Dex Restaurant.
Business was booming tonight. The fifty prepared meals had sold out completely, and a crowd of diners was clamoring for food while Dexter was busy in the kitchen.
Carl rushed into the restaurant, out of breath and pale-faced. Ignoring Veronica completely, he charged straight into the kitchen before coming to a stop, gasping for air as he stammered urgently, "Dexter, help me! Fiona and the others were just taken away by the police!"
Hearing this and seeing Carl in such a state...
So efficient! Dexter laughed silently to himself, but immediately put on a surprised expression. "Huh? What happened?"
Carl shook his head violently. "I don't know! I just saw them getting arrested! Can you help me?"
Dexter nodded decisively. "Of course. Don't panic."
Saying that, Dexter put down his spatula. "Come on, go outside and drink some water first. Calm down. They've just been arrested; they'll be fine for now."
The situation was too big for Carl to handle, and he didn't know what else to do, so he nodded and listened to Dexter.
Soon, the two left the kitchen.
Dexter found a seat for Carl, then signaled Veronica over to comfort him.
A moment later.
After a brief exchange.
Dexter pretended to come to a realization and said to Carl and the shocked Veronica, "It's probably about the burglary. They need a lawyer."
Neither Carl nor Veronica understood.
"Didn't they already pay the money? Why would they still get arrested?" Veronica couldn't make sense of it.
Dexter frowned slightly. "It's probably that guy Teddy. Maybe he called the police later for some reason."
"That motherfcker!" Veronica couldn't help but curse.
Hearing the name Teddy, Carl ground his teeth in hatred and said viciously, "I really should have killed him!!"
"Don't talk nonsense. How can you just kill people?" Dexter scolded him decisively, then turned to Veronica. "Veronica, look after Carl. I'm going back to the kitchen, then I'll call Kevin and have him find a lawyer."
"We can't rush this. We have to take it step by step."
Veronica couldn't think of a better plan, so she nodded. "Okay."
A few minutes later.
Kevin, who was working at the Alibi Room, received Dexter's call. Upon learning what happened, he was speechless. "Damn Gallaghers!!!"
"Yeah," Dexter laughed, agreeing. "Anyway, help find a decent lawyer. I'll cover the cost. I can't leave right now, is that okay?"
"No problem, I'm on it," Kevin agreed readily.
"Thanks. Call me once you find one."
"Okay."
The call ended. Dexter put away his phone, smiling and shaking his head.
Lawyers—they would do anything for money.
If they took the money, they had to do the job.
And what was the job?
Naturally, it was to communicate with Fiona and help ensure she went to prison, Lip and Ian went to juvenile detention, and Debbie and Carl went home.
" nothing wrong with that," Dexter muttered to himself with a smile, then continued cooking in a great mood.
No rush.
What was the hurry?
Let Fiona get a good taste of the price of a shameless life in the police station.
You chose this path, Fiona.
---
At the police station.
Fiona, who didn't actually have that much courage, sat handcuffed, face pale and body trembling, unable to utter a single word.
Lip, knowing that since he was a minor the consequences wouldn't be too severe, had calmed down. He was currently explaining clearly to the police about Teddy coming to the Gallagher house and the settlement reached between both parties.
The officer in charge of the case had no good impression of the notorious Gallagher family. He operated his computer, checking the records of Lip and the others, while listening with thin patience.
When Lip finished.
The officer sneered. "So, you admit you committed burglary?"
Hearing this, Lip's body stiffened. instinctively, he looked left and right at Fiona, Ian, and Debbie—who were clearly in a state of shock and useless right now. His mind raced. "I admit it, but this has nothing to do with Fiona, Ian, Debbie, or Carl!"
"I told them it was my friend's house. My friend said I could go in and take whatever I wanted. Fiona and the others didn't know they were stealing!"
Hearing this.
Fiona, Ian, and Debbie snapped out of it slightly and looked at Lip.
The officer laughed. "Lip, right? You're funny. You think you can take the rap for this alone? Not bad, very brave."
Lip kept a straight face. "I'm telling the truth!"
Just as the words left his mouth.
Fiona hurriedly spoke up. "Officer, don't listen to him. He's talking nonsense! I did it. They didn't know anything..."
In Fiona's eyes, Lip was incredibly smart and had a bright future ahead of him.
Fiona couldn't imagine what would happen to Lip if this crime were pinned on him.
So, despite being terrified of prison, Fiona summoned her courage to take the blame onto herself.
Ian and Debbie... stayed silent.
They couldn't help it.
They were too scared.
The officer's smile grew wider. "You Gallaghers really stick together."
Just then.
Having received the news and rushed back from outside, Tony practically sprinted to Fiona and the others. With a look of anxiety, he spoke to the officer in charge of their case. "Sam, what's going on? They're my neighbors."
Sam didn't know Tony was a simp for Fiona, so he briefly explained the situation.
After listening, Tony's head buzzed. He turned to look at Fiona, his expression incredibly complex.
There was no way around it.
The evidence was solid. Teddy had reported it, and the station had opened a case.
As a cop, Tony knew very well that this couldn't be solved by sweet-talking Sam or offering small bribes.
In other words, at least one of them had to take responsibility for this crime. That was already the best-case scenario.
Tony had a headache. He thought for a moment, pulled out a fifty-dollar bill, and stuffed it into Sam's shirt pocket. "Sam, you look tired. Go grab a coffee, on me."
Sam immediately understood Tony's intention. He glanced at Fiona, smiled faintly, and said, "I am indeed thirsty. I'll be back in ten minutes."
"Thanks."
Sam walked away.
Tony sat down and looked at Fiona. "How could you guys do something like this..."
Fiona had no words. Then, instinctively, she pleaded for help. "What should we do now?"
Tony was a professional simp. Seeing Fiona's pale face made his heart ache, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything unhelpful. "You need a lawyer... The video evidence is clear. You definitely committed a crime. The best outcome is for one of you to take the rap, and the rest, no matter what, claim ignorance..."
Tony didn't waste time and laid out the analysis.
Listening to this, Lip, with his limited understanding of life and society, was very unconvinced. "But we clearly settled this privately with that son of a bitch Teddy!"
Tony raised a hand to rub his forehead. "First, do you have proof that you settled it with Teddy? Second, even if you did, it's useless!"
"You committed burglary!! You committed a crime!! And there is solid evidence!!"
"Fxxk!!!" Lip felt like he was going crazy, his face turning red and his neck veins bulging.
Tony was simping for Fiona, not Lip. He had no emotional attachment to Lip, so ignoring him and considering the limited time, he turned back to Fiona immediately.
"Fiona, calm down and listen to me."
"You are an adult! You cannot take the blame for this. If you do, you will go to prison. You could be looking at one to three years! Even with good behavior, parole would take at least six months."
"Do you understand?"