Chapter 192: Finding a Way
Even though Officer Tony occasionally accepted small bribes from colleagues, they were usually just a few tens or a little over a hundred dollars.
This time, however, Jimmy handed him an envelope that was at least two to three thousand dollars thick—and it was all cash!
What does that even mean? That amount could buy half a house!
Tony had never seen that much cash in his entire life.
"So, we're friends now, right?" Jimmy said, placing the envelope in Tony's hand and bending his fingers to grip it firmly.
*Gulp.* Tony swallowed hard.
In the end, he accepted the money.
"Haha, I knew we'd become good friends," Jimmy said, raising his glass to toast with Tony.
Tony tilted his head back and downed the contents of his glass, momentarily forgetting about spying on the bedroom.
"By the way, your feelings for Fiona are really persistent. It's been a while, and you still can't get over her. Let me be honest with you—don't take it the wrong way," Jimmy said.
"What do you mean by honest?" Tony would have usually reacted angrily to Jimmy's comments, but now that Jimmy was married and had just given him a generous gift, his attitude had softened.
"You and Fiona really aren't a good match. I'm not trying to stir up trouble between you two; I'm just speaking the truth. Let me ask you, do you really know Fiona?" Jimmy pressed.
"I... of course I do," Tony replied, lacking confidence.
"No, you don't. You're a good guy, an honest man. You're tall, handsome, and a police officer, so many girls like that. But you're not Fiona's type."
"I know Fiona well; when I first saw her at the bar, I could tell what kind of person she is."
"Fiona is a bad girl, and bad girls like bad boys. She's attracted to those who know how to enjoy life and have fun."
"I don't know if you've read any psychology books, but it's common for people to choose partners resembling their parents in some way. Fiona's choice in partners might have been influenced by Frank."
"So, Fiona will never like you. Even if she ends up with a good guy like you, you two will eventually break up because she will subconsciously be drawn to bad boys like me. And there are plenty of bad boys like me on the street," Jimmy explained.
"I'm telling you this from the heart. You could blame me for everything in the past, but I've been gone for six months. Think about why Fiona hasn't been with you during that time," Jimmy said, patting Tony's shoulder.
Meanwhile, Fiona was doing her best to find a way to bring her children home.
She first visited the family services department and finally learned where the children had been placed. She also discovered a way to reunite them all.
"Is Veronica home?" Fiona knocked on Veronica's door. A girl named Ethel, whom Veronica and Kevin had adopted, answered.
"Veronica is upstairs setting up the bedroom. She and Kevin are planning to make sausages tonight, which is strange since they're doing it in the bedroom. If you want to see her, I can call her down," Ethel said, holding a broom.
"No need, I'll go up and see her," Fiona replied, entering the house.
"What are you doing?" Fiona entered the bedroom to find Veronica laying down plastic sheets on the bed.
"I made a deal with a website to shoot a short video. They're paying me $150! This week is for backdoor injections, and next week is for bleaching," Veronica explained.
Veronica was also into live streaming, and though she had some fame, she was already overshadowed by Sheila.
"The family services department took the kids away this morning," Fiona disclosed.
"What?! Oh my God! I've been so busy!" Veronica exclaimed.
Both Veronica and Kevin had their own responsibilities and couldn't keep constant tabs on Fiona's situation.
"Can you and Kevin talk to the social worker in charge of your adoption?" Fiona asked hesitantly.
"About what?" Veronica replied.
"I spoke to the staff at family services. If someone is willing to adopt all the kids, they could be reunited. Can you see if you can adopt them?" Fiona explained.
If it were possible, Fiona didn't want to trouble Veronica, but she was out of options.
"Five Gallagher kids staying at my place?!" Veronica's voice rose in disbelief; she knew what kind of trouble those kids could cause.
"Just for a few days, a week at most!" Fiona quickly assured her, promising that she would find a way to get the kids back during that week.
"Ian and Lip are placed in a level 14 facility," Fiona added.
"Level 14?!" Veronica was shocked.
"Yes, level 14 houses kids who have set their parents on fire or stabbed them while they slept on the couch," Fiona explained helplessly.
That's why Fiona was so anxious—she feared for Lip and Ian's safety.
"If I want to adopt them, I need to apply for guardianship," Fiona said.
"Oh my God, five Gallagher kids? I'm going to be overwhelmed," Veronica sighed.
Being Fiona's best friend, she felt obligated to help.
Veronica agreed to talk to the social worker and told Fiona to wait at home for news.
Returning home, Fiona looked at the messy house and began to tidy up. As she sorted through old clothes, she couldn't help but bury her face in them and cry, feeling utterly helpless.
But a few minutes later, she composed herself, realizing that life must go on no matter what.
Before long, Veronica returned.
"How did it go?" Fiona asked, filled with hope.
"Not great. She explained a long list of reasons why we can't adopt your entire family, including ridiculous investigations into our ability to adopt," Veronica replied.
"What do we do now?" Veronica asked, looking at Fiona.
"We have to tackle this head-on. First, we need to find out where the kids are placed, then get the house ready for inspections, and finally figure out how to convince Monica," Fiona said.
"By the way, Steve is back," Fiona hesitated to mention.
"Wait, what? Steve? The Steve I know?" Veronica asked in surprise.