Kevin was completely at a loss for words. Flustered, he instinctively looked toward Dexter.
Catching that, Dexter immediately put on an awkward expression.
"Uh… Kevin, you haven't proposed to Veronica yet? Last time you said you two were getting married, so I thought… sorry, my bad."
Kevin still couldn't speak. He was so nervous that sweat started forming on his forehead.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds…
The shock and anticipation on Veronica's face slowly faded, replaced by a less friendly look.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Kevin wasn't stupid—he noticed the change right away. The sweat on his forehead practically started pouring.
The next moment—
Kevin didn't want to lose Veronica, and he definitely didn't want to make her unhappy. Gritting his teeth, he snapped at Dexter first, half-pretending to be angry.
"Dexter, look what you did."
After blaming Dexter, Kevin turned to Veronica.
"Vee, I was planning to take some time, save up some money, buy a ring… but Dexter ruined the timing, so I'll just do it now."
As he spoke, Kevin dropped to one knee.
"Veronica Fisher, will you marry me?"
The words she'd always wanted to hear finally reached her ears.
In an instant—
Veronica's mood flipped completely. She shouted excitedly,
"Yes! Yes! Of course I'll marry you!!"
Overwhelmed with excitement, she threw herself at Kevin.
Kevin was still half-kneeling when Veronica tackled him straight to the floor.
Neither of them cared. They hugged each other tightly.
As for the fact that Kevin was technically already married… that could wait. It wasn't important right now.
Dexter immediately broke into applause.
Vivian, who had followed behind and had just met them, also clapped sincerely, genuinely happy for the couple.
Clap, clap, clap.
"Congratulations!" Vivian said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Looks like I didn't mess things up after all. Congrats," Dexter added.
After quite a while, Kevin and Veronica finally got back on their feet.
"Alright, something this happy deserves a proper celebration," Dexter said warmly. "Come on, everyone, into the restaurant. I'll cook. Let's eat and drink a little."
To be honest, he really was happy for them.
"Sounds great! Thank you, boss," Veronica said, absolutely beaming with happiness.
"I'll go grab some booze from Alibi," Kevin said. He was happy too—but more than that, he had a headache. He figured this was a good excuse to get a little time alone to clear his head.
"Go ahead," Dexter said, understanding perfectly. Kevin's crazy wife wasn't a real problem anyway. "Just be quick."
Before long—
Dexter, Veronica, and Vivian went into the restaurant.
Dexter turned on all the lights. "You two can sit wherever you want."
Veronica and Vivian sat down and started chatting. Since they'd just met, the conversation was easy enough.
But as they talked, the excitement from earlier faded a bit…
Veronica thought of Fiona.
Fiona was her best—her only—best friend. An engagement was a huge deal, and she wanted Fiona there to celebrate. But Fiona's situation with Dexter wasn't exactly great…
After hesitating for a while—
Deciding Dexter didn't seem like the petty type, Veronica cautiously asked,
"Boss, can I invite Fiona? She's my best friend…"
"Sure," Dexter replied without hesitation. He was tying on his apron at the kitchen entrance. "She has a boyfriend, right? Bring him too. Oh, and invite Carl as well… actually, everyone except Frank and Lip. The more people, the livelier."
Veronica was a little surprised. She looked at Dexter carefully. He didn't seem bothered, but she still wasn't completely sure.
"Boss… you're serious?"
"Of course," Dexter said with a grin, knowing exactly what she was worried about.
"Okay, then I'll call her," Veronica said, mostly convinced.
"Go ahead. Tell them to come quick—I'm starting to cook," Dexter said, then headed into the kitchen.
"Alright," Veronica replied, pulling out her phone.
——
The Gallagher house.
Even though things had been awkward between her and Veronica after last night, hearing that Veronica had suddenly gotten engaged still made Fiona genuinely happy.
"We're celebrating at Dexter's restaurant. Do you want to come?" Veronica sounded a bit helpless. "Dexter said you should bring Steve, and Carl, Ian, Debbie, and Liam too. He's cooking. What do you think?"
Hearing that—
Fiona fell silent. "..."
What did she think?
Honestly?
Not great.
Her first reaction was that she didn't want to go.
But the very next second—
Her eyes drifted, almost unconsciously, toward Steve, who was standing nearby.
Her second reaction was the complete opposite.
After all… she was a woman.
Steve was interesting—and rich. Bringing Steve along to show him off in front of Dexter?
That would really get under his skin.
And that felt good.
"Alright. We'll head over right away," Fiona replied.
"Great! Hurry up," Veronica said, clearly relieved.
The call ended.
Fiona didn't waste a second. She immediately told Steve about it, had him help get Carl and the others ready, then jogged upstairs to her room. She dug out her best outfit, changed quickly, and got to work on her makeup.
Steve noticed Fiona's little scheme, but said nothing. He just smiled wryly and went along with it.
About ten minutes later—
Everything was ready.
Fiona and Steve, along with Carl and the others, piled into the Mercedes Steve had driven over that day and headed for Dex Restaurant.
As for Frank and Lip…
Frank was left at home. Lip wasn't around—he was at Karen's place—which actually made things easier for Fiona.
She wasn't stupid enough to bring Lip to see Dexter.
——
Dex Restaurant.
Kevin returned with plenty of alcohol, forcing a smile and acting like everything was perfectly normal.
Vivian blinked. She could tell Kevin was putting on a front—she was curious and a little confused—but she didn't say anything. She just busied herself pouring drinks for Kevin and Veronica.
Vivian actually wanted to help decorate the restaurant a bit, but she knew now wasn't the right time. So she held back and just chatted with them instead.
In the kitchen—
So far, Dexter's skill set consisted of three dishes: egg fried rice, shredded pork fried rice, and noodles with pickled greens and shredded pork.
Yeah… pretty bare-bones.
But it would do.
Without hesitation, Dexter decided not to use the ingredients he'd gotten from opening loot boxes. Instead, he used the ingredients he'd bought himself.
Those special ingredients were for the grand opening tomorrow.
"I really need to go earn some good karma," Dexter thought as he worked.
Time flew by.
Fiona and her group arrived and walked into the restaurant.
Naturally, the place immediately grew loud and lively.
Amid the noise, Veronica introduced Fiona and Vivian to each other.
Then—
Very predictably—
Fiona, who had come mainly to show off and get under Dexter's skin, couldn't help feeling a little down.
There was no other reason.
In looks, figure, and overall presence, Fiona was completely outmatched by Vivian.
And for a woman…
That kind of comparison was brutal.