Chapter 174: Estefania's Reward Secured
Hearing that Steve was working, William smiled slightly.
"Oh, you're busy? Then I won't bother you. I was actually going to ask you to help me get a car."
It was a lie.
That only made Steve feel worse.
Compared to stealing cars, working as a store clerk felt unbearable—low pay, tedious work, and no thrill whatsoever.
Pure torture.
Of course, that was only from the perspective of someone used to fast money.
Most Americans lived like this every day.
It wasn't like Steve was special.
Back when he dropped out of medical school to chase excitement and steal cars—that had been his own choice.
Steve hesitated.
Part of him wanted to take William up on the offer.
But then he thought about Ado sitting outside in that Cadillac, watching him like a hawk.
He sighed.
"Sorry, man. Can't get away. Can't help you."
"It's fine. I'll find someone else. Later."
William hung up.
There was never any job for Steve in the first place.
By now, William had already parked outside Estefania's apartment.
If Steve had been home, he would've just come back another day.
But clearly—
he wasn't.
With a faint smirk, William got out of the car.
Using the mental mark he had left earlier, he located Estefania's position, made his way upstairs, and found her unit.
He knocked.
Inside, Estefania had just finished a shower.
She was lounging on the couch in a bathrobe, nothing underneath, lazily scrolling through her phone.
Her goal was simple—browse Tinder and see if she could hook up with someone.
After Marco's death, she had only been upset for a few minutes before completely forgetting about him.
Calling her heartless would almost be an understatement.
When the knock came, she frowned slightly.
Steve had a key.
So it couldn't be him.
At this hour… who else could it be?
Before leaving, Steve had repeatedly warned her not to open the door for strangers.
And for once—
she actually listened.
Walking up to the door, she called out in her limited English:
"Who is it?"
"It's me," William replied—fluently, in Portuguese.
Hearing Portuguese, her first instinct was that it might be someone from her father's side.
But the voice didn't sound familiar.
Curious, she leaned in and checked through the peephole.
The moment she saw William's face—
she recognized him instantly.
The man from the yacht earlier that day.
Technically, she wasn't supposed to open the door.
But—
this was Estefania.
Without hesitation, she unlocked it.
They had already been exchanging looks on the yacht.
She didn't know how he had found her address—
but at least tonight wouldn't be boring.
The door swung open.
"Good evening, Estefania," William said with a bright smile, flashing a row of perfect white teeth.
"Good evening… and you are?" she asked, her gaze sweeping over him with open interest.
To be honest, anyone with even the slightest experience between men and women could tell exactly what Estefania wanted.
So William didn't bother playing coy.
He slid his hand straight into her bathrobe, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her firmly against him.
Their bodies pressed tightly together.
The sudden move startled her for a split second—
but just as quickly, she melted into the raw, masculine presence he carried.
"What are you doing…?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
William didn't answer.
He simply smiled.
Then hooked the door shut with his foot—
bang.
The door closed.
"Well… you know exactly what."
With that, he lifted her up and carried her toward the bedroom.
Because of William's earlier interference, Steve wasn't even allowed near the bed anymore—he had been relegated to sleeping on the couch.
So this bed…
had only ever belonged to Estefania.
And since she hadn't been in North America for long, her usual habits hadn't fully taken off yet.
___
"Holy Mother of Mary…"
Estefania lay sprawled on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling light.
"You're… incredible," she murmured to herself.
Meanwhile, William glanced at the system notification.
[Flame Manipulation (Level 3)] had been successfully added to his skill set.
Objective complete.
He began getting dressed.
At this hour, Steve might return at any moment.
Seeing him prepare to leave, Estefania panicked slightly and sat up.
"Where are you going?"
She clearly wasn't done yet.
A partner like this—
she had never experienced before.
After tonight, every man she'd ever met felt inferior by comparison.
Marco? Already forgotten, buried somewhere at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
But that was just who she was.
Everything she did revolved around satisfying her own desires.
As for love?
That had never really been part of the equation.
If it were, she wouldn't have shrugged off her past lovers so easily—only mourning the loss of a partner, then moving on within days.
For someone like her, once William had gotten what he wanted—
his interest had already faded.
"I'm leaving. Or what, you want to put on a live show for Steve when he gets back?" William said bluntly. "I'm not that kind of freak."
His tone wasn't exactly gentle.
But strangely—
she liked it.
As the daughter of a drug lord, she had always been pampered, indulged, treated like a princess.
No one had ever treated her this roughly.
"Then one more round… or at least give me your number," she said, grabbing her phone and holding it out to him.
She wasn't even wearing her robe anymore.
Her tanned, toned body—model-like in proportion—was striking.
But still—
William wasn't interested in sticking around.
He had no intention of turning this into something more.