[Please Read This First: This chapter contains sensitive and potentially distressing material. Reader discretion is advised.]
Chapter 164: Karen's Release and Lip's Hypocrisy
Karen's request made a few black lines appear on William's forehead.
Still, it was reasonable. If she got too loud and attracted the neighbors' attention, that would be troublesome—especially Debbie, that nosy little brat. If she noticed anything, she might even try to blackmail him.
William had no intention of giving her that chance.
So he grabbed a clean towel from the closet, rolled it up, and handed it to Karen for her to bite down on herself. If he stuffed it in, it might prevent her from speaking entirely—making the agreed safe word useless.
"Ready?" William asked.
Karen, a little nervous, nodded.
A sharp strike landed, and she bit down hard on the towel, letting out a muffled sound.
At the same time, some of the frustration buried deep inside her seemed to loosen.
Sometimes, pain could act as a strange kind of release for emotional wounds.
On top of that, the special effect of the oil-treated whip in William's hand gradually began to influence her as well.
Originally, the relationship between Karen and William had been nothing more than a transaction—money, nothing more.
But from this moment on, something began to change.
"How is it? Can you handle it?" William asked, pausing.
Karen didn't let go of the towel. She simply turned her head and nodded.
Seeing that she was fine, he continued.
Another sharp crack cut through the air.
Karen's reaction deepened, but this time, instead of resistance, there was something else—something more complex.
---
Time passed.
After about an hour—
Everything finally settled.
---
Karen lay there, eyes unfocused as she stared at the ceiling, her body drenched in sweat.
"…God…"
Her voice was soft, almost drifting.
"Why didn't I know this sooner…?"
William let out a small chuckle. "How was I supposed to know you'd like it?"
He turned slightly, looking at her profile.
Karen rolled her eyes faintly, but the irritation quickly melted into a kind of relaxed exhaustion.
"Thanks… for today."
She murmured, then instinctively shifted closer, resting against him like a vine seeking support.
That small gesture caught William off guard.
Before today, Karen would never have shown even a hint of dependence like this.
Which meant—
The effect was… remarkably effective.
Of course, he didn't say that out loud. He simply noted it to himself.
Reaching out, he gently stroked her hair.
"As long as you liked it."
But Karen didn't respond.
Mentally and physically, she had reached her limit. Exhaustion pulled her into unconsciousness.
Watching her lying there, drained and asleep, William smiled faintly.
Then he got dressed and quietly left 2118.
He didn't go far.
Instead, he lingered nearby, already planning his next move.
At that moment, his phone rang.
It was Steve.
"Hey. Did Nando agree to meet?" William asked as he picked up.
Steve contacting him could only mean one thing.
Sure enough, Steve began explaining the details of the meeting.
---
Days passed quickly.
Since the South Side restaurant opened, Fiona had been fully occupied with work.
Lip worked there every day, growing closer and closer to Sniqua.
Meanwhile, William occasionally kept an eye on Lip—
Making sure he didn't get involved with any other women.
The goal, of course, was to make Lip fall into the illusion that he could only feel attracted to Sniqua.
At the same time, Sniqua successfully found a Black partner—and got pregnant.
That day, she came to William with a pregnancy test in hand.
"Boss, I'm pregnant. What should I do now?"
She was clearly a bit uneasy. The money William promised didn't worry her—but the green card was another matter entirely.
Some things couldn't be solved with money alone.
Or rather, even if you had money, without the right connections, it meant nothing.
Someone like her could only rely on legitimate pathways—like marrying Lip and passing immigration review to obtain a green card.
"What should you do?" William glanced up at her. "Go find the father of the child. Do I really need to teach you that?"
"Got it, boss. I'll go find Lip right away."
"Wait."
William stopped her.
"You can tell him you're not sure whether the child is his."
Sniqua nodded and left the office at the base.
Honestly, William was relieved she hadn't misunderstood and gone looking for the actual biological father instead.
If she had, he might've needed to reconsider using her at all.
After all, if she slipped up in front of Lip, it would ruin everything.
But thinking about it, that probably wouldn't happen.
Once a child was involved, Lip would practically lose all rational judgment.
Aside from occasional flashes of cleverness, he was actually quite foolish.
Sure, academically he could achieve good results—but without real wisdom, that kind of shallow cleverness wouldn't take him far.
His later self-destruction was proof enough.
If he had taken even a second to think about his future, he wouldn't have smashed Professor Youens' car—the very man who had helped him.
Instead, he treated him like an enemy.
That said, Lip wasn't entirely without cunning.
If William hadn't intervened, Fiona would soon take over managing a nightclub.
And Lip would use his street smarts—teaming up with Mandy and others—to scam parking fees from rich kids who came to party.
He'd make a tidy profit from it.
But that was his limit.
If he had any real foresight, he would've helped Fiona run the nightclub properly—
Instead of letting personal conflicts with her override the family's interests.
All signs pointed to the same truth:
Lip constantly talked about "family," but in reality, his decisions were always driven by self-interest.
Never from the perspective of the family as a whole.
It was hypocrisy—plain and simple.
"Boss… isn't this a bit too cruel to that Irish boy?"