Chapter 153 – This Was All God's Guidance
If it weren't for William, Fiona felt like she would've been stuck in the South Side for the rest of her life.
But now—
This restaurant had given her something she'd never had before:
A way out.
A real chance.
William didn't say anything in response to her gratitude.
He simply smiled.
---
Before long, the group returned to 2119 North Wallace.
Right at the entrance, they ran into Peggy and Carl, who had just come back from the bank.
"Carl? Grandma?" Fiona looked surprised by the pairing.
"Fiona—you're just in time. I need to ask you something."
Peggy was still fuming—the $200,000 in her bank account had mysteriously disappeared.
At that moment, William's system—silent for quite a while—suddenly triggered.
[Ding! Mission detected: Cure Peggy Gallagher's cancer and extend her life—so she can torment Frank for a few more years.]
[Reward: Portuguese Mastery.]
The mission reminded William of something.
Based on the timeline, Estefania should already be in the U.S.
Which raised an interesting point—
Jimmy and Fiona's relationship was already over.
That meant Jimmy wouldn't be hanging around the South Side anymore.
Now the question was whether he could resist going back to stealing cars.
Knowing Jimmy…
Probably not.
After all, William had already taken away his ability to function as a man.
Without something to fill that void—stealing cars, doing drugs—
Jimmy would probably go insane from boredom.
Maybe I should swing by the chop shop sometime, William thought.
---
"What is it?" Fiona asked.
She didn't feel much toward Peggy. The woman had barely been part of her childhood.
The only real memory she had was Peggy blowing up a meth lab and getting arrested.
Honestly, the Gallaghers were all talented—
Just… mostly in crime.
Still, the idea of Peggy tormenting Frank?
William fully supported that.
In fact, he was half-tempted to remove the pancreatic cancer Frank currently had—
the one that wouldn't flare up for another year or so.
Let him live longer.
Let him suffer longer.
After all, if there was one person Frank truly feared deep down—
It was Peggy Gallagher.
But there was no rush.
First, he'd complete the mission.
---
"Where's Frank?" Peggy asked coldly, her anger barely contained.
"No idea," Fiona shrugged. "Probably at the Corones house… or maybe at the Alibi."
She genuinely didn't know.
"Carl. Take me to the Alibi."
The moment she got a lead, Peggy moved.
"Wait! Carl!" Fiona snapped. "Dinner's almost ready—get back inside!"
Fiona wasn't about to let Peggy drag Carl around.
"But… she's Grandma," Carl said hesitantly. He was still a kind kid, after all—especially when it came to a grandmother who knew how to cook meth.
"She wants to find Frank—that's her business. It has nothing to do with us," Fiona said firmly.
That was just how you had to deal with the Gallaghers.
Every single one of them was a disaster.
"Hey, Fiona," William cut in casually. "She is your grandmother. No need to be that harsh."
He glanced at Carl. "How about this—you take Carl back home. I'll take her to the Alibi to find Frank. Sound fair?"
"No, William—you don't know what she's like."
Peggy, meanwhile, was staring at William with interest. "And who's this handsome guy?"
Then, without missing a beat—
"You sleeping with Fiona? She's basically a bus stop—didn't expect a guy like you to be into that. You're one weird bastard."
Kind words were never part of Peggy's vocabulary.
Fiona spread her hands helplessly. "See? That's what she's really like."
"It's fine," William said lightly. "The Alibi's not far. I'll just make a quick trip and head back."
He gave Fiona a small wink, then took the wheelchair from Carl.
Peggy said nothing, just kept watching him.
Only after they had walked a fair distance did she finally speak.
"You're not actually interested in Fiona, are you?" she asked sharply. "What's your angle?"
Peggy was no fool.
She'd lived long enough to read people at a glance—and there wasn't a trace of love for Fiona in William's eyes.
"Funny," William said. "Now you're suddenly a caring grandmother? Looking out for your granddaughter?"
"I couldn't care less if you ruin her," Peggy replied coldly. "So let's skip the act. What do you want from me? Don't tell me you're doing this out of kindness."
William couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Sharp old woman… way too sharp.
It felt like she could see straight through him.
"Relax, Peggy," he said with a faint smile. "Whatever I'm doing—it's in your best interest. Trust me."
He didn't bother explaining further.
Peggy gave him a sideways look. "That only makes me more worried."
After that, she fell silent.
---
Soon, William pushed her wheelchair to the Alibi.
As he lifted her up the steps, he took advantage of the brief contact—
And removed her pancreatic cancer.
In an instant, Peggy felt… lighter.
Completely different.
Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "What did you just do to me?"
William didn't answer directly.
"Peggy," he said calmly, "you're Catholic, right? Sometimes… you've got to have a little faith in God."
With that subtle misdirection, he pushed her inside.
[Ding! Mission complete: Cure Peggy Gallagher's cancer and extend her life.]
[Reward obtained: Portuguese Mastery.]
Peggy fell into deep thought.
The older people got, the easier it was for them to believe in something… irrational.
She pressed a hand against her upper abdomen.
No pain.
Not even a trace.
How was that possible?
No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't explain it.
Was it really… like he said?
God's will?
Then what role did William play in all this?
She looked at him, stunned. "You… who are you?"
"Who I am doesn't matter," William said softly. "What matters is what you do next."
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"Go on. Your purpose is right in front of you."
He pointed ahead—
At Frank.
"Frank's been living a little too comfortably lately," William added with a faint smile. "As his mother… you've got responsibilities. Don't you think?