Dex Restaurant.
Friendships can fall apart in the blink of an eye.
A group of customers had originally agreed to share a single dish. But after they actually tasted the food…
Share?
Share what?
That word no longer existed.
It's all mine.
Of course, not everyone reacted that way.
After all, these were well-dressed, attractive men and women—people with status and pride. They still cared about appearances.
So, very reasonably, the ones who either didn't get any food at all, or only managed a few bites, started asking Vivian questions one after another…
"I'll come back tomorrow at lunch. Can I make a reservation now?"
"I'll pay for tomorrow's lunch right now."
"I'll pay for tomorrow night in advance."
"…"
As for why they were asking Vivian—
Simple. Everyone here was white. No Black customers at all. Veronica was Black, while Vivian was Asian… and, relatively speaking, they felt more comfortable talking to her.
This wasn't necessarily racism.
It was just that in the South Side—a rough neighborhood—
These people were newcomers, and they honestly didn't dare casually interact with Black locals.
You couldn't entirely blame them.
That reputation didn't come from nowhere.
They were scared.
Faced with all these questions, Vivian shook her head. "I can't make that decision. I need to ask the boss. Please wait a moment."
Perfect timing—Dexter walked out of the kitchen just then.
Seeing her, the group didn't even wait for Vivian to relay the message. They immediately repeated their questions directly to Dexter.
After listening, Dexter answered without hesitation. "Sorry. We don't take reservations, and we don't accept advance payment. If you like the food, you're welcome to come earlier tomorrow."
As soon as she said that—
"Why not?"
"What if I come early tomorrow and still can't get a seat like tonight?"
"Boss, isn't that a little too arrogant?"
"…"
The crowd immediately started complaining.
Dexter smiled. "This area is actually pretty nice. You can come early and walk around. There's a bar nearby—Eli Bar—that's not bad."
The moment she said that—
Several people who had actually been to Eli Bar before instantly had question marks pop up over their heads.
"??????"
Meanwhile, Veronica's mind started racing. She instantly realized what an incredible opportunity this was.
If Eli Bar just cleaned up a bit—renovated, changed its look, stopped feeling like a criminal hideout—
And with Dexter casually sending customers their way…
Eli Bar would make a killing.
Veronica's heart started pounding. When she thought about how much tip money she'd made today, and how much salary she'd be earning soon—
Buying Eli Bar suddenly didn't seem that hard at all.
For the first time, Veronica genuinely considered having Kevin buy the bar.
"Boss, you're joking, right?"
"That Eli Bar—I felt like I was going to get raped the moment I walked in," one beautiful woman said, still shaken.
"Yeah, yeah," another quickly agreed. "I went there once too. It scared me to death. Those drunk guys looked at me like I was prey!"
"Same here," a handsome guy suddenly chimed in.
Okay—given how handsome he was, being gay totally checked out.
Dexter listened quietly. She had nothing better to do anyway, so she casually chatted with them.
Veronica sat off to the side, feeling helpless. She imagined the scene inside Eli Bar.
Yeah… they're really not wrong, she admitted silently.
Vivian, as usual, smiled and enjoyed the show.
—
Eli Bar.
Drunks like Frank were happily drinking, laughing, and making a racket.
Kevin had made a decent amount of tip money tonight, and he was in a great mood.
Naturally, most of those tips came from wealthy customers visiting from other neighborhoods.
Frank and the other regulars? They didn't tip for anything.
Just then, the bar phone rang.
Kevin casually picked it up. "Eli Bar."
The call was from Frank's lawyer, Lou Decker, asking to speak with Frank.
Kevin handed the phone over. "It's for you."
Frank froze for a second, his mind racing. He couldn't think of who would be calling him, so he got a little nervous. Taking the receiver, he immediately put on a fake woman's voice. "Frank isn't here right now. You can tell me."
Lou knew Frank way too well. One second was all it took. "Hey, Frank. Good news—your compensation settlement is finalized!"
The words hit Frank's ears.
He instantly got so excited he practically started dancing. "Oh yeah! Which one?"
"Come by my office tomorrow morning and I'll explain everything."
"Tomorrow? Can't you tell me today?" Frank couldn't wait.
"I'm about to get off work. Tomorrow morning."
"…Fine."
Click.
After hanging up, Frank was practically vibrating with excitement. He handed the phone back to Kevin, grabbed his drink, and downed it in one gulp. Then he slapped the bar top several times—bang bang bang—before turning around and shouting, "Everyone! Next round's on me!"
The bar erupted in cheers.
Frank turned back and gave Kevin a subtle shake of the head, signaling that he was kidding—don't take it seriously.
Kevin, of course, knew that already and ignored him.
Frank was still riding the high. "Whiskey. Gotta celebrate properly."
---
The Gallagher House.
Fiona, meanwhile, was in no mood to celebrate.
"Karl, I took time off work this afternoon just to look for you. My manager chewed me out and almost fired me."
"Can you promise me you won't do this again?"
She was trying to reason with him, speaking from the heart.
Karl understood how hard things were for Fiona. But that was just his personality—he wasn't changing. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're so annoying."
With that, he got up, ready to leave.
Fiona didn't buy it. She immediately reached out and gently pressed him back down. "You're a real man. And real men keep their promises, right?"
"You kept your promise to Dexter. I understand that—you did great."
"So I believe you'll keep your promise to me too. Right?"
"God, you're so annoying!" Karl snapped, yanking his hand free and stomping upstairs. He planned to grab his paintball gun and go shoot something—anything—to vent his frustration.
Fiona felt helpless. She gave Steve a wry smile, then apologized. "I'm sorry. You ran around with me all afternoon. I shouldn't have snapped at you earlier. Things just piled up, and I lost it."
Steve smiled softly. "How about you make it up to me?"
Fiona instantly got it. "We haven't even had dinner yet. Aren't you hungry?"
"I'll eat you."
Fiona laughed.
The next second—
They couldn't wait any longer. They didn't even bother going upstairs, instead ducking straight into the first-floor bathroom and launching straight into an all-out battle.