Past 9:00 AM.
Dexter was very busy today. After dropping Bianca off at the hospital in the morning, he briskly went to purchase ingredients for the restaurant. Once that was done and the ingredients were delivered, he immediately went out, calling the real estate agent he had been working with for quite a while to look for a suitable storefront.
At this moment, the two were standing in front of a dilapidated building with a ground-floor commercial space.
This run-down building was about two blocks away from Dex Restaurant—not too far. The street it was on was generally dilapidated, and foot traffic wasn't particularly high.
"Mr. Ding, this entire building is for sale, and the price isn't high," the real estate agent said with a smile, habitually flashing the big gold watch he had bought not long ago.
This guy had indeed made quite a bit of money helping Dexter buy properties, and like a nouveau riche, he couldn't resist showing off.
Dexter took a drag of his cigarette, not rushing to reply. He turned his head to look left and right.
This place actually wasn't very suitable for business. However, maybe that would make it more interesting.
Thinking this, Dexter smiled. "Mr. Orwell, I have an idea. I wonder if you have the ability to realize this idea."
The real estate agent loved Dexter's ideas because they basically meant money to be made. He instantly smiled even happier. "Please speak, Mr. Ding."
"I want to buy this street," Dexter said calmly.
Thump.
The real estate agent's brain buzzed. He subconsciously suspected he had heard wrong and froze directly.
After freezing for several seconds, the agent snapped out of it, instinctively wanting to confirm. "Mr. Ding, you mean buying all the buildings on the entire street?"
Dexter nodded. "Yeah. How much do you think it would cost?"
The agent was shocked.
A whole street?
Was he being that exaggerated?
"Mr. Ding, I'm afraid it would require over ten million dollars," taking a deep breath, the agent threw out a number he felt was extremely exaggerated.
"Money isn't a problem," Dexter smiled, finding the statement amusing. "Can you do it? Convince those people to sell their houses and move away."
This deal was too big. The agent was a smart man and was thinking about long-term cooperation with Dexter, earning Dexter's money continuously. Therefore, after a brief thought, he dared not make wild claims. "Mr. Ding, to be honest with you, I can't guarantee it completely... and for this matter, I'm afraid I can't do it alone."
"Then find a few more people," Dexter replied.
The agent nodded. "Okay, Mr. Ding. How soon do you hope to complete this transaction?"
Dexter thought for a moment. "Six months."
"That shouldn't be a big problem," the agent replied.
"That's good. Let's go. This place isn't suitable for a restaurant. Let's try somewhere else," Dexter said with the cigarette dangling from his mouth, turning to walk toward the car.
Time flew by.
By 11:00 AM, on a street east of Dex Restaurant, Dexter selected three connected storefronts totaling over 150 square meters. After handing over the price negotiation and subsequent procedures to the real estate agent, he simply left and went back to Dex Restaurant to get busy.
It was closed yesterday, so today was busier.
Arriving at the restaurant entrance, Dexter got out of the car, entered the shop, and walked briskly toward the kitchen.
Walking along, Dexter suddenly caught a glimpse of Mandy looking down at her phone, acting a bit differently than usual. He stopped in his tracks, looking at Mandy with slight confusion.
Mandy was agonizing over her phone, wanting to text Lip but not knowing what to say. She had been struggling for quite a while, her attention almost entirely on this matter, and didn't notice Dexter's gaze.
Dexter watched for two seconds...
What could make a die-hard romantic like Mandy act like this?
Probably only a man.
So, was it Lip?
If so...
Dexter was truly puzzled. Mandy worked here every day; where did she find the time to get something going with Lip?
After a brief thought, Dexter decided to go over and ask.
This matter had to be clarified. After all, leaving aside other things, take Karen for instance... After his cultivation, Karen, who already had the potential to be a "little fairy" (manipulative bitch), was now quite impressive. He truly believed that in a few years, Karen could really make the South Side, and even Chicago, tremble.
If Mandy really hooked up with Lip and, like in the original series, drove a car and smashed Karen into a retard...
Then what the hell was there to play with?
Dexter didn't delay. He walked quickly to Mandy's side and spoke with a smile. "Mandy, what are you doing?"
Hearing him, Mandy snapped out of it abruptly, a little flustered. "Ah, nothing. Just chatting with a friend."
"A boy you like?" Dexter asked with a smile.
"????" Mandy was startled.
That reaction was basically an affirmative answer.
Dexter took the initiative to smile and say, "Don't be surprised. The answer to that question is written all over your face."
Mandy was even more surprised. She instinctively turned her head away slightly, a little shy, but just a little.
Mandy was a Milkovich, after all.
Dexter watched, finding it amusing, and spoke again. "Let me guess. Lip?"
Thump.
Mandy couldn't handle it. She was instantly dumbfounded, widening her eyes and looking up at Dexter, asking with utter incomprehension, "How did you know?"
"Secret," Dexter flashed a brilliant smile, said no more, and turned straight toward the kitchen.
Walking into the kitchen.
Dexter stopped smiling, feeling a bit of a headache.
Damn it, was it fate?
Mandy ended up getting mixed up with that idiot Lip after all...
So, what would happen next?
Would Lip, with his hobby of "gifting" women, send Mandy to seduce other men? Seduce who? Comrade Jody was playing god knows where right now.
And what kind of messy drama would unfold between Mandy and Karen?
As a Milkovich, at some stage, Mandy would probably still want to kill Karen, right?
This was gonna be a headache.
He had to think this through carefully and make a plan.
---
It was noon.
By now, Fiona's involvement in the kidnapping case had long been forgotten by the vast majority of people in the South Side.
Therefore, Fiona's job hunt this morning went relatively smoothly. However, she hadn't decided which job to take yet.
Because the jobs discussed this morning were all minimum wage, boring jobs. Fiona didn't like them; she still wanted to be a waitress in a bar.
Bars were more interesting, and the tips were good—more money to be made.
Fiona liked that.
Of course, she thought she liked it because of the money, but in reality, it was because bars weren't dull; they were more stimulating.
Comrade Fiona couldn't stand a dull life.
" accompany me to check out some bars this afternoon. I'll see if there's a suitable one for me to work at," sitting in a restaurant, taking a sip of her drink, Fiona said to Jimmy.
Jimmy smiled and nodded simply. "Of course, no problem. You look different today. May I ask what happened?"
Hearing this, Fiona gave Jimmy a faint smile. "The answer is simple. I decided not to care about those kids anymore. From now on, I only live for myself."
Hearing this.
Instantly, the smile on Jimmy's face grew significantly wider, and he felt a burst of wild joy in his heart.