Chapter 56 — Getting "Poison Immunity" and Completing the Final Piece of the Puzzle
Mandy was the type of girl who, once she fell in love, gave everything — loyalty, effort, sacrifice — without asking for anything in return.
William would have to be out of his mind to let someone like that slip away.
Not as a girlfriend.
As a soldier.
Girlfriends hurt you.
Devoted subordinates destroy for you.
Every great villain has fanatics at their side.
And no matter how they disguise it, those fanatics — especially the women — always carried a twisted form of love.
And villains? They weaponized that love.
Mandy stared into William's eyes for a long time. Finally, she nodded slowly.
"I… think you can trust me."
Being trusted — being respected — that was all Mandy ever wanted.
Objectively, it sounded like a small request.
But in the South Side, where everyone was drowning just to survive, respect was a luxury nobody could afford to give.
In another life, maybe she could have been different.
But she wasn't born in the North Side — she was born in hell.
"Good."
William smiled with satisfaction and tugged the switch near the steering wheel.
The trunk popped open.
"Check the trunk. Then you'll understand what job I want you to do."
He rested one hand lazily on the steering wheel, waiting for her to move.
Curious, Mandy got out and walked behind the car.
The South Side had one advantage:
too poor for police attention.
Nobody paid extra taxes and nobody "donated" to the police department — so patrol cars only hovered at a few fixed checkpoints for a few minutes before disappearing again.
Not like the rich districts. There, every night, police cruisers sat outside mansions for hours, taking shifts, pretending it was "patrol duty."
Here? Unless someone snitched, cops didn't bother.
So even if William was committing felonies in broad daylight — nobody cared.
Mandy lifted the trunk lid.
And froze.
"Jesus Christ…"
Packed from one side to the other — high-end firearms.
If they were cheap junk, Mandy might've assumed someone stole her family's supply. But this was too premium. Too immaculate.
She slammed the trunk shut quickly and hurried back into the passenger seat.
"You… want me to help with— gun running?"
She looked straight at him.
William nodded.
"Heh. Are you sure? My last name's Milkovich. The gun business in the South Side — the Milkovich family owns part of it. You're not worried I might betray you?"
She tried to sound careless, but anxiety leaked through every word.
She was terrified that the respect she'd just tasted would be snatched away.
Terrified that William would suddenly pull a gun, tell her to get out, leave her to rot in that house of booze, gunpowder, and cigarette smoke.
"That's why I asked you earlier," William replied calmly, turning his head and studying her. "Whether I could trust you. And you gave me a very good answer… didn't you?"
Mandy blinked — stunned — then whispered:
"…Thank you."
Right now she wished her last name were anything else — even Gallagher would've been an improvement.
William waited patiently.
"You still haven't given me your answer."
Though deep down, he already knew what it would be.
"I'm in," Mandy said simply. "I won't let you down."
No dramatic vows, no poetic speeches — she was a woman of action.
In the show, she tried to kill Karen with a car just to protect Lip's future.
Mandy didn't talk loyalty.
She executed it.
William smiled.
"So… where are we going now?" she asked.
"To buy you some essentials," he answered. "You don't plan on going back to that Milkovich house tonight, do you?"
Her silence was answer enough.
He didn't mention his real reason:
in the timeline, Terry drunkenly tried to assault her because she resembled her mother.
A hospital. A pregnancy scare. A downward spiral.
If keeping Mandy away from that house meant rewriting her fate — all the better.
She didn't cry, didn't hug him, didn't make a dramatic scene.
She just remembered.
And that was more powerful than tears.
William took her shopping — same deal as Svetlana:
▪ a brand-new phone
▪ an unregistered SIM
▪ a suitcase
▪ winter clothes
▪ toiletries
▪ basic everyday necessities
Watching him do all of this for her, Mandy's chest tightened and her nose stung.
Even when her mother was alive, she wasn't treated this well.
But unlike Fiona — who breaks down, cries, or melts into whoever is kind to her —
Mandy didn't lose herself.
She made up her mind instead:
If someone treats me like a person — then I'll work myself to the bone for him.
When the shopping spree ended, William drove her to the motel where Svetlana was staying.
The room door opened.
Mandy wheeled her brand-new suitcase inside and took in the room slowly.
A real bed.
Clean bathroom.
No yelling.
No broken furniture.
No stale cigarette fog.
No Terry.
For the first time in her life…
Mandy Milkovich didn't feel like trash.
Just like Svetlana, Mandy didn't care that this was a rundown motel.
In her eyes, it was already a huge upgrade — quiet, safe, clean, and most importantly: far away from the Milkovich house.
The door clicked shut.
Mandy drew in a shaky breath, turned around, and stared directly at William.
"Can I ask you something?"
She spoke while slowly stepping closer to him.
"Ask."
William sat down on the motel sofa and lit a cigarette.
"Why are you being so good to me?"
Her voice trembled — barely noticeable, but impossible to hide.
William's mind spun instantly. He needed the perfect answer.
"Mandy… I've worked with your dad Terry before.
And from Ian and Lip, I learned a bit about your situation."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"You're a good girl. You deserve better than the life you've been handed."
Mandy said nothing.
Instead, she simply climbed into his lap — straddling him without hesitation.
She plucked the cigarette from between his lips, took a deep drag herself, exhaled a swirling ring of smoke…
…and kissed him hard.
_______________________________
Later, Mandy lay curled up against William on the bed, arms wrapped around him as if terrified that he might disappear if she loosened her grip — as if this warmth was something that didn't belong to her, and could vanish any second.
William, meanwhile, was in an excellent mood.
A sound only he could hear echoed in his mind:
Ding! Mission complete: Prevent Lip and Mandy from developing a romantic relationship.
Reward obtained: Poison Immunity.
With this final enhancement, William's body felt complete.
Now he could say with confidence — unless someone cut off his head entirely, he couldn't be killed.
Self-healing factor, disease transfer, poison immunity…
He was, for all practical purposes, invincible.
He glanced at Mandy — the girl who had just unintentionally helped him unlock the final piece of the puzzle.
Time to set expectations before feelings hardened too far.
"Mandy," William spoke softly, "I should be honest with you about something."
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