<h4>Chapter 48 A rare group chat.</h4>


    William, guided by Nichs, approached Ryan''s table. Ryan looked at William with interest and chuckled, "William, I see you''re working here now. Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "Didn''t your sister inform you?" William replied with a mere smile. To him, Ryan was just a bratty kid. Given that he wasn''t too familiar with people of this era, he didn''t mind humoring the youngster.


    "Don''t you dare bring my sister into this!" Ryan retorted, mming the table, "Look at yourself and what you do. Stay away from my sister from now on!"


    Caleb, who had been keeping an eye on the situation, knew that Ryan was a top-tier VIP member at their bar. Even if Ryan didn''t visit often, his spending was never low. Recognizing the wealthy young man as a "trust fund baby", Caleb knew better than to cross him.


    To his surprise, Ryan knew Be?


    Which of Be''s acquaintances would they dare provoke?


    Seeing Ryan''s escting anger, Caleb hastily approached with a cating smile, "Is everything okay here?"


    "This is none of your business! Back off!" Ryan shouted dismissively, not giving Caleb any respect.


    With a resigned smile, Caleb backed away, understanding that if he couldn''t mess with Be, Ryan was equally untouchable.


    From a distance, Maria could only watch in anxiety. She couldn''tprehend how William, a young man fresh from a rural setting, could have angered these wealthy individuals.


    William, unperturbed, took out his phone, saying, "L, your brother''s here at my workce, telling me to stay away from you. Please don''t contact me anymore."


    William had lived for countless years, and he understood the age-old attitudes of wealthy families. His association with L wasn''t deep. Though she had assisted him before, he had repaid her with a meal and returned any money owed. If Ryan was protective of his sister, they might as well stopmunicating to avoid misunderstandings.


    Ryan was taken aback by William''s forthrightness, interpreting it as tattling. Given William''s tone, Ryan believed L would steer clear of him from now on.


    "Smart move, William," Ryan remarked smugly, thinking that since William seemed so understanding, he could go easy on himter.


    William, with narrowed eyes, asked Ryan, "Would you like another drink?"


    "Of course!" Ryan leaned back, propping his feet on the table, and pointed at William, "Don''t you go anywhere. Serve us right here!"


    Disciplining William was a task Ryan intended toplete, but now, as a customer, he relished making William serve them. It felt satisfying, especially considering their previous altercation.


    "Alright then!" William responded without a hint of embarrassment. His job was to serve drinks and keep the customerspany. What was there to be ashamed of? Furthermore, serving at this table meant a sizable tip.


    After opening several bottles of wine for Ryan''s group, William stood quietly to the side.


    Be scrutinized William, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Was that all it took to intimidate him? The person her grandfather had taken an interest in seemed incrediblyckluster.


    William was initially expected to be unfazed by Ryan''s threats, perhaps even blowing up on the spot, showing his fiery side, and giving Ryan a good thrashing.


    Ryan had brought eight guys with him this time. All of them were from the Bronx Budo Dojo and were Ryan''s senior martial arts peers. Ryan had invited them for drinks and asked them to help teach William a lesson. There was no way William would get away this time.


    Just as William finished opening the drinks, Ryan''s phone started ringing.


    The bar was incredibly noisy, and Ryan shot William a deep nce before stepping outside to take the call.


    "Hey sis, what''s up?" Ryan had anticipated his sister might call, but he didn''t think much of it.


    "What''s up? Did you go looking for trouble with William?" L''s voice came out, her tone sharp, "Ryan, I''ll tell you once more, I don''t like William, but don''t you dare provoke him! Come back to school right now!"


    L, being an astute woman, wasn''t entirely sure about William''s background, but she had sensed something unusual about him.


    The elders of her generation rarely interfered with the younger generation''s affairs, but many of the senior family members wanted to be in William''s good books. Did Ryan really think he could offend someone like William?


    "Don''t worry, sis. I''ll head back to school soon," Ryan replied, though he didn''t take L''s words seriously. If he didn''t teach William a harsh lesson tonight, he wouldn''t be satisfied.


    Returning to the bar, Ryan promptly turned off his phone. By then, William was still standing near their table.


    The group drank from 11 PM till a little after 3 AM. Be sat there, mostly engrossed in her phone, texting L.


    "L, who exactly is William?" Be stayed not only to ensure Ryan didn''t cross any boundaries but also to see if William would finally lose his temper.


    "I don''t really know either! Aren''t you aware, Be?" L responded, "Maybe we should ask Alice?"


    Without hesitation, Be created a group chat with just the three of them.


    Alice was upte, engrossed in two parchment books William had given her. Irritated by the constant phone notifications, she saw a group chat invitation.


    Who would drag her into a group chat in the middle of the night?


    She initially wanted to leave the group immediately, but upon seeing the participants, she paused.


    "What''s this about?" Alice was curious. The three of them were from old family friends, and although they asionally connected, they weren''t particrly close.


    At least they never had a private group chat before.


    "Alice, why did your grandpa ask you to get in touch with William?"


    Alice raised an eyebrow, careful not to reveal that she had already epted William as her mentor. That would be so embarrassing! She was even nning toy down some ground rules with William the next day, so she couldn''t let others know about her decision to be his student.


    "Perhaps William''s ancestors had some dealings with our three families. Now that he''s all alone, our families might have promised to take care of him," Alice provided a seemingly usible exnation.


    Suddenly, everything clicked for both L and Be. That exnation was the most logical one.


    "Have you met William yet?" L asked.


    Alice didn''t see any reason to hide the fact, "Yes, I met and chatted with him this afternoon."


    Be typed quickly, "Do you guys think it''s possible that our grandfathers and William''s ancestors made some pact, allowing William to choose one of us as hispanion?"