Chapter 156: Pass a Message to Nando for Me
"Oh, come on—we're already inside. No need for all that," Steve said with a casual smile, thinking he had it all figured out.
But the next words out of William's mouth froze him in place.
"Oh? Is that so? Then what if I said I want to talk about Estefania… or her father, Nando?"
The two names hit like a shockwave.
Steve felt the hairs on his neck stand up.
How does he know that?
He still had no idea that William had quietly become the power behind the so-called "Queen of Arms" in the South Side.
Otherwise, he might've guessed William had connections reaching into international crime networks.
"Y-you… how do you know them?" Steve stammered, cold sweat forming on his back.
It felt like his entire life had been under surveillance.
William looked at him, almost amused.
"Steve… really? You're asking that question?"
Steve froze, then quickly realized how stupid that sounded.
He glanced around, took a deep breath.
"Come on. Let's talk over there. Too many people here."
---
A moment later, after a quiet word with a waiter, Steve secured a private room.
Once inside, he shut the door behind them.
"Alright. Just the two of us now. Care to explain what you want?"
At the end of the day, Steve was just a privileged kid who had run away from a prearranged life to become a car thief.
Right now—
He was nervous as hell.
William leaned back slightly, his tone calm.
"Jimmy, Jimmy… you might not know what I do."
He paused, then continued:
"But I need you to pass a message to Nando for me."
Steve frowned.
"A message?"
William's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Ask him if he's interested in large-scale arms procurement. If he is—he can come to me directly."
Steve stared at him, trying to figure him out.
"So what are you? A middleman?"
William didn't even blink.
"Don't ask questions you don't need answers to. Just pass the message."
---
William wasn't in a hurry when it came to Estefania.
He had no plans to return to the MCU world anytime soon, so he didn't need to stack more powerful abilities just yet.
Besides—
Metal Manipulation was already strong enough.
Add in the vampire and werewolf viruses he possessed…
As long as he stayed cautious, his strength would be more than sufficient—even in the MCU.
---
Meanwhile — At the Gallagher House
The house was packed.
The Gallagher family, along with Max, Sniqua, Kevin, and Veronica, were all there.
Music blasted from the record player—loud, energetic, infectious.
Everyone had a beer in hand, moving freely to the rhythm.
Lip stood close to Sniqua, their bodies pressed together.
The atmosphere between them was unmistakably intimate.
If not for the crowd—
He probably would've already dragged her somewhere private.
Sometimes, changing a person's "type" wasn't that hard.
Lip had gradually started to accept Sniqua's looks.
More importantly—
Like Veronica, she had an incredible figure.
That alone was enough.
Though, thanks to William's plans… she might not need to rely on that forever.
Sniqua, meanwhile, looked at the slightly clueless Irish boy in front of her.
She couldn't help but wonder—
What exactly did he do to piss off the boss… to end up being played with like this?
Across from her, Lip had no idea what she was thinking.
To him—
That look in her eyes was nothing less than deep, mutual affection.
In that instant, Lip couldn't hold back anymore.
Driven by a surge of raw hormones, he leaned in and kissed Sniqua.
Sniqua, after all, was a professional—and she'd been paid.
She responded immediately.
To be fair, Lip wasn't unaware of what she used to do.
But it didn't matter.
Under William's manipulation, he had come to believe—deep down—that he could only respond to her.
That kind of subconscious rewiring was terrifying.
Because the person affected wouldn't even realize anything was wrong.
---
Not far away, Veronica watched the two of them with a puzzled expression.
It wasn't about race.
It was just… strange.
Lip had never dated a Black girl before—and now he was all over her.
"Hey," Veronica said, walking over to Fiona, "did something happen to your brother?"
Fiona turned to look.
To be honest, she didn't have a problem with Lip and Sniqua from a racial standpoint.
But—
Sniqua was now her employee.
And Lip was her brother.
That… made things inappropriate.
Yes, Fiona genuinely thought that way.
In her mind, the Gallagher family had already "moved up."
And someone like Sniqua… didn't quite "match" Lip anymore.
"Hey, Lip. Come here for a second."
She called out.
Lip pulled away from Sniqua and glanced back.
Fiona gestured for him to come over.
Reluctantly, he said to Sniqua, "I'll be back."
Then walked over.
"What's going on between you two?" Fiona asked, glancing toward Sniqua.
Her tone carried a hint of interrogation.
"What do you mean, what's going on?" Lip frowned.
"I'm telling you this, Lip," Fiona said firmly.
"I don't care what's happening between you two—but I don't want you bringing her home. Got it?"
Lip's expression darkened.
"…What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like," Fiona replied coldly.
"I don't like the idea of you inviting her into our house. Tonight is an exception—it's the restaurant celebration."
She crossed her arms.
"But once this is over, she leaves. And you go to sleep. Simple as that."
Honestly, Fiona was overstepping.
A lot.
If this were before, she probably wouldn't have said a word.
But now—
Now that she believed she was no longer at the bottom of the South Side—
She was desperate to establish what she thought were "proper standards."
To Lip, it felt like needles digging into his skin.
"Fiona," he snapped, his neck flushed red,
"has anyone ever told you you're a complete bitch?"
"What did you just say?"
Fiona couldn't believe her ears.
She thought she was giving advice—and this was the response?
Veronica stepped in, frowning.
"Hey, Lip. You shouldn't talk to Fiona like that."
Sure, Fiona had gone a bit too far—
But at the end of the day, she was still looking out for him.
Lip turned to her.
"She doesn't get to say that. Look at her and—"
He was about to bring up William—
But suddenly—
He stopped mid-sentence.