Chapter 55 — A Perfect Tool Like Mandy Should Never Be Wasted
Mandy was dressed today in one of those summer-meets-winter outfits.
Some people online call that a fashion trend.
If William had never lived in America, maybe he would've believed that.
Reality was much simpler:
poor people can't afford clothes.
When winter hits, they just layer summer clothes on top because that's all they have.
It has nothing to do with style — it's just poverty in disguise.
Of course, some clever capitalists repackaged this look, shipped it to Asia, turned it into "street fashion," and made a fortune selling it back to kids who didn't know better.
Mandy stopped walking.
She still didn't get into the car — not yet.
She leaned against the window and finally looked at William.
And when she really looked, it hit her.
William had that Greek-sculpture kind of face.
Sharper than Lip.
More dangerous than Lip.
Mandy had walked over intending to curse him out and walk away — but the moment she saw the face that matched everything she found attractive, her attitude flipped immediately.
Of course, looks weren't the only reason.
After she found out Ian was gay, she and Ian became close friends — with a purpose:
To get closer to Lip.
There weren't many guys in school who fit Mandy's taste.
Lip did.
But every time she approached him, he dodged her — subtly, deliberately — like she had zero appeal.
Mandy was already a girl with low self-esteem.
That hurt.
And none of it was her fault — if Lip didn't have erectile dysfunction stapled onto his body, even Karen wouldn't have gotten anywhere.
Now, fate handed her a guy even hotter than Lip.
Mandy decided she was going to reclaim her confidence.
"Let me ask you something."
Her voice trembled just a little.
"Do you think I'm ugly?"
William immediately caught it — her self-esteem was worse than he expected.
A normal girl asks:
Do you think I look pretty?
Mandy had already labeled herself ugly before anyone else could.
William shook his head with conviction.
"No. You're beautiful."
Was it true?
Objectively? …Not really.
The Milkovich DNA was not famous for attractive faces.
But William had long since mastered the art of lying to women when necessary.
And it worked immediately.
Mandy's smile was bright, vulnerable, relieved — the kind that hits straight to the ego.
She circled around the car, opened the passenger door, and slid inside.
"Where do you wanna go? I'll take you," William asked casually.
He didn't mention "work" yet.
Mandy was a devoted-love archetype — emotions bound her stronger than money ever could.
"I don't know," she mumbled. "I just didn't wanna be at home."
Her eyes drifted toward the filthy, chaotic street — resentment simmering under the surface.
"What happened at home?" William asked gently, even though he already knew.
Sometimes, letting someone vent their misery is the fastest way to build emotional dependency.
"What do you think? It's the Milkovich house. It always smells like booze and gunpowder.
Anyone normal would hate living there."
She gave a little self-mocking laugh — the kind that said I know I'm trash, and I hate it.
"Alright, Mandy. Let me introduce myself properly."
William shifted into a slower, warmer tone.
"My name's William Blake. I'm… kind of working with Lip and the others.
But that's not my only business."
He tapped the steering wheel lightly.
"I wanted to talk because I have a job you could make money with. But since you mentioned your home situation… I've also got a proposal."
Mandy turned to him, curious despite herself.
"I've got someone working for me — a girl. Russian. I booked her a long-term room at a motel. It's a double room.
If you want, I can arrange for you to live there too."
Her eyes widened — stunned.
"And look — you don't have to work for me just to stay there.
Even if you don't take the job, I can still get you a place.
You'll just need to cover a symbolic amount of the rent."
Every word William said was calculated.
He wasn't just hiring Mandy — he was claiming her.
Once a girl like her felt grateful…
Once she believed someone finally saw her and cared about her…
She would follow him into the dark without question.
This was a girl who nearly killed Karen to protect Lip's future.
If the affection is strong enough, Mandy would kill for him without blinking.
And that was exactly what William needed.
Hearing William say he would solve her housing problem, Mandy felt something inside her loosen — something warm and dangerous.
But William wasn't finished.
"I also own another property on North Wallace, 2118," he continued. "It's still under construction right now… but once it's finished, my people will be moving in. If you want, you can move in too."
Then he added, almost casually:
"Of course, when property tax season comes around, you'll need to contribute a symbolic amount. Just to make it fair."
Twice now he'd used the same phrase — symbolic amount.
Mandy wasn't the type who cared about pride the way Fiona did, but William understood human nature perfectly:
Give someone help,
but leave them dignity,
and they'll stay loyal.
And it worked.
The moment she heard those words, Mandy's emotions surged so hard she physically turned away from him, fighting the urge to cry or throw herself at him.
A man she'd only met twice was treating her better than anyone in her entire life.
Why didn't she doubt his intentions?
Because she was a Milkovich girl from the South Side.
No one tries to manipulate trash.
No one plots against someone like her.
If William did have ulterior motives, Mandy would probably welcome them.
Because at least with him… she felt seen.
And respected.
Mandy had lived her whole life without once being respected — not by her family, not by her boyfriends, not by anyone.
People only ever took from her.
No one had ever given anything.
So for respect alone — the most foreign luxury she'd ever been offered — she would give William anything he wanted.
But a Milkovich has a problem:
they don't know how to express their feelings.
They act tough first, talk emotions never.
Mandy was no exception.
So instead of admitting what she felt, she tossed her hair and forced her voice to sound indifferent:
"You mentioned a job earlier. What exactly do you want me to do? I don't freeload off people."
That people could've just been replaced with you.
The Milkovich family has freeloading in their blood — her father Terry practically tried to scam William the first time they met.
But Mandy wasn't freeloading.
She was trying to justify why she desperately wanted to stay close to him.
William didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he said:
"Mandy. Look at me."
She resisted for a second — then slowly turned, her eyes meeting his.
Only then did he ask, calmly and directly:
"Mandy… can I trust you?"