Dex Restaurant.
Just as he walked in and sat on the sofa, Dexter received a call from Mandy.
Listening to Mandy's request for time off, Dexter subconsciously rubbed his forehead. He truly couldn't understand what was going on in that brain of hers. She just hooked up with Lip, and now she's skipping work?
A die-hard romantic is truly goddamn ridiculous.
"Okay," Dexter agreed after a brief silence.
Hanging up the phone, Dexter pulled out his cigarettes, lit one, and started thinking.
Mandy was a pitiful girl. Although the saying "pitiful people must have their hateful qualities" applied to her to some extent, overall, she was still pitiful.
Dexter had intended to let Mandy have a slightly better life.
Unfortunately, Mandy's obsessive romantic nature was just too overpowering...
Looks like it's time to fire Mandy, let her taste the bitterness of life, and force her to grow up quickly.
Having made his decision, Dexter couldn't be bothered to think about it further. He called Tommy and told him to meet at the three storefronts he had just purchased.
Ten minutes later.
They arrived at the location.
"I need to knock down the walls between these three units and renovate it to the standards of a high-end Western restaurant..." Dexter didn't waste words, explaining his requirements to Tommy directly.
Tommy beamed, agreeing without hesitation. "Okay, no problem. I guarantee it'll look beautiful."
Done.
Having said what needed to be said, Dexter left, returning to his restaurant to start the day's busy work.
---
The Gallagher House.
Fiona and Jimmy were still busy cleaning upstairs on the second floor.
Lip had been waiting on the first floor until now, chain-smoking several cigarettes. Seeing that Fiona still hadn't come down, he was genuinely pissed off. He took another harsh drag, gritted his teeth, grabbed his crutch, and decided to go upstairs to find her.
Mandy saw this and chose to follow him without hesitation.
Seeing this, Lip hesitated for a moment. Considering he would need Mandy's help to deal with Jimmy later, he suppressed the urge to chase her away and let her tag along.
Thump, thump, thump.
The two went upstairs and soon arrived at Fiona's door, looking at Fiona and Jimmy, who were chatting and laughing.
Almost instinctively, when his gaze landed on Jimmy, Lip's expression changed, and he started gritting his teeth.
Jimmy smiled and didn't say a word, secretly hoping Lip would lose his mind...
In a time like this, if Lip acted crazy again, heh, Jimmy believed Fiona would definitely be "pushed" even further away.
Fiona kept a straight face, looking at Lip without speaking, though she was indeed a bit worried that Lip might snap.
Mandy stood firmly beside Lip, glaring ferociously at Jimmy, ready to jump in and help immediately if Lip couldn't hold back and started swinging.
The four of them stared at each other just like that.
The atmosphere in the room was incredibly heavy.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
To put it dramatically, a miracle truly occurred. Lip blinked, looked away from Jimmy, and looked at Fiona. Then, keeping his tone as calm as possible, he spoke. "Fi, can we talk?"
Lip and Jimmy didn't get into a fight...
"Okay," Fiona breathed a silent sigh of relief. She thought for a moment, nodded, and then said to Jimmy, "Brew a pot of coffee for me?"
"Sure," Jimmy agreed crisply with a smile, then walked away.
Seeing this, Lip gritted his teeth, moved his body, and stepped aside.
Mandy, following her man's lead, moved as well.
Keeping his smile, Jimmy brushed past Lip and walked cheerfully downstairs.
Lip stared hatefully at Jimmy's back for a few seconds, withdrew his gaze, and said to Mandy, "Wait for me downstairs."
Mandy nodded and left obediently.
Shorty after.
Lip limped into Fiona's room, sat on her bed, took out a cigarette, and handed one to Fiona.
Fiona took it.
The siblings lit their cigarettes one after another.
Lip took a deep drag before speaking. "I moved back last night. I waited a long time for you."
For the time being, Fiona had truly accumulated enough disappointment and was holding onto her anger. Hearing this, she looked at Lip. "So?"
Lip didn't have a good temper. Faced with Fiona's attitude, a spark of anger flared up instantly, but he had to hurriedly suppress it. "Yesterday morning, on the way to take Debbie to juvie, we discussed it. This summer, Ian, Carl, and I can take turns looking after Liam."
Not being able to send Debbie off—thinking about it now—did make Fiona feel terrible.
But one thing was one thing.
"Got it," Fiona replied.
Lip: "..."
More anger rose up.
Lip took a fierce drag of his cigarette, suppressing it again. "This family can't scatter. If it really scatters, I'm afraid we'll never be able to gather it back together."
Fiona sneered coldly, looked at Lip, and asked, "What does that have to do with me?"
Hearing these words.
Lip was already on the verge of exploding, holding it back with great difficulty. "Are you sure that if you let this family fall apart, you won't regret it?"
Fiona wasn't sure, but things having reached this point, she wasn't willing to back down. "If this family falls apart, it wasn't caused by me. I worked hard to raise you all to this age. You don't listen to me, you disappoint me time and time again. Heh, I won't regret it."
Lip was about to lose it, so he forced himself to fall silence, not speaking for the moment, just smoking silently.
He finished the rest of the cigarette in a few puffs.
Lip took a silent deep breath. "I'll find a way to get Ian and Carl back. From now on, we'll all listen to you. How about that?"
The desire for control is a wonderful thing.
Hearing this, Fiona was instantly somewhat tempted.
But immediately after.
"Heh," Fiona hurriedly stopped herself from being swayed and sneered. "You're so arrogant, thinking you know everything, thinking you're so amazing. You'd be willing to listen to me?"
"!!!" A nerve throbbed on Lip's forehead.
"You raised us for so long, we should listen to you. What I think of you has nothing to do with that," Lip said against his will after another few seconds of painful silence.
Fiona knew Lip too well. She knew how hard it was for Lip to say something so submissive. Thus, she was even more tempted. "Even so, so what? can you speak for Ian and Carl?"
Hearing this.
Lip immediately realized Fiona was wavering. He felt a slight burst of joy. "I promise, I can make them listen to you too."
Fiona heard him and didn't speak for the time being.
If Lip, Ian, and Carl were willing to be obedient like before...
Fiona was indeed willing to return to their previous life—a family united, facing hard times together, working hard together, happy and harmonious.
Driven by this willingness, Fiona couldn't help but recall the past.
The joy of those years flashed through Fiona's mind like a lantern slide.
A moment later.
Fiona, whose will was indeed not that firm, couldn't hold out. Subconsciously, she relented a bit more and asked Lip, "My private life?"
This referred to Jimmy.
Lip knew it clearly. He gritted his teeth and shook his head. "None of our business."
"Then let's see. If you want me to come back and take care of this house, I'll watch your performance," Fiona gave what amounted to an affirmative answer.
Hearing this, Lip nodded decisively. "Deal."