There was no way Frank was going to shut up.
He ignored Fiona completely and kept plowing ahead with his plan, talking nonstop.
"Don't listen to his nonsense—there's something wrong with his head," Fiona said helplessly to Steve, having no way to rein Frank in.
"Okay," Steve said with a smile, nodding. Then he glanced at Liam again and, pretending to be casual, added, "Liam's really cute. Is he your son?"
Fiona might not have been a genius, but she definitely wasn't stupid.
She instantly caught the hidden meaning behind the question and shook her head. "My brother."
Steve silently let out a breath of relief. With nothing else to ask, he found a place to sit and waited quietly.
About twenty minutes passed.
"Give me a minute—I'm going upstairs to change," Fiona said after finishing up, tossing the words at Steve before racing upstairs.
After changing clothes and giving Ian a few instructions, Fiona and Steve headed out together, got into the car, and drove to a restaurant.
At the restaurant.
They ate for a while.
After hesitating, Fiona finally said, "I'm not planning on getting into a relationship right now."
Steve smiled faintly. "Is there something about me you don't like?"
Fiona shrugged slightly. "You make me feel unreliable."
"Oh? What did I do to make you feel that way?"
As Fiona listened and looked at Steve, Dexter suddenly popped into her mind—then the job, then Veronica. A flash of irritation rose up uncontrollably.
"Guys like you—rich guys—you're always so full of yourselves," she snapped. "You're used to getting whatever you want and never think about how other people feel. Like that washing machine you sent—what made you think you could just have it delivered straight to my house?"
Steve noticed her anger and thought for a moment. "Setting aside your complaints… it seems like this isn't just about me."
Just like in the original storyline, the two of them started arguing.
About ten minutes later—
Outside the restaurant.
Steve disguised himself as a valet, effortlessly stole a customer's Porsche, and showed Fiona who he really was.
Once she saw this side of Steve—once she realized he wasn't a good guy…
It happened instantly.
Deep down, Fiona had always been stubbornly self-destructive. She laughed. She was happy. She was thrilled. Just like that, she changed her mind and decided she wanted to take things further with Steve.
In the blink of an eye—
Fiona jumped into the Porsche.
Steve slammed the gas.
The Porsche sped off.
Fiona was genuinely happy, cheering loudly with pure excitement.
---
Veronica bought six outfits and then paid out of pocket to buy Fiona a long dress—not outrageously expensive, but definitely not cheap either.
Kevin couldn't understand it.
Veronica gave a wry smile. "That job was supposed to be hers. Even though she gave it up, I still took it. No matter what, she's going to feel a little upset. I need to make it up to her."
Kevin scratched his head. "What kind of logic is that?"
"Women's logic," Veronica said with a laugh, shaking her head at his reaction. "Don't try to figure it out—you won't."
Kevin really couldn't figure it out, and didn't feel like trying anymore. "You women are strange."
Veronica didn't respond.
They soon left the mall, went to the L station, and took the train home.
At the door to their place—
Veronica pulled out the shopping bag with the dress meant for Fiona and handed the rest to Kevin. "You go home first. I'm going to see Fiona."
Kevin didn't object.
Veronica arrived at the Gallagher house and knocked on the door.
It was only a little after nine.
Fiona and everyone else—including Steve—were in the living room downstairs watching TV.
Hearing the knock, Steve immediately stood up eagerly. "I'll get it."
He opened the door.
Seeing Steve, Veronica was still a bit surprised. She knew Fiona was casual about men, but having Steve over this quickly—clearly he was staying the night.
"Hey, nice to see you again," Steve said with a smile.
Veronica tucked away her surprise and smiled back. "Wow, handsome—you move fast."
After the comment, before Steve could respond, she asked, "Is Fiona home?"
"She is," Steve replied.
Veronica stepped inside, glanced at the living room, hesitated slightly, and chose not to go in. "Fiona, I need to talk to you about something."
Fiona had already heard Veronica's voice, but her feelings toward her were complicated, so she hadn't stood up right away. Now, hearing that, she finally moved, replying as calmly as she could, "Coming."
Steve politely went back to the living room and didn't interfere.
In the dining area—
As soon as Fiona reached her, Veronica immediately handed her the bag. "This is for you. I'm sorry—about the job."
Fiona froze for a moment. The complicated feelings she had toward Veronica instantly eased a little. She smiled awkwardly. "Why are you apologizing? I was the one who gave up the job. You didn't need to get me anything."
"Just take it. It'll make me feel better," Veronica said. "Otherwise, I keep feeling like I stole your job."
Woman to woman.
Veronica understood those unspoken thoughts perfectly and explained, "Honestly, I didn't want to accept it at first. But you know—Kevin and I need the money too."
"Veronica, don't say it like that. I really didn't think that much about it—I'm genuinely happy for you," Fiona said, not entirely honest. Only then did she take the bag, open it, and pull out the dress.
Poor as she was, Fiona still knew roughly how much the dress was worth. The tag was still on it. She immediately felt a flicker of happiness. "Veronica, this is way too expensive. You should take it back. I'd be wasting it wearing something like this."
There was no way Veronica was taking it back. She smiled. "I bought it for you. Who else would wear it? Just keep it."
Fiona smiled and joked along. "Well, then I'll take it. You're making good money now anyway—consider this me cashing in on the perks early."
"Help yourself," Veronica said sincerely. She really didn't mind helping Fiona out.
Fiona was in a much better mood. "You didn't go buy this specially tonight, did you?"
"..."
Veronica went silent.
That was… awkward to explain.
But if she didn't say anything, Fiona would find out sooner or later—and that would be even worse.
After a few seconds of thought, Veronica let out a quiet sigh. "Yes and no. Here's what happened. Dexter's restaurant provides six uniforms for the servers, but he told me to buy them myself. I went out to get them—and I bought this dress for you while I was there."
The words landed.
Fiona: "!!!!"
Human nature is funny like that.
In that moment, Fiona's mood took a sharp nosedive.
---
Dexter returned to the hotel, took a shower, changed clothes, and went out for dinner. Afterward, he headed to the Alibi bar to kill some time.
Kevin wasn't working that night.
So Dexter chatted a bit with the bartender, Jessie, listened to the drunk regulars ramble, and followed the latest developments in the Terry Milkovich case.
The update was simple:
No update.
The police hadn't found any useful leads, and Terry Milkovich had made enemies everywhere while he was alive…
Long story short—
The case was already doomed to become another unsolved mystery, just like countless others.
Dexter was very satisfied with that. He paid his tab, left his usual generous tip, and headed back to sleep, cheerful as ever.