The Gallagher House.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
Fiona's phone started vibrating.
It was Steve calling.
Fiona glanced at it. She truly didn't have the energy to answer right now, so she silenced it and ignored the call.
Veronica saw this and didn't know what to say.
At this point, Lip, who had mostly calmed down, spoke up. "I have more bad news. Ian and I asked around earlier... The consensus is that proving Patrick's will is a fake is next to impossible."
Hearing this.
Fiona laughed. A manic, unhinged laugh.
Let it burn.
Debbie, who had only recently stopped crying, burst into tears again. "Are we really going to lose the house??"
Veronica didn't know about this situation and was confused, hurriedly asking Lip what was going on.
Lip's attitude toward Veronica had always been casual, bordering on dismissive. Arrogance was Lip's fatal flaw.
He briefly explained the situation.
After listening, Veronica was speechless.
Patrick stealing the house, the group committing burglary, getting blackmailed by Teddy...
How could one family have so much drama?
Ian looked at the near-insane Fiona with genuine worry and couldn't help but say, "Fiona, Lip and I are still thinking of a way. We'll save the house."
Fiona glanced at Ian. Suddenly, summoning the last bit of her strength, she slowly stood up. "Whatever. I'm going to sleep. Don't bother me."
In difficult times, closing your eyes and sleeping is a powerless form of escape.
But what else could she do?
Fiona didn't want to think about anything right now. The minimum-wage job, the damn Gallagher family, damn Frank, Lip ruining everything, Veronica becoming practically a stranger, Steve disappearing when she needed him most...
Screw it all.
Fiona just wanted to sleep.
And so.
Under the gaze of Lip and the others, Fiona dragged her heavy feet, step by step, up the stairs.
She reached her room on the second floor.
Fiona closed the door, collapsed onto the bed, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
Downstairs.
With Fiona gone to bed, Veronica felt there was no point in staying. Besides, she felt the Gallaghers needed some space to cool off. She thought for a moment, then spoke to Lip, "If there's anything Kev and I can do to help, just say the word."
Lip knew exactly what had happened between Veronica and Fiona.
In fact.
In Lip's eyes, Veronica working for Dexter made her essentially a traitor.
"Okay, thanks. It's getting late, you should go to work."
Veronica used to be best friends with Fiona, not with Lip or the others. Sensing the tone in Lip's voice, she didn't linger. She nodded, stood up, and left.
It was time to get to work anyway.
Besides, there was no point in offering a warm hand only to get the cold shoulder.
Veronica left.
The Gallagher house remained shrouded in gloom.
Karen sat on the sofa. She had watched the show this far and knew that if she left now, Lip would definitely hold a grudge, so she continued to sit there quietly, not saying a word.
---
After parting ways with Teddy, Dexter drove to get groceries.
Arriving at the market, Dexter pondered his next moves while selecting the items he needed.
Life, as they say, is what happens when you're busy making other plans.
He had originally thought, based on the plot development, that he would stay here for another half a month before going on his "business trip."
But now, things were different.
Teddy's interference forced him to adjust his schedule.
After all, once Fiona went to prison, she would be in there for at least a few months.
Without Fiona...
From a certain perspective, "Season 1" would effectively be over.
So.
Fiona goes to prison. He goes on a business trip.
End of Season 1.
He returns from the trip, and Season 2 begins.
Perfect.
So.
The finale should be a bit intense, Dexter thought silently. He began mentally listing the tasks he needed to complete and seeing what adjustments were needed.
What was left to do?
Karen needed to get pregnant.
He needed to reveal Steve's true identity to Tony, so Tony would force Steve to leave town.
Comrade Patrick needed to be dealt with.
He needed to leave enough money to ensure Kevin and Veronica could live comfortably for a while, that Svetlana could run the fruit shop without worry, and that Vivian and Carl could live peacefully.
Anything else?
Oh right, Monica...
He had originally planned to kill Monica, but now...
Let's keep Monica around for now. There is a Season 2, after all, Dexter thought.
Alright, planning complete.
All that remained was to arrange these events one by one.
About a week should be enough.
In that case.
"I need to sell a lot more food in the meantime," Dexter muttered to himself with a smile. He took out his phone, opened Twitter, and posted a status update:
[The head chef of this restaurant will be away on a business trip in about a week. Therefore, the daily supply of meals will be significantly increased starting now. Friends who wish to dine, you are welcome to come.]
---
"No way! Don't do this, I've been so busy lately!"
"Boss, you run a restaurant, you're not a corporate drone. What kind of business trip are you going on?"
"Got it, on my way!"
"Wait for me!"
"..."
Although Dexter had only opened this Twitter account a day or so ago, due to the accumulated popularity of Dex Restaurant, he already had a lot of followers.
Within moments, replies came flooding in one after another.
Veronica, who was on her way to the restaurant, also followed the account. Seeing the status, she shook her head helplessly.
"One week."
"The bar renovation probably won't even be finished by then."
Veronica muttered. She didn't blame Dexter, she was just worried. She immediately called Kevin. "Kev, Dexter just tweeted that he's going on a business trip in about a week."
Kevin didn't react immediately. "So?"
"..." Veronica was speechless for a moment. "So, once he leaves, those rich people from other districts won't come around anymore. What about our bar?"
"What about it?" Kevin still didn't quite get it. "Once the bar is renovated, the regulars will come back. There will definitely be new customers too. We won't lose money. At worst, we just make a little less profit, and then when Dexter comes back, it'll be fine again."
Veronica: "..."
That... actually made a lot of sense.
Veronica realized her mindset had been a bit off. She laughed and shook her head. "True. I don't know what I was thinking."
Kevin understood. "V, don't overthink it. The bar is ours. To make money, we have to rely on our own ideas. We can't count on Dexter for everything."
Veronica nodded. "I know..."
Hesitating for a moment, Veronica wanted to tell Kevin about the Gallaghers. "Kev, let me tell you something..."
Kevin listened quietly until she finished. He thought for a moment. "V, what do you want me to say? Roberta just got murdered, and they went and robbed her house a few hours later, and got caught on camera..."
"To put it bluntly... they brought it on themselves."
Veronica actually felt the same way, but it was still hard to swallow. She just sighed. "Yeah."