Chapter 143 – The Answer Fiona Wants
"What do you want to do?" Amanda suddenly set down her Panda Express and looked at William seriously.
"Do what?" William tilted his head, a little confused.
"Me."
___
A cool evening breeze swept across the shores of Lake Michigan.
Amanda lay limp on the sand, breathless.
She liked the thrill of doing it out in the open.
William didn't mind either. There was no one around—and even if someone got within a few hundred meters, he'd sense it long before they were close enough to matter.
"Do you want to come over to my place tonight?" Amanda asked.
It was the first time she'd ever invited William to her home.
But William already had plans with Fiona, so tonight was definitely off the table.
"Tomorrow, or another day," he said. "I've still got some business to deal with later."
The moment he mentioned business, Amanda immediately softened.
She knew William wasn't just some ordinary college student.
That mystery—what he really was, what he was really doing—was part of what made him irresistibly attractive to her.
"Okay," she said gently. "Another day, then. After you're done."
Seeing how understanding she was, William couldn't help pinching her nose with a smile.
They lingered together on the beach a while longer before William got into his AMG and drove away from the lakeshore.
In the car, he dialed Fiona's number.
"Fiona, are you off work yet?"
___
After dinner, Fiona had headed out for her shift.
Veronica was there too, working behind the bar mixing drinks.
Fiona was carrying trays, weaving through the crowd.
But tonight, she'd been completely distracted.
Her mind was stuck on one thing only:
What exactly was William's 'surprise'?
Just then, her phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen.
It was William calling.
In an instant, the blank, tired look on Fiona's face melted into a smile.
That smile didn't escape V's eyes.
She shook her head and sighed softly, thinking to herself:
Looks like Fiona's really fallen for him this time.
As Fiona's closest friend, V had practically watched her rack up a triple-digit body count over the years.
"I'll be done soon—just a few more minutes," Fiona said, pausing her work and moving to a quieter corner. Even then, she had to raise her voice so William could hear her.
The club's music was blasting, and Fiona was still using that ancient feature phone, so the call quality was terrible.
"Cool. Send me the address—I'll come pick you up."
Fiona gave him the nightclub's location.
Once William had it, he hung up.
He floored the accelerator, and the AMG surged forward.
---
Outside the nightclub, William pulled over at the curb.
An AMG C63—even secondhand—was still a flashy, impractical car no poor guy would ever choose.
Paired with William's build and the way he carried himself, it immediately drew attention from the women waiting in line.
"Hey, handsome. Want to grab a drink together?"
Before long, a blonde with big waves in her hair sidled up, flirting openly—clearly aiming for a drink first and sex later.
"Sorry," William said calmly. "I'm waiting for someone."
Right then, Fiona came jogging over in her server uniform.
The blonde glanced at her, sizing her up from head to toe, lips curling with disdain.
Fiona didn't even realize William had been hit on. She leapt into his arms like a koala, kissed him a few times, and only then noticed someone else standing nearby.
"Your friend?" she asked, curious.
"Come on, man," a brown-haired guy beside the blonde sneered. "Seriously? This is your type?"
The blonde didn't say anything—just shot Fiona a smug, mocking look.
Fiona understood exactly what they meant.
And she wasn't the kind of woman who stayed quiet when insulted.
"What do you mean by this type?" she snapped back.
The guy shrugged and turned to William instead.
"Hey, don't cheap out, bro. Give it a few years and she'll be showing up with a kid, asking for child support."
The blonde and their little group burst out laughing.
Looking down on poor people was nothing new—it'd been around forever.
William stayed silent.
The first time he'd stood up for Fiona, it had been because the system pushed him to.
Tonight, the system said nothing.
So he watched—curious to see how she'd handle it herself.
"Fuck you! Fuck all of you!"
Fiona flipped them off without hesitation.
With William standing there, she suddenly felt fearless.
"You spoiled trust-fund trash—go back to sucking your mommies' tits!"
Growing up on the South Side meant trash-talking was practically a required skill. Fiona was fluent.
At that moment, nightclub security stepped in—clearly sensing trouble.
Big guys. Broad shoulders. Serious presence.
"Ladies, gentlemen—is there a problem here?"
Two or three bouncers like that were more than enough to cool things down.
The rich kids backed off.
"Hah! Losers!" Fiona called after them, still riding the adrenaline.
William didn't linger. He took her hand and led her back to the AMG.
As they pulled away, Fiona rolled down the window and flipped them off one last time.
---
Once the car was a few blocks away, the anger faded from Fiona's face.
It was replaced by something quieter. Heavier.
She'd cursed them out, sure—but what they'd said wasn't entirely wrong.
"William… what if I got pregnant?"
She looked at him—one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting casually on her thigh.
"Hmm?" William replied lightly. "Pregnant with whose kid?"
The tension inside the car instantly cracked.
Fiona laughed and punched him lightly in the arm.
"Careful," he said. "If a cop sees that, they'll unload a whole magazine on you."
He wasn't joking. In America, distracting a driver could count as endangering public safety.
"Fuck you. Stop joking. I'm serious," Fiona said, her tone turning sober again.
"Answer me."
"What answer do you want to hear?" William asked instead.
That question stopped her cold.
She wanted a family. She really did.
But five younger siblings depending on her stood squarely in the way.
She couldn't afford months without income. She couldn't afford to fall.
"…Forget it," she said quietly.
"Even if I knew the answer, I don't think it would change anything."
Her eyes began to glisten, but she didn't want William to see.
So she turned her head away and stared out at the Chicago streets glowing in the night.