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Nightfall.
2118 North Wallace.
Knock, knock, knock...
Bianca's parents and sister arrived at the door. They looked around nervously at the neighborhood before knocking.
Hearing the knock, Bianca tensed up immediately. She took a deep breath before briskly walking to the front door.
She opened it.
Bianca smiled nervously and greeted them. "Dad, Mom, Sis."
Bianca's father nodded with a faint smile but didn't say much.
Men are mostly like that. Silent.
Bianca's mother, out of concern, couldn't help but speak up. "This neighborhood looks very dangerous. How can you live here?"
Bianca smiled helplessly, understanding her mom's worry.
After all, that was the truth.
This place was indeed dangerous. All kinds of messy people were here.
"It's actually okay. Just looks dangerous. Living here is fine," Bianca said. "Plus, there's a big dog."
Bianca's sister looked at Big Joe, who had followed Bianca and was squatting beside her. Hearing this, she laughed. "This is a husky. Can he really protect you?"
Big Joe didn't like hearing that. He immediately bared his teeth at Bianca's sister, showing off his combat prowess.
Bianca's sister was slightly startled. "That dog is pretty smart."
Bianca was amused. "Yeah, come in. Dinner's almost ready."
The three entered the house and walked to the living room.
Dexter left the kitchen, greeting everyone with a smile.
Bianca's parents had met Dexter before. This was the second time, so it wasn't as awkward.
Bianca's sister was meeting Dexter for the first time, but she had heard of his reputation. Seeing him in person, she quickly sized him up.
Done. Very satisfied.
This was normal. What was there to be dissatisfied about?
Dexter was handsome, a great cook, and rich.
How nice.
Time flew.
The situation Bianca worried about didn't happen at all.
The five of them sat at the dining table, chatting and laughing as they enjoyed an absolutely lavish dinner. The atmosphere was very harmonious.
Gallagher House.
The atmosphere was almost the exact opposite of Dexter's house.
The atmosphere was oppressive, heavy, and filled with a sense of depravity and downfall.
Ian had left a while ago.
Jimmy had left long ago, saying he had things to do.
Fiona slumped on the couch, smoking and drinking, radiating an aura of utter despair.
There were already several empty liquor bottles on the coffee table in front of her.
Fiona stared blankly, laughing to herself.
Even she didn't know what she was laughing at.
Aside from Liam, all the Gallaghers were gone... The house was empty. The Gallagher family had disbanded...
Fiona lost the motivation to work and earn money. She felt life was meaningless and just wanted to live in a drunken stupor.
Where did Ian go?
Fiona didn't want to think about it. She didn't even care anymore.
Go wherever you want.
It didn't matter.
After all, Ian was here, and he contributed almost nothing.
Fiona laughed foolishly again, non-stop.
Who knows how much time passed.
Drank too much, Fiona slumped onto the couch, closed her eyes, and snored away.
This kind of Fiona wasn't what Jimmy wanted.
Fiona looked like she was possessed by Frank. She looked no different from him.
Beside her, Liam, looking at this version of Fiona, started crying in fear.
Fiona didn't care either. Reality was too cruel; she just wanted to numb herself.
The world won't stop turning for anyone.
A new day arrived right on schedule.
Somewhere in Canada.
Lip, Frank, and the driver had a simple breakfast and then moved non-stop, splitting up to make purchases.
The purchasing process went very smoothly.
Canadians, famous for being friendly, didn't care about Lip and the others' identities at all.
In the blink of an eye, it was past 11:00 AM.
Shopping complete. Lip and the driver returned to the car with a full load. Frank wasn't back yet.
Lip ignored it for now. He lit a cigarette, feeling smug and accomplished as he counted the remaining money in his pocket.
This business involved collecting money first, then buying goods. Now that everything was bought, the remaining money was all Lip's profit.
Lip counted it carefully.
The profit from this trip was over two thousand dollars. Even after gas, there was still over two grand left.
Back and forth, just two days, and they could make so much money...
Lip was excited. At the same time, his conviction strengthened. He was sure he was doing the right thing, and even more convinced that Fiona and Ian were indeed idiots.
Simply put, Lip was convinced he was on the right path.
After laughing smugly for a while and finishing his cigarette, Lip looked outside, then checked the time.
It had been over twenty minutes since the agreed time with Frank, and there was still no sign of him. No one knew where he went.
Lip lit another cigarette, took a hard drag, and felt something was wrong.
After thinking about it, considering Frank didn't have a passport and couldn't return to the US through normal channels...
A thought instantly surged into Lip's mind.
Frank took the money and left alone!
Fck!
Lip didn't care if Frank left or not. He cared about the portion of the profit Frank owed him.
If he didn't get that part of the profit now, he'd never get it once back in the US.
Lip wanted to curse.
Frank indeed left on his own.
There were many routes back to the US from Canada. Frank knew several of them well. He had long planned to take all the profits back himself and not give Lip a dime.
Hehe.
Split the money? Are you kidding?
Frank hummed a tune, cheerfully drifting further away.
Lip gritted his teeth and waited for over an hour. Finally, he accepted the reality that Frank had played him. He cursed resentfully, then signaled the driver to return to the US.
South Side, Chicago.
2114 North Wallace.
Receiving Peg's call, Dexter drove to the door, got out, and walked toward the house.
The door was slightly ajar.
Dexter pushed the door open and walked in.
Carl wasn't in the house; Peg had sent him to work. Only Peg was in the house, sitting in her wheelchair.
"You're here," hearing footsteps, Peg turned her head, saw Dexter, smiled, and greeted him.
Dexter smiled back. He walked over to Peg, pulled out his cigarettes, handed her one, and lit one for himself.
Peg lit the cigarette, took two hard drags, and spoke again. "Sorry. Today's the day. I can't hold on any longer."
Peg's pain seemed to be radiating out of her body, almost visible to the naked eye.
Dexter looked at Peg, smiling silently. He couldn't bear to watch either. No objections, he nodded directly. "Yeah. You worked hard."
Peg smiled, not commenting on that. "I need you to do me two small favors."
"Shoot," Dexter responded calmly.
"Frank stole all my drugs. You have to buy me some more. To make sure I die, better buy some heroin," Peg smoked, speaking calmly as if she wasn't talking about her own death.
"Okay," Dexter agreed.
"Then, you have to help get me to the backyard. It's hard for me to get there myself now," speaking of this, Peg's tone sounded somewhat pained.
"Okay. I'll go buy the heroin first," Dexter exhaled smoke and replied.
"Mm," Peg smiled at Dexter again. "That kid Carl... I'm counting on you."
Dexter nodded, silent.
Peg didn't say much more.
Dexter took a drag of his cigarette, turned, and left. He got in his car and drove toward G-Dog's territory.
G-Dog was no good guy.
It's kind of funny. In the original show, later on, G-Dog got popped, leaving a dark brown stain of dried blood on the road... Guess he got what he deserved.
Dexter actually hadn't forgotten about G-Dog.
The reason he hadn't made a move was simple...
In a place like Chicago—hell, in a place like America—drug dealers are endless. They will basically never be eradicated.
Kill one G-Dog, and within an hour, another G-Dog would pop up.
Can't kill them all.
Since that was the case, he couldn't just keep killing drug dealers. Too much effort. And if he wasn't careful, he'd get sucked into the drug world... Then, the "good guy" image he worked so hard to build would collapse. Not worth it.
G-Dog's turf wasn't in the South Side.
Dexter drove for over an hour, searched around, finally found him, drove the car under the bridge, and hit the brakes.
Immediately, a little black kid from under the bridge came over.
Dexter didn't hesitate. He pulled out five thousand dollars. "H."
So much money. This was a big client.
The little black kid got excited instantly. He hurriedly took the money and counted it quickly.
Transaction complete.
Dexter floored it, heading back to Peg's house.
Everything that followed went according to plan.
Dexter exerted some effort and pushed Peg to the backyard.
Peg had a cigarette in her mouth, very calm.
"Goodbye, Peg," Dexter said after arranging everything.
"I have a question for you," Peg suddenly asked. "All those things happening to Fiona and the others... did you do it?"
Dexter looked at Peg, smiling silently.
Peg was a shrewd person. Seeing Dexter's reaction, she got her answer. She smiled to herself. "Looks like I guessed right. You're a ruthless man. Killed anyone?"
Dexter remained silent with a smile.
Peg suddenly felt a surge of curiosity. "How many?"
Dexter thought for a moment and gave an answer. "Many."
Whoa!
Peg had guessed Dexter had killed someone before, but she hadn't expected he had killed many people. She was genuinely surprised.
After the shock passed.
"Dexter, you are a very interesting person. Goodbye."
Dexter nodded slightly, didn't say anything more, turned around, and went back to Xiu's Chinese Restaurant to do his thing.
2114 North Wallace.
Silently.
Peg's heart rate gradually stopped.
The pain vanished.
Life ended.
This life, nothing more.
Everyone has to walk alone in the end.
—
Xiu's Fruit Store #2.
Svetlana was busy as hell.
Under Svetlana's management—plus the added bonus of her figure and "assets"—business at this store was basically on track. Sales had been steadily increasing over the past few days.
Svetlana was happy about this and worked with enthusiasm.
Besides, Svetlana's life had improved a bit.
Svetlana found a man who liked being dominated.
The guy wasn't much to look at, had no money, and was poor as dirt. But he was weak-willed and willing to cooperate in a sham marriage.
Svetlana was considering it. She hadn't decided whether to do it yet.
Just then, one of Svetlana's blonde sisters walked into the store, bringing bad news.
The "fruit girl" business run by the blonde sisters and other Russian working girls was no longer viable.
The wives of several male clients called the police.
They almost got caught.
You have to know, if caught, there was a ninety percent chance of deportation.
The blonde sister lit a cigarette, took a hard drag, and smiled at Svetlana. "Luckily we saved some money over the past few months."
Svetlana nodded. "What are you planning to do next?"
The blonde sister grinned. "That's exactly why I came to find you. We talked it over. Staying in this poor hole of the South Side, we'll never get ahead."
"We plan to leave. Go to New York."
"An old man I service said we can make a lot of money in New York. There's also a chance to find rich old men to marry."
"So, are you interested?"
Svetlana was stunned hearing this, then frowned.
The truth was, when they all smuggled themselves over here to work in that spa, their biggest hope was to marry a rich—preferably dying—old man.
Then, wait for the old man to die, take the inheritance, and enjoy a beautiful American life happily and easily.
Now, the sisters were planning to go to New York to continue down this path...
To be honest.
Now, Svetlana was lying if she said she wasn't tempted at all by the idea of marrying a rich old man.
But, she wasn't that tempted...
Right now, what really made Svetlana frown was... if these sisters actually found rich old men in New York and hit the jackpot...
Wishing your friends well, but fearing they'll do too well—that's exactly how it was.
Svetlana was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "I have two stores now. Although I don't make much, I make money every day. I won't go."
The blonde sister smiled. "These two stores aren't yours... Think about it. We're probably leaving the day after tomorrow."
Having said that, the blonde sister turned and walked away with a smile.
Svetlana stared blankly at the blonde sister's retreating back. After watching for a while, she felt inexplicably agitated. Then, she thought of Dexter.
When would she truly own her own shop?
Svetlana's mindset changed just like that. It became urgent.
A while later.
Svetlana couldn't help it. She decided to go to Xiu's Chinese Restaurant to have a little chat with Dexter.
Xiu's Chinese Restaurant.
Mandy, who currently had no work and was resting, looked at Karen, who had just walked in smiling like a flower, and thought of Lip.
!
Mandy had liked Lip for a long time, she just never said it.
Since discovering Mickey and Karen the other day, Mandy had been agonizing over whether to tell Lip.
Now, looking at Karen, Mandy hesitated again.
After struggling with it for a minute.
Recalling Mickey's recent state, Mandy finally couldn't hold back and decided to get to the bottom of what was going on between Mickey, Karen, and Lip. She stood up and walked over to Karen, sat down opposite her, and asked in a low voice, "Do you know what happened to Mickey? He's been acting really off lately."
Karen shook her head with a smile. "How would I know?"
Mandy didn't like Karen's attitude and frowned slightly. "Then what's going on with you and Mickey?"
"Just messing around. It's over," Karen replied nonchalantly.
Mandy didn't like her own brother being played by Karen. Her frown deepened. "You and Lip are still together?"
Karen wasn't stupid. In some ways, she was quite smart. Hearing this, she looked at Mandy with a smile, realizing a possibility. She found it amusing. "You interested in Lip?"
As a die-hard romantic, having her feelings exposed made Mandy panic slightly. Her eyes darted away. "That's none of your business. You shouldn't treat Lip like that."
Karen smiled sweetly. "That's none of your business either."
Hearing this.
Mandy's eyes immediately filled with clear disgust. She thought Karen was disgusting. At the same time, the issue she had been struggling with was easily resolved.
Mandy decided to tell Lip about Karen and Mickey.
Decision made.
Mandy glared at Karen with disgust again, said nothing, and got up to leave.
Karen kept smiling, looking at Mandy with contempt, her mind racing.
Being a woman, Karen was certain Mandy liked Lip. Naturally, she figured Mandy would snitch to Lip...
If Mandy snitched...
Hehe.
What would things become?
It was going to be chaotic.
Given Lip's violent temper, he'd probably try to fight Mickey?
She had to break up with Lip and move back home.
Maybe mention the pregnancy in a few days?
Lip would definitely come back to find her...
Tsk tsk, a bit too chaotic.
Karen thought about it silently. Then, hesitating slightly because Mandy was nearby, she didn't get up to find Dexter in the kitchen. Instead, she took out her phone and texted him, asking for the next steps.
In this operation, the implication that Dexter had become Karen's master was very clear.
At this time.
Kev brought Ethel into the restaurant and found a seat.
Over the past while, Ethel had eaten here several times. She loved the Chinese food, thought it was delicious.
Seeing Kev and Ethel, Veronica naturally walked over and said hello.
"Decided what you want to learn?" Kev asked with a smile.
Veronica heard this and shook her head in distress. "Not yet. Have to get up early tomorrow to look again."
"No need to worry too much. We'll definitely find him," Kev comforted.
Ethel couldn't join the conversation, so she sat obediently, looking forward to lunch.
Veronica chatted with Kev for a bit, then went back to work.
Svetlana walked in then.
Having spent so much time together, Svetlana was quite familiar with Veronica and the others... even if they weren't exactly besties.
After greeting Veronica, Vivian, and Kev, Svetlana went straight into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Dexter was busy working while thinking about Karen's question. Seeing Svetlana, he knew she wouldn't come without a reason, so he smiled. "What's up?"
Svetlana had already planned what to say on the way over. She didn't say it too directly, tactfully conveying the invitation from her sisters.
Hearing this, Dexter's eyes darted around. He realized the real question Svetlana wanted to ask, and he was amused.
In this world, there are always some people who refuse to work hard steadily and want to take shortcuts.
Comrade Lip was a prime example.
If Lip didn't love shortcuts so much—or rather, if he only wanted shortcuts—his life wouldn't be ruined so thoroughly.
Shortcuts are truly harmful things.
Dexter had no interest in wasting words with Svetlana on this matter.
Helping Svetlana once was enough.
"Svetlana, I don't like people who take shortcuts. The fact that you rushed over here for this little thing means you've already made up your mind."
"I am your boss, not your dad."
"Do whatever you want. I won't stop you."
Hearing this, Svetlana, who was indeed very smart, immediately realized Dexter was unhappy. She panicked and apologized purely out of instinct. "Sorry, I was wrong."
Dexter smiled. "You've only been working for how long, and you think you deserve a return? The world has never been fair. Recognize that, accept that, move forward, and only then can you truly possess things."
"That's it. I'm busy."
Svetlana's mouth moved, but she didn't dare say anything more. She turned and left the kitchen.
Leaving the kitchen, Svetlana hesitated, took a deep breath to suppress her panic, and walked straight out. She didn't even stay for lunch.
Seeing this.
Veronica and Vivian were confused, looking at each other, not understanding what was happening.
In the kitchen.
Dexter thought for a moment, took out his phone, and replied to Karen: [Let nature take its course. After breaking up, don't rush to tell Lip you're pregnant. Wait a few days.]
Karen replied instantly: [Okay.]
Gallagher House.
Emotionally shattered, Fiona humbly asked for time off for once and didn't go to work. After waking up, she looked like she had given up on life, continuing to drink, smoke, and even craving weed or coke.
This noon, unkempt, hair messy, sitting on the couch drinking and smoking, laughing occasionally at nothing, Fiona was practically no different from a lunatic.
Beside her, Liam, looking at this version of Fiona, started crying in fear.
Fiona didn't care either. Reality was too cruel; she just wanted to numb herself.
About half an hour passed.
Jimmy pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing Fiona in this state, he frowned tightly, completely unsure of what to do, and at the same time, felt somewhat disgusted.
Jimmy had no love for alcohol. He couldn't understand drunks, and he certainly couldn't understand angry drunks.
This kind of Fiona wasn't what Jimmy wanted.
Frowning and watching for a long time, because he really wanted to be with Fiona, Jimmy had no choice. He braced himself, sat next to Fiona, and tried to persuade her.
Unfortunately, Fiona just wanted to escape cruel reality. She didn't want to—and didn't dare—face it.
In the Gallagher living room, the chaos continued.
Fiona was still in a drunken rage. And because Jimmy showed up, she vented all her dissatisfaction with what Jimmy did before, cursing non-stop.
Around 2:00 PM.
The Hospital.
Tony, who had taken time off specifically to get tested, got his results.
Gonorrhea!
Instantly, Tony's brain buzzed non-stop. Instinctively, he clenched his fist!
In a flash, his knuckles cracked from the pressure.
FCK!!!!
Since he had only ever been with Fiona, Tony knew without a doubt that Fiona gave it to him!
The next second.
Tony, who rarely cursed, was about to explode. He cursed Fiona viciously in his mind!
"Fcking bitch!!!"
As she cursed, the flames of revenge rose in Tony's chest, instantly turning into a roaring fire!
Revenge! Must have revenge!
And, having been Fiona's doormat for so many years, Tony knew exactly how to hurt Fiona the most!
Those kids!
Make Fiona lose those kids!! That would definitely make her life a living hell!
'Heh. You bitch. You screwed me over, right? Then don't fcking blame me!' Tony muttered viciously. He took a deep breath and went to find a doctor to ask about treatment.
Outside Xiu's Chinese Restaurant.
Mandy, having just finished her business, squatted by the roadside, lit a cigarette, and stared unblinkingly at her phone.
She stared for over a minute.
Mandy took a deep breath, forcing herself not to think about it anymore, and dialed Ian's number.
The call connected.
"Ian, are you and Mickey completely done?" Mandy asked immediately.
"Yeah. I don't want anything to do with him anymore," Ian answered crisply and directly, without a shred of hesitation.
Mandy heard this and felt aggrieved, but also angry. She raised her voice a little. "I'm not lying! I saw it with my own eyes."
Mandy breathed a silent sigh of relief. The last burden on her mind was gone.
Then, Mandy grinned. "Alright. Although I don't know what happened between you guys, I still hope you're all okay... Forget about that. Send me Lip's number. I need to talk to him."
"Okay," Ian responded and hung up.
Soon.
Receiving Lip's number, Mandy dialed it.
"Lip, it's Mandy," as soon as the call connected and she heard Lip's voice, Mandy spoke up proactively.
Having successfully crossed the border and entered the US, Lip was in a great mood. Hearing this, he was puzzled, not understanding why Mandy was calling. "Oh, hey. What's up?"
"I want to tell you something about Karen." As a die-hard romantic, just talking to Lip made Mandy uncontrollably happy.
In this period, Karen was basically Lip's trigger point.
Hearing this, Lip immediately wiped the smile off his face, instinctively becoming serious. "What about Karen? Tell me."
Sensing how much Lip cared about Karen, Mandy felt a wave of nausea. She was silent for a moment before speaking again. "It's like this. A few nights ago, I came home from work and caught Mickey fcking Karen... I thought you should know."
In the car, hearing this, Lip's body shook. He couldn't believe his ears.
The next second.
Lip, whose breathing had become much heavier, instinctively refused to believe it. He started roaring, "Impossible! What are you talking about?! Why the fck are you making up lies like that!"
Mandy heard this and felt aggrieved, but also angry. She raised her voice a little. "I'm not lying! I saw it with my own eyes."
"You saw your mom's cnt! Fck off..." Lip unleashed a torrent of curses.
Finished cursing, Lip hung up directly, not giving Mandy a chance to say another word.
Outside Xiu's Chinese Restaurant.
She tried to help out of kindness, only to end up like this. More importantly, being cursed at by the person she liked... Mandy was instantly angry and heartbroken. She cursed back at the phone, "Fck you! You idiot..."
Mandy was a Milkovich after all. Growing up in that house, she might not have learned much else, but she learned how to be ruthless.
Mandy cursed viciously for a while.
Not far behind, Dexter, leaning against the glass smoking, heard it clearly. He almost died laughing, looking forward immensely to the drama tonight.
Dexter believed tonight would be incredibly lively.
After all.
When Carl gets home, he'll find Peg dead.
When Lip comes back, he's bound to cause a scene.
Peg's death would likely bring Lip, Fiona, and the others back together.
When the time came, he would reappear and tell Peg that he left the remaining money to Carl.
If Frank was there too...
Hehe.
With so many things mixing together, it couldn't help but be lively.
In the car.
Even though he cursed Mandy fiercely and refused to admit Karen betrayed him, Lip knew in his heart that what Mandy said was possible.
After all, that was Karen... Karen had slept with so many men; adding Mickey to the list wasn't strange. Besides, Mickey had a Mercedes now, and money...
Lip was so angry his face turned red. His thoughts raced, his breathing grew heavier. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and the angrier he got. Finally, unable to hold back, he hurriedly called Karen.
Karen didn't answer.
Lip called again.
Karen didn't answer.
Lip wouldn't give up. He kept calling.
In the blink of an eye, ten minutes passed. Lip's partner couldn't watch anymore. He smiled and shook his head. "Bro, forget it. She's not answering. Calling a million times won't help."
Lip heard this, turned to look at his partner, didn't say anything, and called Karen again.
The driver watched and laughed. He thought for a moment. "Bro, no need to be like this. This stuff is common. several of my girlfriends cheated on me. One of them even fcked my dad. I'm used to it."
"Women these days are all like this."
"For us men, if we want life to go on, who doesn't have to deal with a little green on their head?"
Lip heard this, looked at his partner again, his eyes filled with indescribable complexity. "?????"
The driver chuckled. "See? Told you so."
Lip didn't say anything, but he didn't make any more calls. Instead, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and smoked furiously.
Did Lip care that Karen fcked others?
He cared, but not much. It didn't affect his desire to be with her.
Remember, Lip took Ian to watch Karen cheat on him back in the day...
Lip cared more about being deceived. He was angry that Mickey dared to fck Karen!
And so.
"Speed up!" Lip gritted his teeth. "I'm gonna kill that bastard!"
The partner looked at Lip's leg and smiled without speaking.
Time flew.
Carl got off work and arrived home.