Sitting in the car, William helplessly watched as his mother and Abigail cheerfully enjoyed the supposedly super-delicious vanilla ice cream that Chef Gordon had rushed out to give them just before leaving the restaurant.
"Boss, are you sure you don't want to try some? This ice cream is just as Lady Lena said—super delicious," Abigail, showing some conscience, tried to persuade William again after he refused the offer a few minutes earlier.
With a glance at the spoon Abigail offered, William stopped being so reserved and took a bite of the vanilla ice cream. "Hmm, it tastes pretty good, but it's not what I'd call super delicious."
"Idiot," Lena scolded, giving William an annoyed look. "The best time to eat this kind of ice cream is within five minutes of it being made. Any longer than that, and it's not worth eating."
"Ha," William turned to look at Abigail, realizing she hadn't been concerned about him but had just wanted to avoid wasting the leftover ice cream. He gave her an angry glare. "Just wait until we get back to the hotel."
"It's not my fault, Boss! I didn't know the flavor would fade in just a few minutes," Abigail stuck out her tongue, trying to cling to William's arm and act cute. But seeing Lena's occasional glances toward her and William, she opted instead to lightly scratch William's palm, blinking at him in a playful, apologetic way.
Seeing her flirtatious expression, William couldn't help but shake his head. Women were born actresses.
When they returned to the hotel, William gave instructions to the waiting staff to escort the Cabaret couple and the experts upstairs. Turning to his mother and Abigail, he said, "You two go up first. I have some matters to attend to. I'll be back later."
"You're always so busy," Lena grumbled, clearly unhappy to hear William was heading out again. Without waiting for a response, she walked into the elevator. Seeing Abigail about to speak, she urged, "Come on, it's not like he won't come back."
Abigail glanced at Lena's displeased expression, then whispered into William's ear, "Come back soon, Boss. I'll be waiting for you." She then hurried into the elevator.
Once the elevator started going up, William took the car keys handed to him by Antonov. "Send your family's information to Sunday. It will take care of everything, and then you can bring your families to Oxford."
"Understood, Boss. We'll get on it right away."
"Be careful tonight."
"Got it."
William left the hotel and drove toward the Churchill War Rooms. When he arrived, he retrieved the ID he had kept in the car's glove compartment and passed through several layers of security before entering the bunker.
As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Bill Turner and Craig, the former assistant to Lady M, waiting for him. After a brief greeting, William got straight to the point, "Where's the target?"
Seeing that William wasn't in the mood for small talk, Bill Turner had no choice but to lead the way. "This way, Mr. Devonshire."
Entering the holding cell, William was met with the furious face of Charlene, who immediately demanded, "Why was I arrested? I'm an American citizen! I want to see a lawyer and speak to the embassy."
"Why were you arrested?" William sneered at the killer feigning innocence, though he could see the fear in her eyes. "Your real name is Cheng Haiyao. You were kidnapped at age 13 in Hong Kong and spent six years being trained in an assassin camp. The woman in charge of the camp was Lady M, right?"
"Lady M?" Bill Turner and Craig were both shocked at the mention of her name, with William eyeing them closely as he spoke. Craig, though surprised, managed to keep a straight face, but Bill Turner's pupils dilated noticeably under William's intense gaze. "Heh, seems like you know something, Turner."
William walked over, grabbed Bill Turner by the collar, and slammed him against the iron bars with a loud crash. Fueled by anger, the impact left Turner's back numb, followed by a wave of intense pain shooting through his body. Before he could even cry out, William growled, "Tell me everything you know, or I'll break your arms and legs, and have you thrown into Blacksite prison for threatening the safety of MI6 and the National Security Council."
Pulling Turner close, William added in a harsh tone, "With your security clearance, you should know what Blacksite is. Once you're in there, not even death will get you out."
Turner gritted his teeth through the pain. "You can't do this. I'm a senior official at MI6."
"Ha! What, you think I can't get authorization from Gareth and Security Minister Catherine?" William scoffed. "You think I can't get that document, Turner?"
Turner glanced desperately at James Bond, who stood silently by, knowing full well that William could follow through on his threats. But before he could plead for help, William laughed. "Don't bother looking at Craig. He's only interested in finding out who's behind M's assassination. And I just happen to know the answer."
"You know?" Turner clung to William's hand, gripping his collar as he pleaded, "Tell me who's behind Silva, and I'll tell you everything I know."
"So easy?" William turned to look at Craig, who had been standing straight this whole time.
Craig shrugged and smiled. "Turner's had a rough time lately. Some people think he's connected to M's death, while others blame him for not advising her to stay safe. He probably wants to catch the mastermind more than I do. You don't have to rough him up like this."
"FKU, Craig," William let go of Turner's collar. "If you trust him so much, why make him suffer like this?"
Bond replied coldly, "I said it before—Turner didn't protect M. He deserved far worse than a beating."
"You're so cold-blooded, Craig. If I didn't want information, Turner wouldn't be standing now."
"No, it's true, I made a terrible mistake," Turner groaned from the floor. "I know what you're asking about. That Asian assassin group was secretly formed by M when she was head of the Hong Kong division. The goal was to use seduction to lure certain people and eliminate threats to our interests."
"So, the idea to send a female assassin after me was yours?"
Hearing the deepening menace in William's voice, Turner didn't even need to look to know how furious he was. Feeling the pain coursing through his body, he quickly responded, "No, I had no authority to order that group. They only took orders from M. The message I sent was merely a request for them to help us find M's killer out of respect for her as the group's founder. But after a month, I realized the group had gone rogue. In the past month, there have been over a dozen assassinations across Asia that match their methods. They've lost control and turned into mercenaries, killing for money like wild dogs."
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