We got to Kevin's place.
Oh, wow.
Right away, I caught sight of that black truck illuminated by the Ferrari's headlights a little ways off...
Dexter immediately smiled, knowing exactly what was going on.
Monica and Roberta had shown up.
"Kevin, why is there a truck parked there?" Dexter asked casually, pretending to be surprised. "Is there some new drama happening at the Gallaghers'?"
Kevin shook his head with a chuckle. "Fiona and the crew's mom, Monica, is back. When I dropped off the soup dumplings for Carl last night, the scene over there was really something else."
"Oh yeah? How so?" Dexter feigned curiosity.
Kevin didn't suspect a thing and started explaining. "That Monica is a complete lunatic. She apparently just ditched her six kids and took off over two years ago..."
Kevin told the whole story.
Dexter listened and smiled. "That family is seriously out there. If you wrote a script about them and made a movie, I bet it would be a huge hit."
"You think so?" Kevin laughed. "Let's head inside."
The two got out of the car and went in.
Veronica had been home from work since a little after seven that evening and had all the food and drinks ready, just waiting for Dexter and Kevin.
It wasn't long before the three of them were eating and drinking.
Of course, Dexter's thoughts had drifted over to the Gallagher house.
Monica and Roberta, those two knuckleheads, had shown up...
Naturally, he had to seize this chance to earn some merit points.
The question was, how?
Honestly, he'd thought about offing Monica and Roberta before... In fact, he still wanted to take out those two fools, especially Roberta.
Even if, objectively speaking, Monica and Roberta probably didn't deserve to end up dead in the street.
But he couldn't help it; he really hated those two jerks. It was a matter of personal feelings.
So, the problem arose...
Karmala, Monica, Roberta—three people...
Killing all three wouldn't be tough within the one hour the Forgetfulness Law was active.
But what about afterward?
If three people were killed in a row, the local police would investigate, suspect a single killer, and it would become a serial killer case. If they couldn't catch the killer after that, they would definitely call in the FBI.
So, he could only kill two people at most.
And he couldn't use that handgun. This time, he had to use the submachine gun he'd gotten from opening a treasure chest—the one he hadn't used yet!
'Which two should I pick?'
Dexter became more focused as he thought, silently asking himself.
Just then.
Veronica noticed Dexter's preoccupation. She hesitated for a moment and asked, "Dexter, what are you thinking about? Do you have something else going on tonight?"
Dexter heard her, snapped out of it, and smiled. "Sorry, I just thought of something suddenly. It's not urgent, you go ahead."
"Are you sure it's not urgent? Maybe we should talk another day?" Veronica asked again.
Dexter shook his head and laughed. "I'm really not in a rush."
Hearing that, Veronica thought for a moment, didn't press him further, and then smoothly transitioned from small talk to the main topic: buying the Alibi Room.
Kevin was fired up about this. The moment Veronica paused, he jumped in and spoke his mind.
Dexter listened quietly.
Was Kevin cut out to be a bar owner?
Absolutely not. Kevin was practically half-illiterate, couldn't even handle filing taxes, and wasn't great at math. He wouldn't make money as a boss.
Veronica was a good person, but she truly lacked a business sense.
However, that was okay.
He could come up with ideas, push customers their way, and besides, they had Svetlana.
Therefore.
Once Veronica and Kevin had finished speaking and were looking at him expectantly, Dexter didn't mess around and nodded decisively. "Sure, you two crunch the numbers. Figure out how much it will cost to buy the Alibi and how much the renovations will be. Get a total number, and I'll invest half."
Upon hearing this.
Veronica and Kevin immediately got excited, then exchanged a knowing smile.
"Thanks!"
"Dexter, you're awesome!"
"Cheers to a good partnership!"
Time flew by.
After eating and drinking their fill.
It was past midnight.
Dexter didn't go back, but instead crashed on the sofa, just like last time.
At the same time.
In the storefront that was about to become a fruit shop, Svetlana finally finished her work, lay down on the floor in the corner, closed her eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep with beautiful thoughts of the future.
In a hotel room somewhere.
Fiona was sitting in a chair by the window, looking out toward the Gallagher house, smoking a cigarette, and venting her anger and frustration.
Steve was lying on the bed, tired and wanting to sleep, but he couldn't. He had to rub his face hard once more, trying his best to stay awake and play the role of a good boyfriend.
Steve was exhausted.
Sigh.
---
A new day, early morning.
At the Gallagher house.
Monica, who was genuinely unfit to be a mother, was scrambling to prepare breakfast for Lip, Ian, Carl, and Debbie.
Roberta sat at the dining table, feeding Liam.
Lip and the other three got up, went downstairs, and saw this scene...
Keep in mind that Fiona usually had breakfast ready by this time.
Lip and Ian didn't say a word and immediately turned to get ready for school.
Carl paused for a few seconds but also left without a sound.
Debbie hesitated for a bit. "Mom, let me help you."
"Oh! Debbie, thank you," Monica, flustered and anxious, immediately said gratefully. Then, she called out to Lip and the two boys, "Breakfast is almost ready, almost ready."
Lip heard her, thought for a second, and said without turning around, "You didn't make lunch, either."
Hearing his words.
Monica just stared, her face full of panic. "Huh? I have to make lunch, too?"
Debbie quickly reassured her, "Mom, we can make it together! We've got time!"
At that moment.
Roberta's voice cut in, and she yelled angrily at the three boys, "You three have hands and feet, why don't you help out?! Monica doesn't owe you anything!"
Roberta was loud and her voice was booming.
Fiona, who had rushed back a few minutes ago and was standing outside the house, heard it and immediately felt a mix of heartache and anger. "Looks like they're going to have trouble even eating..."
"If you're worried, just go in," Steve advised.
Fiona immediately got defensive. "I'm not worried about anything! They're not my responsibility anymore!"
Saying that, Fiona instinctively turned and started walking toward Veronica's house, as was her habit.
After something like this, Fiona desperately wanted to talk to Veronica, who understood the Gallagher situation, and vent.
After a few steps.
Fiona saw the Ferrari parked outside Kevin's house and stopped, suddenly remembering that her relationship with Veronica wasn't what it used to be. She then let out a bitter laugh, her face full of pain.
"What is it now?" Steve asked, confused, as he watched Fiona's strange behavior.
Fiona shook her head. "Nothing."
The next second.
"Let's get in the car," Fiona said to Steve, giving up on going to Veronica's.
"Okay," Steve obediently agreed.
The two got into the car.
Steve was smart enough not to start the engine.
Fiona lit a cigarette, stared blankly at the Gallagher house, listening to the commotion coming from inside, and her eyes slowly turned red...