Chapter 147 – William Gives Lip Two Choices
Hearing that, Svetlana looked at Lip.
She understood the situation perfectly—but she didn't dare act on it.
Those women weren't William's direct subordinates. Even if he got angry, it wouldn't be directed at them.
But she was different.
If William lost his temper with her, she didn't even have a grave plot picked out yet.
Just as Svetlana was wrestling with this dilemma, a calm voice cut through the room.
"That's enough. Let them leave."
William.
Svetlana nearly felt like crying from relief.
She immediately waved at the dancers.
"You heard the boss—get out. Now."
The women didn't hesitate. They grabbed their things and left quickly, as if escaping a nightmare.
William stepped in front of Lip.
Lip's eyes were hollow—empty, unfocused.
William reached out and lightly patted his face.
"Come back to reality."
No response.
William clicked his tongue.
"Damn… don't tell me he actually went insane in one night?"
After a moment's thought, he dismissed the idea.
Someone as self-centered as Lip wasn't going to break that easily.
And sure enough, after a long while, Lip's consciousness slowly returned.
"You… what do you want?" Lip croaked weakly, staring at William.
There was nothing in his eyes now but fear.
Fear layered over fear.
And buried deep beneath it—just a trace of hatred.
"What do I want?" William replied calmly.
"Wasn't it you who wanted something first? You were the one who tried to hire people to beat me up.
If anything, I should be the one asking you—what exactly did you want?"
Lip fell silent.
He knew William was right.
Everything had started with him.
If he hadn't been consumed by jealousy—if he hadn't fixated on William sleeping with Karen—none of this would have happened.
Seeing Lip like this, William didn't press further.
"I think you've been punished enough," he said evenly.
"I just hope you wake up now. Think about Fiona.
You know something? I just gave her a fast-food restaurant.
I've done quite a lot for the Gallagher family, haven't I?"
William sighed, as if he were some great benefactor.
"Bullshit!" Lip snapped weakly. "Fiona would never accept something like that!"
He knew his sister.
She would never take that kind of handout.
"Oh?" William smiled faintly. "Is that so?"
He turned and walked over to a nearby table.
In reality, he pulled two documents out of his storage space.
He placed them in front of Lip.
"Then tell me—what are these?"
Lip's eyes widened as he stared at the papers.
His mind went blank.
But only a moment later, Lip connected the dots—his recent work, the money flow—and everything clicked.
"You bastard!" he roared. "You're using Fiona to launder money for you! Fuck! How dare you?!"
Lip's neck flushed red again.
William, however, wasn't the least bit intimidated.
"Hm? Why wouldn't I dare?" William replied calmly. "What exactly is there that I can't do? Let's be clear—this is consensual between Fiona and me.
"Of course," he added lightly, "she just doesn't know about the money-laundering part."
William flashed a bright smile—white teeth, demonic and unapologetic.
"You can't do this!" Lip snapped, suddenly righteous. "You'll ruin Fiona!"
William clicked his tongue in disdain.
"I ruin Fiona?" He scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Do I really need to do anything?
"Your entire family has a talent for self-destruction. If I wanted to ruin Fiona, all I'd have to do is leave her alone. She'd destroy herself sooner or later.
"So instead of worrying about your sister," William said coldly, "you should worry about yourself, Lip.
"You know too much now. So tell me—how do you think I should deal with you?"
The smile vanished from William's face, replaced by pure indifference.
Lip froze.
Only then did it truly sink in.
This man was an arms dealer.
Someone who made a living dancing on the edge of death.
"Y-you can't kill me!" Lip blurted out, survival instinct kicking in. "If I disappear, Fiona will know something's wrong!"
"Hey, hey," William said lazily, rolling his eyes. "Don't make me sound so crude. What benefit do I get from killing you?"
Lip swallowed hard. "Then… what do you want?"
Last night's torture replayed in his mind—creative, sadistic, deliberate.
For a fleeting second, he wondered if death might actually be kinder.
William's tone suddenly shifted again.
"Let me put it this way, Lip. Even if you went back and told Fiona everything you know, there's a ninety percent chance she wouldn't believe you.
"So here's the real question: do you still want to work for me?"
Lip stared at him, completely lost.
Was this man random?
Nothing about him followed logic.
"What the hell are you trying to say?" Lip snapped nervously. "If you're going to kill me or cripple me, just do it. Stop playing games!"
His voice trembled despite himself.
William smiled faintly.
Good.
This was exactly the reaction he wanted.
Killing someone like Lip would be boring.
Breaking him slowly—that had longevity.
"Philip," William said evenly, "you're a smart guy. You know what I want. So I'll give you two choices.
"First option: I find a way to damage your brain. Permanently. Fiona gets a brother she'll have to take care of for the rest of her life.
"Second option: you keep your mouth shut. Fiona continues laundering money for me without knowing it. And you keep selling for me like a good little employee.
"Clear enough?"
William's expression left no room for doubt.
Lip's heart pounded wildly.
Last night proved William absolutely could break him mentally.
He didn't dare gamble.
"I… I choose the second one."
Survival first. Pride could wait.
William easily caught the defiance still flickering in Lip's eyes.
He didn't care.
"Wise choice."
He patted Lip on the shoulder, then turned to Svetlana.
"Untie him. Then have a girl help him clean up. Thoroughly."
"Wait!" Lip blurted out instantly. "No prostitute! I—I'll shower myself!"
William didn't respond.
He just looked at Lip.
Cold. Silent.
Lip swallowed and shut his mouth.
Svetlana sighed inwardly.
This wasn't Lip's decision to make.
Still… since he wasn't restrained anymore, did this count as a reward?
She honestly couldn't tell anymore.