing?"
Pepper's head whipped around. "Now you remember her?"
"Of course," he said casually. "I'm a man of sentiment. I remember the important ones. Like you, Pepper."
""Hypocritical, disgusting. Jane went to London, England to do research, but she has always been obsessed with you. And what did she get in return? Lies. Chaos. A one-way ticket to heartbreak. I really don't know what's so good about you, a scumbag. You are so bad, and you cheated her. Is there no problem with her IQ?" Pepper's voice cracked slightly—more than she wanted.
White Queen chuckled wickedly. "If Jane's IQ is questionable for falling for William, what does that say about you, Pepper? He stole your heart too, didn't he?"
"Don't. Don't even start," Pepper snapped, clapping her hands over her ears. "I don't want to hear that shit right now."
William laughed. "That's my power, isn't it? Any idiot can make a woman fall for him. It takes a legend to turn hate into love. That's me."
Ada rolled her eyes. "You're a narcissist."
"And proud of it," William replied, winking. "Anyway, it's not hard to see why Jane's still hung up on me. I'm a rare breed."
"There's nothing rare about being a complete asshole," Pepper fired back, but the sharpness in her voice was laced with exhaustion. She slumped into the nearest armchair, staring at the floor for a second too long. "God help me, I hate how you get under my skin."
William's smirk softened—just a little. "That's because deep down, you like it."
Pepper didn't answer at first. Then, with a bitter laugh: "I liked the man who once held my hand when no one else dared. I liked the guy who saved me from drowning in my own fear. But you… you're not that guy anymore, are you?"
Silence settled over the room.
Finally, William stretched and glanced at the ceiling like it held all the answers. "Haven't seen Jane in a while. Maybe it's time. Let's pay her a visit. London, here we come."
"Of course," Pepper muttered, shaking her head. "Let's ruin another woman's life."
"And while we're there," William added, voice laced with mischief, "maybe we can swing by Asgard. Stir things up."
"Because why the fuck not, right?" Pepper said with a wry smile. "That's your answer to everything."
And yet... she didn't say no.