"Regret? Regret my foot," William silently mocked to himself. "You think bowing down is a show of loyalty? As if you'd be genuinely loyal. There's no shortage of examples of betrayal from these island people."
Exchanging one piece of information for the life of a super expert? William didn't believe in such promises. It was likely that once the White Ghost had avenged his uncle, he'd remember the moment he had to beg for mercy and wouldn't feel grateful. Instead, he'd see it as a humiliation, wanting nothing more than to kill William.
In this day and age, treating each other with some mutual respect was more beneficial for both parties. As long as the White Ghost didn't figure out who his enemy was, and as long as he didn't forget about his need for revenge, William held the key to his desires. The rest was all just lies.
William didn't believe in any of that "serve the master with all your heart" nonsense.
"I'll notify you once the safe storing the list is ready. It'll be kept for five years. This is just to give you peace of mind. But if you don't trust me to actually put the list in the safe, then just pretend I never said it."
"No, Mr. Devonshire," the White Ghost replied. "To be blunt, I have no other option but to trust you right now. I believe you wouldn't deceive someone who commands such a powerful force. As long as I haven't been betrayed, I'm willing to trust you unconditionally. So, if there's a task, just let me know."
"Good. Since you've said that, it would be overly cautious of me to hesitate. This time, your task is to eliminate a hitman organization operating in Southeast Asia. Charlene is an assassin trained by them. She'll take you to the leader of the organization. I need you to watch her kill the leader, and then help me wipe out all of the organization's higher-ups and management. As for the assassins themselves, I'll leave that to your discretion. The details are on the phone I gave you."
"Understood." The White Ghost took out his phone, unlocked it, and checked the information in front of William. After a few seconds, he had a rough understanding of the targets and put his phone away. Smiling, he said to William, "Don't worry, they're all small fry. I'll have it sorted out soon."
"So, what's your fee?" William asked with a smile.
The White Ghost was about to say he didn't need anything, but seeing William's expression, he quickly changed his tune. "Let's say... $1 million per target. From now on, anyone you want me to kill will be $1 million each."
"No problem," William replied without haggling. The price was low, but payment was still payment. There was a big difference between discounted and free work, and this way, the White Ghost wouldn't be able to pester him about payment in the future.
After sending off the White Ghost, who was holding Charlene in his arms, William walked to the Thames River and extended his psychic energy to retrieve the katana he had thrown into the river.
After a bit of effort and some wasted psychic energy, the katana soon reappeared in his hand. As he ran his fingers over the blade, he acknowledged it as a fine weapon, but his reason for retrieving it wasn't to return it to the White Ghost; he had other plans.
With this katana in hand, if the White Ghost ever betrayed him, William could travel to the island nation, swap this sword with the one that had killed the monk, and make it look like the White Ghost was the murderer of his own uncle and mentor.
Holding the blade, William chuckled and muttered to himself, "No one betrays me and lives to tell about it. Not only will I take your life, but I'll also make sure you have no chance to clear your name. You'll become a despised and forgotten soul, unable to be buried with your ancestors—a wandering ghost. For an East Asian, that's probably the worst punishment imaginable."
Back in his car, he opened a small portal, threw the White Ghost's sword into his castle's basement, and then drove back to his hotel. As soon as he entered the presidential suite, he saw Abigail in her pajamas.
Waving off the butler who had escorted him, William walked over, scooped up Abigail, and said, "Join me in the shower. Then, we'll work out, and I'll show you the consequences of messing with me."
"Hehe, it's just post-workout soreness, right? It's not like I haven't dealt with that before, boss..."
Before Abigail could finish speaking, William silenced her with a kiss. What followed were sounds of running, squats, and push-ups coming from the room—and they lasted for quite some time.
The next morning, William got up, went to the gym for an hour, and returned to his room to shower and get dressed. He went to the master bedroom to wake Abigail, but after shaking her for a while, she groggily opened her eyes, looked at him, and then pulled the blanket over her head. "If you keep bothering me, I'll bite you," she mumbled.
Shrugging, William playfully slapped her on the behind and, amid her curses, left the suite to join his mother for breakfast.
During breakfast, Lina handed William a newspaper and said sternly, "Look at this. Someone's slandering us in the press."
Taking the paper, William saw it was a copy of The Sun. The front page covered the news of Chelsea's acquisition, first introducing the Devonshire family, then William and Lina. The editorial piece mocked how William had whimsically given Chelsea to his mother as a birthday gift. Furthermore, it mentioned his plan to make Lina the club's chairman, breaking the tradition of no women holding such a position at a top English football club. The editor predicted this unconventional move would likely cause unrest among the fans and destabilize the team.
At the bottom of the article was a picture of William's personal lawyer, Anthony, meeting with José Mourinho in Portugal, with the caption, "Who is this guy?"
"Hahaha," William burst out laughing when he saw Mourinho's thin, grinning face in the photo. "I'm 100% sure that Mourinho leaked this photo himself. That guy doesn't want to be an assistant at Chelsea for two years. He's forcing me to either hire him or kick him out. Either way, he's making a name for himself with this."
"And you're still laughing? William Devonshire, why didn't you discuss meeting with another coach with me first? Are you seriously thinking about replacing Ranieri? What kind of club chairman does that make me?"
"No," William looked at his mother, surprised. "What are you talking about? I just met with a coach I like. It's not that serious, is it?"
"You fool, Chelsea is mine, mine, got it?" Lina banged the table, scolding loudly.
William rubbed his forehead. "Oh God, I should've known. Soccer is your real baby. Just like when you used to kick me out whenever I interrupted your games." He sighed and added, "Mom, I really believe Mourinho can do great things. If we pick the right players, we might see results in the first year."
"You're crazy. That guy? No way!"
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Hello, if you enjoy mythology novels, I invite you to check out "I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother", a story inspired by Norse mythology