Chapter 213 – Draining Fiona Dry
After leaving the office, Fiona sat silently in the passenger seat of William's car, staring blankly out the window at the towering buildings of the North Side.
Everything here looked so clean.
So orderly.
So far removed from the decaying streets of the South Side.
She murmured quietly:
"Why is it always like this?"
"Every single time I think I can finally breathe, another pile of shit gets dumped on my head."
"Where are Debbie and the others right now?"
"Are they hungry?"
"Are they scared?"
William gently squeezed her hand.
"One step at a time."
"First, we deal with Frank."
"And remember…"
"Don't let him see weakness."
"He loves playing games."
The AMG eventually rolled back into the South Side and stopped outside The Alibi Room.
Afternoon sunlight spilled across the faded sign while laughter and the clinking of glasses drifted from inside.
Fiona took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
The bar was thick with cigarette smoke.
A few old drunks were slumped over the counter.
Kevin was behind the bar wiping glasses. When he saw Fiona, his eyes lit up slightly.
"Hey, Fiona."
"Looking for Frank?"
"He's in the corner."
"Passed out like a corpse."
"He's been drinking since last night. Honestly, I'm surprised he's still breathing."
Fiona nodded and walked straight toward the booth in the corner.
Frank was sprawled across the seat with his head resting on his arm.
Empty bottles littered the table around him.
His beard was messy.
His clothes were stained.
Even his breathing reeked of alcohol.
William followed behind her, silently observing the pathetic scene.
"Frank."
"Wake the fuck up."
Fiona shoved him hard, barely containing the rage in her voice.
Frank groaned and slowly opened his bloodshot eyes.
"Wh…?"
"Oh."
"It's you, you little bitch."
"What? Here to show off your new man?"
"Or steal my booze?"
William casually pulled out a chair and sat down without saying a word.
Fiona pulled the documents Veronica had prepared from her bag and slammed them onto the table.
"Listen carefully, Frank."
"Child Services took the kids."
"All because of that anonymous report."
"But that doesn't matter right now."
"I need you to sign this."
"Give up custody and transfer guardianship to me."
"If you sign…"
"…they can come home."
Frank narrowed his eyes at the paperwork.
Then he burst into laughter so hard he nearly choked.
"Give up custody?"
"HA!"
"You people locked my wife in a fucking mental institution, and now you want my kids too?"
"Fuck you, Fiona."
"You think I'm stupid?"
"This is a setup!"
"You're trying to kick me out completely!"
"You want me homeless!"
Fiona's patience was already hanging by a thread.
"FRANK!"
"This is for the kids!"
"Debbie's crying in foster care!"
"Carl's fighting everyone!"
"Liam can barely even talk yet!"
"Lip and Ian got sent to juvenile detention!"
"If you love them even a little bit…"
"…sign the papers."
"Monica is finally getting treatment."
"She needs stability."
"If you keep doing this…"
"…you'll destroy everything."
Frank suddenly sat upright and smashed an empty bottle onto the table.
Glass shards scattered everywhere.
"FRANK!"
Kevin shouted from the bar.
"Cut that shit out!"
But nobody moved.
Frank pointed directly at Fiona's face.
"Love them?"
"HA!"
"I MADE them!"
"You ungrateful little parasites took Monica away from me, and now you want the kids too?"
"Not happening."
"CPS will take better care of them than this garbage family ever did."
Fiona's eyes narrowed into slits.
She fought the overwhelming urge to slap him across the face.
Beside her, William lightly tugged on her arm, signaling for her to stay calm.
The atmosphere inside the bar turned deathly still.
The other drunks kept sneaking glances toward the booth, but nobody dared interfere.
Kevin slowly walked over with a mop, preparing to clean up the broken glass.
"Frank…"
Fiona's voice dropped low, each word squeezed through clenched teeth.
"You know what those kids are to you?"
"They're burdens."
"That's all."
"Debbie."
"Carl."
"Liam."
"When they were dragged away crying…"
"…where the fuck were you?"
"Still sitting in this shitty bar getting drunk!"
"And Ian and Lip?"
"They hate your guts."
"They've hated you for years."
"You never gave a damn about any of them, so stop pretending to be some fucking saint now!"
"Hey, Fiona! I'm still here, you know!"
Hearing her call the Alibi a shitty bar, Kevin Ball complained while sweeping up the broken glass.
Unfortunately for him, absolutely nobody cared.
Frank rubbed his eyes and laughed even harder, almost maniacally.
"Take care of them?"
"HA!"
"I gave them life!"
"You little brats owe me!"
"You locked up Monica, and now it's the kids' turn?"
"This is karma!"
"Child Services will find them good homes."
"Better homes than this garbage dump."
"Maybe they'll even go to college someday."
"Maybe they'll become somebody instead of rotting away in the South Side like the rest of you."
William finally spoke, his tone calm and steady, like he was discussing business terms.
"Frank."
"Let's talk realistically."
"You sign the papers…"
"…and we compensate you."
"Fiona's restaurant has been doing pretty well lately."
"She can come up with some money."
"Name a price."
"Twenty thousand?"
"That's enough booze to keep you drunk for years."
Frank's eyes instantly lit up.
But just as quickly, he narrowed them again, pretending to look unimpressed.
"Twenty grand?"
"HA!"
"What do you think I am, a beggar?"
"Fifty thousand."
"Otherwise, no deal."
"You stole Monica from me, and now you want the kids too?"
"That's ransom money."
Fiona felt like her heart was bleeding.
That money…
She'd saved it for the kids.
For new clothes.
For fixing the house.
For emergencies.
And now it was going straight into the hands of a useless drunk.
But she had no choice.
Debbie's crying still echoed in her ears.
Liam's tiny face haunted her every waking moment.
She took a deep breath and finally nodded.
"Fuck…"
"I don't have fifty."
"I only have twenty."
"Take it or leave it."
"You sign…"
"…and the cash is yours tomorrow."
"Cash."
"No bank transfers."
Frank hesitated.
His booze-soaked brain immediately started calculating.
Twenty thousand dollars.
How much vodka could that buy?
How many nights at the casino?
How much coke and meth?
Monica was locked up in the psych ward anyway.
The kids?
Fuck them.
Sooner or later, they'd all end up as South Side trash just like him.
Besides…
This money was compensation.
A crooked grin spread across his face.
"Deal, little bitch."
"But don't come crying later."
"Without me around, this family's gonna fall apart sooner or later."
Without wasting another second, Fiona immediately shoved the voluntary guardianship transfer papers toward him.
Frank glanced at them.
But instead of signing right away, he slowly looked up at Fiona and William.
His expression said it all.
Where's the money?
"William…"
Fiona bit her lip before speaking softly.
"Can you lend me twenty thousand in cash first?"
"I…"
"I'll pay you back."
She already owed him far too much.
But she had no choice.
She'd managed to save some money recently, but nowhere near enough for this.
Truthfully, William was more than happy with the situation.
The last thing he wanted was for Fiona to become financially stable.
If she got too comfortable…
Things might eventually slip beyond his control.
And using Frank to bleed Fiona dry financially?
That was perfect.
So he simply nodded.
"Wait here."
He stepped outside the bar and walked toward his AMG, pretending to retrieve the money from inside the vehicle.
In reality, he pulled the cash straight from his storage space.
A full twenty thousand dollars in bundled bills.
When the stacks of cash hit the counter inside The Alibi Room, not only did Frank visibly swallow hard and start breathing faster—
Even the nearby drunks couldn't stop themselves from staring.
Their eyes were practically glued to the money.
William calmly pushed the cash forward.
"The money's here."
"You take the cash…"
"…and you sign."
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