It was pitch dark.
At some DNA testing facility.
Roberta got the results for Liam's paternity test. The report showed that Liam is Frank and Monica's son...
Roberta yelled out in shock right there, "What the hell! How is that even possible? Liam is Black!"
Monica couldn't figure it out either.
But that's normal, I guess, since Monica's brain isn't exactly firing on all cylinders.
"I don't know, I always thought Liam was mine with that Black bodyguard," Monica stammered nervously.
Roberta was furious.
This result meant their plan to take Liam using a DNA test wouldn't work.
"Screw this, it's fine!" Roberta snapped. "You're Liam's mother, and Frank is trash. Worst case, we'll get Frank to sign away his custody rights first, and then we'll go to court and get the judge to award him to us! Fiona and the others have no right to interfere!"
Monica got even more panicked. She really didn't want to drag this into court. "Roberta, let's just talk to Fiona and the others nicely first. They are my kids, after all..."
The two of them argued for a while.
Finally, Roberta backed down a little. "We'll go back to that shithole Gallagher house and do it your way, but let me be clear, if this doesn't work out, we're going to court tomorrow."
Weak-willed Monica hesitated, then nodded. "Okay..."
They didn't waste any more time, hopped in the truck, and headed for the Gallagher house.
Back at the Gallaghers'.
A little while ago, Lip and the other three got back from school, saw how messed up Fiona was, and then found out what was going on.
Debbie was confused and heartbroken. "Mom said she was going to stay, so why is she still trying to take Liam away..."
She was starting to cry as she spoke.
Lip was beyond pissed. "I don't care what the hell that DNA report says! Liam is our brother, and he has to stay here!"
Ian chimed in. "It's mostly because of that Roberta, that bitch is hell-bent on taking Liam."
Carl heard that, his eyes lit up, and he came up with a great idea. "We could just kill Roberta. Problem solved."
At that.
Fiona and the four kids, including Frank, who was sitting nearby and totally fed up, all turned to stare at Carl.
Carl didn't get it. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Fiona was genuinely worried Carl might actually do it, and quickly warned him, "Carl, don't even think about it! Killing someone is a felony, and you'll go to jail!"
"Carl," Lip reached out and rubbed Carl's head. "Don't get any ideas. Killing that bitch Roberta would feel great, but then we'd all be screwed, you understand?"
Did Carl understand?
Nope.
"If I kill her, what are they going to do? I'm just a kid," Carl said.
Fiona freaked out. "Carl! Promise me you won't do anything like that!"
Fiona and the other three took turns lecturing him for several minutes.
Carl got annoyed, shook his head. "Fine, fine. You guys are such a pain."
With that, Carl turned away and started messing with his hands, done listening to them.
Fiona and the other three sighed in relief and kept brainstorming.
Ten minutes flew by.
Roberta and Monica, with Liam, walked right through the front door of the Gallagher house without knocking or asking.
Inside the house.
Seeing Fiona and the five kids huddled together, Roberta shot them a nasty glare, then strode over to Frank.
"Frank, last chance. Seal the deal with us tonight, or tomorrow Monica and I are going to court!"
"We have to take Liam. He absolutely cannot keep living in this shithole!!!"
Frank didn't hesitate for a second, nodding quickly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll talk to them."
After saying that, Frank turned his wheelchair and rolled toward Fiona and the kids.
Soon enough.
The Gallagher house was instantly filled with a lively racket of arguments and shouting.
Show's Spot.
The customers had all left, and the evening service was over.
Dexter finished tidying up, left the kitchen, and got ready to leave.
He had a lot on his plate tonight.
First, he needed to check on Svetlana at the new storefront he rented yesterday, and then go hang out at the Alibi Room to relax.
After chilling for a bit, he had to head back to the hotel to prepare to take out Karmala and Roberta.
He was swamped.
However, just as he was about to walk out, he suddenly remembered something. He stopped and turned to Veronica, who was wiping down a table. "Veronica, how's that GED thing going?"
Veronica instantly felt guilty.
How was it going?
Not great.
Veronica hadn't forgotten, and she had looked up some information about the GED online, but... that was about it.
"I'm getting ready for it," she said, half-lying and hiding her guilt. The job paid way too well, and Veronica didn't want to lose it.
Dexter cracked a smile. "Get on it, seriously. I'm not kidding. If you don't get this sorted out soon, I will find someone else, you know that."
The idea of him finding someone else was a real shock...
Veronica was startled and nodded quickly, stating with conviction, "Okay, I will. I'm signing up tomorrow!"
"Alright, you guys finish up. Remember to lock up. I'm heading out," Dexter said without another word, strolling casually out the door.
Once Dexter was a little further away, Veronica let out a huge sigh of relief, her face falling into a bitter expression as she muttered, "Ugh."
Vivian, who was nearby, gave a slight smile. "V, did you just lie to the boss?"
Veronica thought about it and shook her head. "Not really. I mean, I have looked into the GED, but that stuff is a total headache."
Vivian chuckled. "Everything's hard at the beginning. Just stick with it, and once you get used to it, it'll be a lot better."
"I hope so," Veronica said, not holding out much hope. She honestly felt like school and studying just weren't for her.
Time quickly passed.
Mickey finished all the dishes, wiped down every corner of the kitchen, and then the three of them clocked out together.
"So, how was the first day on the job?" After spending the day together, Veronica felt slightly better about Mickey. She didn't see him as a lost cause, exactly like Terry, the way she used to. She asked with a smile.
Mickey pulled out a cigarette, lit it up. "It sucks. What kind of crap job is this?"
"Oh, you don't like it? So, are you coming back tomorrow?" Vivian asked, a bit surprised.
Mickey let out a puff of smoke. "Yeah."
With that, Mickey swaggered off with his tough-guy walk, adding over his shoulder without looking back, "See ya tomorrow."
"What was that all about?"
Veronica was slightly baffled. "????"
Vivian laughed. "I've got a word for that: playing hard to get."
"Aha!" Veronica had an immediate 'Aha!' moment and nodded decisively. "Perfect! He's totally playing hard to get."
The next second.
The two of them exchanged a look and smiled.
Hahahaha.
Mickey heard their conversation, and his steps immediately became less steady. His face flushed, and he quickly sped up, practically running home.
"Vivian, want to swing by the Alibi with me? I need to talk to Kevin about the bar," Veronica asked Vivian after they stopped laughing.
"Sure, I've got nothing else going on anyway," Vivian agreed cheerfully.
The two of them walked toward the Alibi.
In the newly rented storefront.
Svetlana was painting the walls.
The smell of the latex paint was really strong.
Svetlana didn't care at all; she was working like a horse.
Dexter hung out for a bit and chatted with Svetlana. He found out what she'd done that day and that she planned to start buying shelves and other supplies tomorrow, so he didn't waste any time and pulled out the cash.
Svetlana didn't refuse.
She kept business and personal life strictly separate.
"Keep up the good work," Dexter smiled, ready to leave. "Oh, and you're my employee too, so you can eat at my restaurant for free—two meals a day. Just show up when it's time."
Svetlana hadn't expected that perk and was a little touched. "Great."
Dexter didn't say anything else and turned to leave.
The Alibi Room.
Finding out that Kevin hadn't finalized things with Stan yet, Veronica got anxious. "Kev, we need to wrap this up quickly. After all, we still need time for renovations, and that's going to take a while."
"Dexter's restaurant is booming. Every day we delay is a day we're losing out on money."
Kevin had thought of that too and shook his head in frustration. "I don't know how to talk to Stan. The minute I mention buying the Alibi, he just yells at me."
"You don't know the half of it. He even warned me before that if I brought up giving him money again, he'd shoot me."
Veronica knew Stan pretty well, so she wasn't surprised that he'd say something like that. "He's impossible..."
Just then, Tommy, who was eavesdropping nearby, chimed in with a laugh. "Kevin, you guys are buying the Alibi? And renovating it?"
"You have to call me for the renovation! It would be an insult if you hired anyone else."
Kevin was annoyed. "Tommy, if this actually happens, you're the guy. Don't worry."
"Haha, thanks in advance," Tommy laughed, took a drink, and added, "So, what's the hang-up? You two shouldn't keep talking to yourselves; we can give you some advice."
Kermit, sitting next to Tommy, immediately agreed. "Yeah, two heads are better than one!"
Hearing that.
Kevin and Veronica exchanged a look.
"Okay," Veronica said. She really wanted to get this sorted quickly, and since Tommy and Kermit were old friends, there was no need to hide anything.
Kevin was thrilled to have help, and seeing Veronica agree, he quickly filled Tommy and Kermit in on the situation.
And just like that.
When Dexter walked into the Alibi, there was a crowd of people gathered around the bar, loudly chatting away. It was a madhouse, like a flea market.
Dexter took a look, didn't get involved, and sat down next to Vivian.
"Boss," Vivian greeted him with a smile.
"Just call me Dexter. We're off the clock," Dexter replied with a smile.
"Got it," Vivian nodded.
"What are they all arguing about?" Dexter knew the general idea but wanted the specifics.
Vivian gave him a quick rundown.
"This isn't actually that complicated," Dexter said. He came here mainly to fix this problem. "Watch this."
With that, Dexter turned his head and called out to Kevin. "Kevin, come over here for a sec."
Kevin hadn't noticed Dexter because he was surrounded by people. Hearing his voice, he realized Dexter was there, and then he remembered he hadn't paid for dinner, which made him super awkward. "I'm coming, I'm coming."
Kevin answered, then quickly leaned into Veronica's ear and whispered, "V, spot me two hundred bucks. I totally forgot to pay for dinner at Dexter's restaurant tonight."
Veronica was startled. It had been the dinner rush, and she was distracted by the news about Stan giving away the Alibi, so she hadn't noticed. Realizing what happened, she felt awkward too and quickly pulled out the money. "Seriously, you don't pay for your own dinner?"
"Too much going on, I forgot," Kevin said, taking the cash with an awkward smile. He didn't say anything more and quickly hustled over to Dexter, handing him the money apologetically. "Dexter, I am so sorry. I forgot to pay for dinner tonight."
Seeing the money, Dexter laughed. "Who do you think you're disrespecting? I told you, you eat for free here. Stop acting like a total girl."
Kevin: "????"
"Dexter, I'm sitting right here. Are you sure you want to say that?" Vivian chimed in playfully.
"Haha, cut it out," Dexter joked back to Vivian, then turned to Kevin. "Come on, sit down and tell me about Stan. I might be able to help you sort this out."
Kevin wasn't an idiot; he knew Dexter wouldn't take the money, so after a small hesitation, he didn't press it. "If you won't take it, I'm certainly not giving it to you."
"Do I look like I care?" Dexter laughed.
"Rich people are different, I guess," Kevin said, wasting no time. He put the money away and sat down. "Alright, let me tell you about Stan."
Stan's life has been pretty colorful.
Stan spent most of his life as a loan shark. Back in the day, during the more chaotic times, he broke more than a few kneecaps to collect debts. He was notorious on the South Side of Chicago.
Later, times changed, Stan got older, and he hung up his boots to open the Alibi Room.
Decades have passed since then.
The former thug, Stan, is now an old man whose mind comes and goes, but his temper is still as bad as ever.
After listening.
"Did he like the dinner?" Dexter asked with a smile.
"Yeah, he loved it. Said he wanted to eat it every day," Kevin replied, nodding.
"Well, that makes it even easier. Look, I've got plans later, so why don't you take me to see him right now? I'll help you get this thing figured out," Dexter said confidently.
Kevin was a little surprised. "You can really fix it?"
"Trying won't hurt, so quit stalling and let's go."
He had a point.
"Alright," Kevin agreed.
They wasted no time and went up to the apartment on the second floor.
Kevin immediately introduced Dexter to Stan.
Stan heard that, squinted, and looked Dexter up and down. "You're the guy who made that damn good dog-shit?"
Hearing that.
Kevin was seriously annoyed and quickly corrected him. "It's not dog-shit, it's food. How many times do I have to tell you to say it right?"
Dexter didn't mind at all; he just thought the old man was hilarious.
Stan waved his hand impatiently. "Dog-shit, food—no difference, whatever."
"Ugh," Kevin sighed, helpless with Stan. He apologized to Dexter. "Dexter, don't take it personally. Stan's a good guy, but his temper's been like this his whole life."
"No worries, this guy's got character," Dexter replied with a laugh.
The two of them quickly sat down opposite Stan.
"Stan, about the Alibi..." Kevin started.
He couldn't even finish the sentence.
Stan immediately lost it. "Not again! Where's my gun? I'm gonna shoot your damn d\\k off!"
Kevin: "..."
Dexter: "O(n\_n)O~~"
Haha, this old man is too much.