It was afternoon.
Dexter strolled over to Dex Fruit Shop.
Svetlana's life hadn't changed much; she was still busy making money.
It's worth mentioning that Svetlana's "sisters"—the ones in the manual labor trade—really did find a small storefront on another street and were busy setting up a fruit shop of their own.
Svetlana had a good head on her shoulders.
She would handle the purchasing for both fruit shops. This way, the volume would be larger, driving the cost down a bit. Then, Svetlana would keep in touch with the sisters to monitor their inventory, ensuring that by the end of the business day, there wasn't much fruit left over.
In this way, Svetlana could make more money selling fruit, and her sisters could continue their "fruit courtesan" business and make plenty of cash too. It was a win-win.
After hearing the update, Dexter gave Svetlana a thumbs up. "Impressive."
Svetlana smiled. "Boss, do you know any good men you can recommend to me? I want to get a Green Card, so I need a good man."
Hearing this, Dexter immediately thought of Mickey. Unfortunately, Mickey wasn't old enough yet. Svetlana wouldn't get a Green Card by marrying him.
As for other good men? In a hellhole like the South Side, there were no good men.
Dexter smiled and shook his head. "I suggest you change your thinking. Don't count on finding a 'good man.' Find a piece of trash, pay him a monthly fee until you get your Green Card and become a legal U.S. citizen."
"In a place like this, for one or two grand a month, there should be plenty of guys willing to do it."
"You're twenty-one this year?"
Svetlana's eyes darted around for a second before she nodded. "Yeah, twenty-one."
"You're very young. Wasting a few years in exchange for permanent status is a profitable trade," Dexter said. "Besides, you won't be idle during those years; you can make even more money."
"Just imagine. When you're twenty-five, you'll be a legal citizen, you can divorce him, and you'll have seven figures in savings. Doesn't that life sound beautiful?"
Before Dexter said this, Svetlana had been anxious about the Green Card issue. Now, after hearing his perspective...
Svetlana wavered slightly. "Isn't a few years too long?"
"Do you have somewhere else you need to be in a hurry?" Dexter asked with a smile.
Svetlana was actually stumped by the question. "...I suppose there isn't anything I need to do urgently."
"Then there you go. Spend some time finding an honest guy—a disabled guy would be even better. It's a fake marriage anyway," Dexter said.
"Okay, I'll look around," Svetlana decided it was a solid plan. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Dexter laughed.
They chatted for a few more minutes.
Dexter took the sedatives and syringes Svetlana had acquired, returned to the restaurant to stash them in his car, and then, having nothing better to do, strolled over to the Alibi Room to kill some time.
---
In the blink of an eye, it was evening.
Carl arrived at Dex Restaurant, ducked into the kitchen, and asked to borrow Dai Jiu again to go make money at the Alibi Room.
"No problem, but wait," Dexter agreed readily, then reached out and grabbed two dining vouchers he had prepared beforehand. He handed them to Carl. "These are dining vouchers for my restaurant. Those rich folks will be willing to buy them. Right now, they can probably sell for fifty to eighty bucks apiece. Go sell them."
Carl froze. "????? For me?"
"Yeah," Dexter nodded. "But there's one condition: the money you earn cannot be given to Frank."
Carl hesitated and didn't take them immediately. "I won't give it to Frank, but... I can't pay you back the money I make today... I have to take it back to pay the rent, or we won't have a place to live."
Dexter heard this and was secretly amused, immediately guessing that the Gallaghers had run into a new problem. "Rent? What happened?"
Carl gave a simple summary.
Dexter listened, thought about it for a second, and was even more amused. "Alright. Take the money you make and go pay the rent. Go home early."
Carl grinned broadly and finally took the vouchers. "Thanks. You're a really good guy."
After saying thanks, Carl turned and scrambled away.
Dexter smiled and continued cooking, while simultaneously mulling over an idea.
Patrick was dead because of him. His youngest son, Warren, was still alive and had inherited the house Fiona and the others were living in, which meant he also inherited that super-long lease agreement.
With that lease in place, unless the price was ultra-low, it was almost impossible for Warren to sell that house.
So, what if he offered a suitable price?
What were the odds Warren would be willing to sell?
Dexter felt the odds were high.
Once decided, he didn't hesitate. He pulled out his phone and called the real estate agent.
"Mr. Dexter , I apologize," the agent apologized immediately upon answering. "I'm still negotiating the houses for you. The three owners have pretty exaggerated asking prices, so I'm grinding them down."
"It's fine, no rush on that. I'm calling you about something else," Dexter said.
The agent breathed a sigh of relief. "Please, go ahead, Mr. Dexter ."
"You know the house I bought before at 2118 North Wallace? I want you to go talk to the owner of the house next door, 2119, right now. Get a contract signed and buy it," Dexter said.
The agent was a bit surprised. "In such a hurry? The price might be hard to negotiate."
Dexter laughed. "The price will be easy to negotiate because that house has a special situation... The owner was Patrick Gallagher. You know who that is—the guy whose house got blown up and who died three months ago."
Living in this area, the agent knew the locals well. "I know. Patrick had a young son, Warren, who survived."
"Right. I'm not sure if Warren has finished the inheritance paperwork, but that's not the main point. The point is, the people currently living in that house signed a lease with Patrick that lasts for decades. The rent is only something like a few hundred bucks a month."
"It'll be very hard for Warren to sell that house."
"If you help me buy it, it shouldn't be difficult."
The agent was a professional; he understood immediately and started laughing. "No difficulty, no difficulty at all. With a lease that long, selling that house would be a nightmare."
As he spoke, the agent realized something was off. "Mr. Dexter , if you buy that house, that lease contract will transfer to you. Are you sure?"
"I don't care. Just get it done for me as soon as possible," Dexter replied.
Receiving a definitive answer, the agent relaxed. "Okay, I'll handle it right away."
"Thanks. Let me know when you have news."
"Will do. Goodbye, Mr. Dexter ."
The call ended.
Dexter put away his phone with a brilliant smile.
He was going to buy that house and become the landlord for Fiona and her crew.
From now on, not only would Fiona's group have to pay rent on time, but for years to come, there would be almost no possibility of them truly owning that house like they did in the original show.
When the time was right...
If he wanted to, he could use some tricks to kick Fiona and the others out.
This was going to be fun.
Dexter couldn't help but think about how, later in the original series, Fiona used that house as collateral to briefly pretend she was a big shot...
Heh.
That whole situation was actually pretty funny to talk about.
In the original show, that house was bought back from the bank using money Carl made selling guns.
But because it was registered in Fiona's name, Fiona insisted the house belonged to her. She mortgaged it whenever she wanted, without needing consent from Carl or anyone else.
What a bitch move.
Now, let's see how Fiona plays the game.
---
The real estate agent moved fast. It didn't take long to find Warren Gallagher. After chatting for a short while, he fished out the details regarding the monthly rent and lease duration for 2119 North Wallace.
The monthly rent was five hundred dollars.
"Mr. Gallagher, I have a buyer willing to purchase that house. The offer is sixty thousand dollars. If you agree, we can sign the contract immediately," the agent made the offer with seasoned proficiency. "You should understand that with a fifty-year lease attached to it, typical buyers would find it almost impossible to touch."
Hearing this, Warren Gallagher was actually pleasantly surprised and wanted to agree right away, but he held back. "Who is the buyer? It's not Fiona, is it?!"
If it was Fiona, he absolutely wouldn't sell.
Back then, Fiona and those bitches really screwed Patrick over. Warren couldn't swallow that anger.
"No," the agent laughed. "How could Fiona and her group possibly have that kind of money?"
Warren knew in his heart that Fiona couldn't have that much money, but what if she borrowed it? "I have a grudge against Fiona's crew. I need to know who the buyer is, or I won't sell."
The agent was in a bit of a bind.
Dexter was a big client.
The agent worried that if he revealed Dexter's name, and Warren knew the buyer was the wealthy Dexter, Warren would refuse the sixty-thousand-dollar price point.
The agent was an old fox; he had already seen that Warren was tempted by the sixty grand.
He thought for a moment.
"I can't tell you directly; I have to call the buyer," the agent said.
"Fine, make the call," Warren had no objection.
The agent stepped aside and called Dexter, explaining the situation and his concerns.
For that amount of money, Dexter really didn't care; he just wanted to secure the house quickly. "Tell him."
"Alright," the agent relaxed. A moment later, he returned to Warren, smiling. "The buyer is the owner of Dex Restaurant, Dexter. He's interested in investing in some real estate in this area. He has no relation to Fiona's family."
Warren naturally knew of Dexter. Hearing this, his mind immediately started working just as the agent had feared. "Okay, then I'm willing to sell, but the price is eighty thousand dollars."
An old fox like the agent wasn't going to agree to that price. "Mr. Gallagher, the house at 2118 North Wallace was bought by Mr. Dexter not long ago. It's currently being renovated, and it only cost one hundred thousand dollars."
"That house didn't have any lease contract attached, and it was in better condition than 2119 in every way..."
The two began to haggle.
They went back and forth for a while.
The price settled at seventy thousand dollars.
The agent called Dexter again, reported the price, and mentioned he could probably chop it down further.
For such a small amount, Dexter couldn't be bothered to waste time. "Seventy is fine. I'm busy right now and can't leave. Can you guys come over here to sign the contract?"
A few minutes later.
The agent drove Warren to Dex Restaurant.
Signing the contract only took a moment.
"Mr. Gallagher, pleasure doing business. Do you want a check or cash?" Dexter asked after signing.
Warren thought about it. Carrying seventy grand in cash in this neighborhood at night? Was he waiting to get robbed?
"Check, please. Thanks," Warren replied politely.
"Okay." Dexter pulled out his checkbook. Scritch scratch. Done. "Well then, I'll trouble you two to cooperate on the remaining transfer procedures. I've got food on the stove, so I have to get back to work."
"By the way, would you two like to have dinner here? My treat."
Hearing this, Warren and the agent both smiled in tacit agreement and said in unison, "Sure, thank you, Mr. Dexter ."
A meal worth nearly two hundred bucks—they'd be fools not to eat it.
"Great, just wait a moment." Dexter stood up and called out, "Vivian, come take care of the guests."
Dexter returned to the kitchen.
Less than a minute later.
Veronica, who knew what Dexter had just done, couldn't help herself. She went into the kitchen and asked curiously, "Boss, you bought the house Fiona and the others are living in?"
Dexter nodded with a smile. "Yep. Seventy thousand dollars. It's a bargain. There's profit to be made later."
"..." Veronica was speechless for a moment. Then, even though she felt it was unlikely, she still wanted to ask, "Boss, you won't kick Fiona and them out, right?"
Veronica basically didn't care about Fiona, but Carl, Debbie, and little Liam...
Dexter laughed. "Do I look like that kind of person? don't worry."
Veronica breathed a sigh of relief, her worries gone.
Once she relaxed...
Veronica suddenly felt a twinge of envy. "Boss, are there any more houses like that? If there are, Kevin and I want to buy one too."
Seventy thousand dollars was a steal; it was practically buying instant equity.
And the current Veronica and Kevin, if they scraped together everything they had, could actually come up with seventy grand.
Dexter shook his head. "Not for now. How could there be so many good deals lying around?"
"True enough," Veronica laughed, dropping the subject. "Alright, Boss, you stay busy. I'm heading out."
Time passed unknowingly.
7:30 PM.
Bianca got off work and drove over for dinner herself.
Warren Gallagher finished his dinner, left, went straight to a relative's house to pick up a few family members, and then headed for 2119 North Wallace.
Warren hadn't mentioned to the agent or Dexter that Fiona and the others owed over three months of rent.
Warren was determined to get that money.
Even though he knew clearly that Fiona's crew couldn't possibly come up with two thousand dollars in a single day.
But, he'd take whatever he could get.
Besides, some of the furniture and appliances in that house were worth a little money.
If he couldn't get enough cash, he'd take all the valuable stuff!
Fiona could call the cops for all he cared; it wouldn't do any good.
---
2119 North Wallace Street.
Carl had just arrived home. He went straight to Fiona, pulled out all the money he'd made selling the two dining vouchers at the Alibi Room tonight, plus a little extra he'd earned the usual way, and handed it to her. He said coolly, "For rent."
There was about two hundred dollars in total.
Fiona was shocked. Her eyes went wide. She didn't take the money immediately but asked nervously, "Where did you get this money?"
"I earned it," Carl replied.
"How?" Fiona asked again.
"Scamming rich people at the Alibi," Carl smirked proudly. "And Dexter gave me two dining vouchers, which I sold to those rich guys."
Fiona was still surprised, but knowing the money came from a legitimate source, she let out a huge sigh of relief. "Carl, you're still young. You don't need to worry about making money..."
Carl couldn't be bothered to listen to that speech. He shoved the money into Fiona's hand, turned around, and sat at the dining table. "I'm hungry. Where's dinner?"
Fiona looked at the money in her hand, feeling both moved and heartbroken. She sniffled. "Coming."
After getting Carl started on dinner, Fiona pulled out her phone again and called Lip, who had been missing since morning and hadn't responded to a single message.
"Lip, where the fuck are you? I left you so many messages, and you can't return a single fucking call?"
No one answered.
Frustrated, Fiona left another voicemail.
Just then.
Lip walked in through the back door, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
Seeing him, Fiona started yelling immediately. "Lip, what the fuck is going on? Why didn't you go to school today? Where were you?"
Lip had listened to the multiple voicemails Fiona left during the day and had anticipated this reaction. He was very calm and didn't rush to explain. He simply pulled out the hundred-plus dollars he had earned from various scams throughout the day, threw it onto the table, and finally spoke. "I went to make money. There's a hundred and seventy-five dollars here. With this, how much are we short for rent?"
Fiona froze. Her heart ached, and she fell silent, unable to say a word.
Ian walked hurriedly into the house at that moment. Seeing the situation in the kitchen, he didn't waste words. He quickly emptied his pockets and put his money on the table too. "I asked Linda to pay me out. It's only a little over a hundred. Are we good on rent?"
Fiona's eyes turned red, tears swirling in them.
Carl, Lip, Ian. Three kids who shouldn't have to—and didn't need to—worry about money were being forced into this...
Fiona felt incredibly ashamed. She felt useless, letting these kids suffer so much...
At the same time.
Debbie, who had quietly come over, also felt ashamed. Out of the five of them, she was the only one who couldn't contribute much to the rent. Before Carl came back, she had taken out all her savings, but she could only give Fiona twenty-something dollars...
In the kitchen.
No one spoke for a moment.
The atmosphere was heavy.
After a few seconds, tears burst forth and rolled down her cheeks. Fiona wiped them away with her hand. "You guys..."
She couldn't finish her sentence.
Bang bang bang!
There was a knock at the door.
"Fiona, open up!" Warren Gallagher shouted while pounding on the door.
Hearing the noise.
Lip glanced at the front door, then said to Fiona, "Stop crying. How much are we short? Let's solve this problem first."
Fiona wiped her tears again, tried not to cry, forced a smile, and nodded. "We aren't short much. I went to the bank at noon and got a credit card. I took out a thousand dollars cash."
A thousand dollars, plus the money from Carl and the others, totaled nearly fourteen hundred dollars.
Getting through this hurdle shouldn't be a problem.
Lip was slightly surprised. He instinctively wanted to say Fiona shouldn't have gotten a credit card, but he held back and changed his tune. "Good thing that piece of scum Frank didn't open a card in your name before."
Fiona nodded. "Yeah, lucky."
"Let's go. Let's get rid of that son of a bitch Warren," Lip said, walking toward the front door.
Fiona hurriedly grabbed the money from the table.
Moments later.
Warren walked into the living room with his relatives.
Fiona and the other four stood firmly together, projecting a powerful aura of unity.
Warren wanted to laugh but couldn't be bothered. "Fiona, time's up. Where's the rent?"
Fiona looked at this relative with eyes full of resentment. Without wasting words, she pulled all the money from her pocket and handed it toward Warren. "There's about fourteen hundred dollars here. That's all we could scrape together today. Give us a week for the rest, and we'll pay you back!"
Warren was actually a bit surprised hearing this. He hadn't expected Fiona's crew to actually come up with so much money.
It was far beyond his expectations.
Warren immediately felt happy. He didn't say a word, reaching out to grab the money, afraid that if he moved too slowly, something might go wrong.
Once the money was in hand, Warren quickly counted it. After pocketing the cash, he finally addressed Fiona. "Over three months of rent, plus this month makes four. That's two thousand dollars total."
"You're still short over six hundred dollars."
"I figure getting that six hundred out of you won't be easy. After all, I know your situation very well."
"Tell you what. I don't want to waste energy coming back here to argue with you."
Warren said this while looking at the brand-new flat-screen TV nearby. "I'll take this flat-screen TV, and we'll call it even."
Hearing this.
Carl panicked.
They finally had a TV again, and now it was gone?
"No way!" Carl immediately objected.
Lip followed up angrily, "Fuck you! We know exactly how Patrick scammed his way into this house! You're about to be in a coffin, you can't wait one week?"
Lip cursed him out.
Warren sneered. "Since you want to talk like that, I have nothing to say to you."
With that, Warren signaled his relatives to move the TV.
Seeing this.
Lip, Carl, and Ian moved to stop them.
Fiona hurriedly spoke up. "Lip, forget it. Forget it! Just let them take it. We'll make money and buy another one. Don't fight..."
Fiona was shameless.
Unfortunately.
Sadly, she didn't have much grit in her bones; she was quite a coward.
Shamelessness combined with cowardice...
It made perfect sense that Fiona had turned the Gallagher family's life into this mess.
A few minutes later.
Warren and his crew left with the flat-screen TV.
Fiona gritted her teeth and waited until Warren got in his car and drove away before she let out a silent sigh of relief, feeling a bit more settled.
"Alright, no matter what, this is over," Fiona forced a smile and said.
Carl had a headache. "No TV to watch."
"We won't watch tonight. I'll figure something out tomorrow. Everyone go to bed early and get a good night's sleep," Fiona comforted them.
Carl had no choice. He collapsed onto the sofa and let out a long sigh. "Ugh..."
"I have something to do. I'll be back later." With the rent issue settled, Ian checked the time, knowing Mickey would be off work soon, and headed out.
"Don't come back too late," Fiona instructed, then turned to Lip. "Lip, you're not going out tonight, right?"
Lip reacted quickly. "You're going out?"
"Yeah," Fiona nodded. "There might be a really good job opportunity. I'm going to try for it."
It was a lie.
Fiona wanted to go see Craig Heisner.
"Okay, I won't go out," Lip didn't realize she was lying and agreed.
"Okay," Fiona replied. She gave Debbie and Carl a few more instructions, then went upstairs to change clothes and put on makeup.
After fussing for ten minutes or so.
Fiona left the house and headed for the L train station.
It was interesting; after everything that had just happened, Fiona was even more desperate to see Craig Heisner and vent her frustrations hard.
Walking down the street.
Fiona held her phone, starting her flirtatious banter with Craig Heisner.
As for Steve...
Fiona didn't know what Steve was doing, and she had no interest in asking.
And so it went.