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nAfter Alice and the others went to the restroom, only William and Walker remained.

nWilliam sipped his tea, and Walker suddenly asked, “William, have you ever thought about doing something different?”

n“What kind of thing?” William looked up at him.

nWalker said, “For instance, following me. I’ll lead you to the pinnacle of life.”

nFeeling a bit playful, William asked, “Like what?”

nWalker replied earnestly, “First, we unify New York’s underground factions. Then we start a company, go public, and stand above the rest.”

n“Interesting plan,” William nodded, “What would I need to do?”

nWalker grinned, “Be my little bro! You’ll do as I say.”

n“That does sound intriguing,” William reflected. He had once been a beggar, so being someone’s sidekick didn’t seem that outlandish. Moreover, he found young Walker quite entertaining.

nWalker smirked, “Then from now on, you’re my guy.”

n“I haven’t agreed yet,” William said, taking a sip of water. “Do you really expect me to believe you can unite New York’s underworld? And in this day and age, is there even such an underground scene?”

n“Heh, you’ve only seen the glossy side of society. Where there’s light, there’s shadow. After dinner, I’ll show you,” Walker said with full confidence, utterly convinced of New York’s so-called underworld.

n“Alright,” William thought the city seemed rather peaceful, with folks living leisurely everywhere. Where could this supposed underground faction be? He pondered if small-time thugs like those that hung around Joshua’s bar even counted.

nBy the time Evelyn arrived, Lila and the others had already returned. This time, however, Lila chose a seat at the opposite end of the table, clearly not wanting to sit near Walker. It wasn’t about being polite anymore; she genuinely had grown to dislike him.

nWhen Evelyn arrived, Alice promptly seated her to William’s right and began ordering. Lila and Evelyn, having attended the same school and having met once or twice, exchanged smiles as greetings.

n“Evelyn, let me introduce you. This is Lila,” Alice said, then turning to Lila, “And this is Evelyn, William’s friend and also a good friend of mine.”

nA friend of William and a close friend of Alice?

nLila was taken aback. It was one thing for someone like William to have friends, but for Alice to call someone a close friend? That was news to her.

nAs dinner commenced, Walker chattered away about his secretive training on a mountain and shared amusing anecdotes from his life. William listened quietly, not interrupting. Lila, wary of Walker’s unpredictable nature, chose to stay silent, fearing any remark might trigger another of his outrageous comments.

nDinner, overall, was relatively harmonious.

nAfter the meal, Walker proposed taking William out for a night on the town. The three women went their separate ways, each returning home.

n“I’ll take you to the riverside for some fun.”

nAfter William and Walker left the restaurant, Walker put on an act as if he were a major gang leader, intending to show William the underground factions he had spoken about.

nWalker hailed a cab, and to William’s surprise, they ended up on a street he was very familiar with. Soon, they stood outside the Moonlit Harbor Pub.

nWilliam stood at the entrance, feeling conflicted.

nWhy were they back at this bar?

nWere they looking for trouble? .𝗰𝗼𝗺

nWalker glanced at William and said, “I heard you worked at this pub before and got fired. Is that right?”

nWilliam inquired, “Who told you that?”

n“I have my sources,” Walker grinned, “Today, I’m taking you here to get back at them, redeem one’s previous disgrace.”

nredeem one’s previous disgrace?

nWilliam actually felt a bit guilty towards the owner of the Moonlit Harbor Pub.

nHowever, since Maria had already sold her shares, William didn’t feel quite as remorseful about the situation.

nWalker patted William on the back, chuckling, “Don’t worry! Today, big brother’s gonna show you what real skill is.”

nAs they entered the pub, the waitstaff immediately recognized William, and someone promptly informed Joshua.

n“What are you looking at? Bring the drinks!” Walker confidently chose a seat and motioned for the bartender to serve them.

nThe waiter had received instructions from Joshua, stating that as long as William didn’t cause any trouble in the bar, he should be treated as a regular patron. Joshua would join them for a drink shortly.

nWhen William left last time, he had made amends by apologizing. If William, relying on his martial prowess, decided to cause a commotion, then the waiter’s only option would be to call the police.

nIn the end, he considered himself an honest businessman. He might have had some disagreements with William in the past, but once matters were settled, there was no need to escalate to life-threatening situations.

nThe main goal of running his bar was just to make money.

n“What would you gentlemen like to drink?” The waiter, not wanting to provoke any trouble, smilingly handed them the drink menu.

nWalker took the menu, glanced at it, and said, “We’ll start with ten bottles of the ’96 Lafite, and then just surprise us with the other wines. Also, bring some fruit plates and snacks.”

nTen bottles of ’96 Lafite right off the bat?

nThat was quite a bold move!

nWhile their bar didn’t have the ’82 Lafite, the ’96 version wasn’t cheap either. At $2,888 per bottle, ten bottles amounted to nearly $30,000.

n“Will you be paying with card or scanning a code?”

nThe Moonlit Harbor Pub is a sizable establishment. Their policy here is to pay for the drinks upfront before serving. Given the constant influx of customers and their limited number of staff, how could they keep track if a patron left without settling the bill?

n“You expect me to pay before we even finish our drinks?” Walker’s eyes widened, and he scoffed coldly. “Maybe you should get your boss to talk to me. I don’t want to make things difficult for a hardworking waiter like you.”

nHe had come today with the intent to stir things up; he wasn’t planning to pay.

n$30,000? He didn’t even have that kind of money on him.

n“Alright, gentlemen, please give me a moment,” the waiter responded, nodding before walking away.

nMost of the bar staff knew about William’s previous issues with Joshua. For William to come in with someone like Walker and immediately order ten bottles of Lafite without intending to pay, it was clear they were here to cause trouble.

nUpon hearing the waiter’s report, Joshua chuckled, grabbed a bottle of Lafite, and approached the table.

n“William, about our past differences, I believe we’ve settled them, haven’t we?” Joshua said, placing the bottle on William’s table. “This bottle of wine is on me. Let’s keep things amicable. I don’t want our relationship to take a drastic turn.”

nWilliam was known for his combat skills. Joshua had visited the hospital to see the two men William had injured: one had a detached retina and a moderate concussion, while the other suffered three broken ribs. Both were seriously injured. Joshua certainly didn’t want to antagonize someone like that.

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