Days turned into weeks.
Fiona was in prison.
Lip and Ian were in Juvie.
Monica, riding the high of a manic episode, had taken off in search of "freedom."
Frank was living his best life at Sheila's house. He had food, booze, and Sheila waiting on him hand and foot. The occasional price of getting pegged by Sheila with various kitchen implements? A small price to pay.
Kash at the grocery store was a bit depressed. Without Ian around, there was no one to hook up with in the freezer. Life was boring, and he was moping around like a wilted lettuce.
Mickey and Mandy, without even realizing it, had stepped out of the shadow of Terry's death. They were slowly moving toward something resembling a normal life. It was a long road, but the signs were looking good.
After securing a nanny for Debbie, Carl, and Liam, Kevin threw himself back into the renovation work at the Alibi Room.
Debbie, though heartbroken and stressed, stepped up to the plate. She took on the role of the matriarch, putting on a brave face, dragging Carl by the collar, and going back to school.
Karen received Lip's message through Debbie. Naturally, she ignored it completely. She was too busy with her grand plan: finding a sugar daddy—preferably a married one.
Thanks to the $15,000 she got from Dexter, Karen had leveled up her lifestyle. Designer clothes, bags, shoes, a new hairstyle—she was glowing up, looking more dangerous than ever.
Steve went back to his "normal" life. Stealing cars. He was chasing the adrenaline high like a junkie chasing a fix.
Veronica was working her shifts and studying hard for her GED. She was even looking into learning new trade skills. In a way, she was grateful to Fiona.
Fiona's downfall gave Veronica the motivation to run toward a better life. Veronica realized with crystal clarity that she did not want to end up like Fiona—locked up and hopeless. She started to truly cherish everything Dexter had provided, realizing just how rare this opportunity was.
Svetlana was busy at the fruit stand every day. She was tired but happy. The income fluctuated, but the trend was up, and she was motivated.
Plus, after the cartel thugs got blown up, no one dared to mess with Dex Fruit Stand.
A rumor had started circulating among the South Side vendors that Svetlana was the one who blew them up. They whispered that she was Russian Mob, a hitwoman hiding out in Chicago running a fruit stand as a cover for dark secrets.
And so, day by day, Svetlana's aura grew more mysterious.
Svetlana heard the rumors, of course. She loved them. She thought they were fantastic.
---
Between the shootings, the assaults, and the explosion, Tony's precinct was in chaos.
Tony and the other cops were running ragged, even though they couldn't solve a damn thing. The FBI agents investigating the bombing at the fruit stand were just as useless.
A heavy shadow seemed to hang over this part of the South Side.
But...
The shamelessly dysfunctional residents of the neighborhood just kept on keeping on.
Life in the gutter continued as usual.
---
A New Day.
It had been five days since Patrick and his family were blown to smithereens.
Without the daily drama, the South Side felt a bit boring to Dexter.
More importantly, Dexter had finished all his preparations.
"Last day. Tomorrow, I bounce."
Dexter got out of bed, stretched, and muttered to himself.
Half an hour later.
He arrived at the restaurant, opened the safe, counted the cash, and then withdrew every cent of the "System Money" he hadn't claimed from the treasure chests yet.
The total came out.
Over $122,000.
Dexter didn't waste time. He stuffed the $120k into a bag, left the change, and headed straight to the bank to deposit it.
After the bank, he met with his accountant to prep the next three months of payroll for Veronica, Vivian, and Mickey, and settled all the bills for the restaurant and the fruit stand. Then, he headed back to the restaurant.
By this time, the trio was already there, prepping for the day.
Dexter walked in, slapped three pay envelopes on the counter, and smiled. "I'm going on a business trip tomorrow. Here. This is your salary for the next three months."
Veronica, Mickey, Vivian: "????"
"Boss, isn't this kind of sudden?" Vivian asked, surprised.
Dexter shook his head. "Not really. I should have left a while ago, just kept putting it off. Vivian, starting tomorrow, the restaurant is yours to manage."
Vivian smiled faintly and nodded. "Okay. I'll try not to run it into the ground."
Dexter: "..."
What can you say to that?
"Boss, are you going to be gone for three months?" Veronica asked, shocked.
"Not sure. Probably not that long. Anyway, take the money. New Year's is coming up in a month. With this cash, you guys can have a good holiday," Dexter said with a smile.
After a bit more back and forth, they accepted the money.
"Alright, let's get to work. Lunch service only today. We're closed for dinner. Tonight, I'm treating. We're doing something different—a little get-together."
He'd been here long enough. Switching worlds—specifically to the John Wick universe—was something he was genuinely looking forward to.
"Okay," the three chorused.
Dexter ducked into the kitchen, pulled out his phone, and tweeted the announcement.
Naturally, his followers went nuts.
"OMG! Why so sudden?"
"Boss, you're joking, right?"
"What kind of damn business trip is this?!"
"..."
Dexter glanced at the comments, put the phone away, and summoned the System to open some chests.
Karma Points: 21,425.
A massive haul.
[You opened a Silver Chest. Congratulations, you received: One Drop of Vile Potion. This potion brings suffering to the consumer. You may customize the specific type of suffering by writing it on the bottle...]
"!!!!"
Now this is the good stuff!
Dexter was startled, then immediately checked the user manual for the potion.
It wasn't complicated. He could write the desired effect, the onset time, and the duration on the bottle.
So, who to use it on?
Frank, obviously.
In fact, Dexter already knew exactly what effect to write.
Heh heh.
Alright, next chest.
[You opened a Silver Chest. Congratulations, you received: $120,000.]
Useless paper.
Next.
[You opened a Silver Chest. Congratulations, you received: God-Tier Chinese BBQ Skills (Includes unlimited seasoning, special smokeless charcoal, ingredients for 500 people, and a perfect large-scale grill).]
Ding-dong!
BBQ. Skewers.
He hadn't had proper street-style BBQ in ages. He missed it.
That settles it. Tonight, we feast on meat. No need to cook anything else.
Dexter made the decision instantly and chose to retrieve everything except the grill (to avoid it popping out of thin air in front of people).
Voila.
Ingredients, seasoning, and charcoal appeared silently in storage.
Dexter thought for a moment, took out his phone, and tweeted again.
[Change of plans. Dex Restaurant is hosting a FREE BBQ Party tonight from 5 PM to Midnight. The Boss is breaking out a secret recipe. Guaranteed to be the best meat you've ever tasted. If you have time, come through.]
"???"
"Holy shit!"
"For real?"
"I'm coming!"
"Fuck this job, I'm leaving early. I'm on my way!"
"..."
The fans exploded. The tweet was getting retweeted like crazy.
Dexter didn't waste time. He ran out to "buy" ingredients and bamboo skewers (to cover for the System items). The stuff from the chest wouldn't be enough for the whole hood.
He returned to the back of the restaurant, retrieved the grill from the System, pretended he just bought it, and dragged it inside.
Time flew.
By 3:00 PM.
Luxury cars were speeding in from every district in Chicago.
Dexter started making calls. "Kevin, I'm throwing a BBQ party at the restaurant tonight. Stop working and come help me."
"You got it," Kevin agreed instantly.
"Tell Tommy and the guys. 5 PM to Midnight. Free food. Everyone is welcome."
Kevin was stunned. "Dexter, are you crazy? If you do that, the restaurant is going to get crushed!"
"Haha, we're not eating inside. We're doing it on the street," Dexter laughed.
Kevin: "...Is that legal?"
"It'll be fine. Just get here," Dexter replied.
"Alright, I'm on my way."
Dexter called Svetlana, Mrs. Gunderson...
In less than half an hour, the news that the famous, expensive, and delicious Dex Restaurant was throwing a free all-you-can-eat BBQ party spread through the South Side like wildfire. The crowds began to swarm.
Dex Restaurant.
"Veronica, Mickey, Vivian, Kevin. Only let friends inside. Everyone else stays out," Dexter said as he prepped the grill.
The four of them looked at the street. It was packed with luxury cars and a massive crowd forming long lines. Honestly, they were nervous.
It was a chaotic scene.
At the same time, Tony's entire precinct mobilized. They arrived to maintain order, eventually deciding to block the street completely—foot traffic only.
Notably, every convenience store on the block sold out of beer in minutes.
4:50 PM.
The restaurant was filling up with VIPs.
Svetlana, Carl, Debbie, Liam, Tommy, Kermit, and the regulars squeezed in.
In the front area, Dexter was grilling at god-speed.
On the massive grill, over a hundred skewers sizzled, releasing a mouth-watering aroma.
Two minutes later.
Done.
Even Dexter was surprised by the speed, but he knew it was the "God-Tier" skill and the special charcoal doing the heavy lifting.
"Carl, Vivian, Veronica. Pass these out. Take the first batch to the cops outside. Take some water too," Dexter plated the meat and ordered.
Carl swallowed hard, drooling, and nodded frantically.
Soon, the cops—who were definitely hungry—were happy. Eating the best BBQ of their lives gave them extra motivation to keep the crowd in check.
Half an hour passed.
The entire street was filled with an intoxicating, savory smell.
People were practically drowning in their own drool.
Night fell.
The street outside Dex Restaurant was a sea of people and lights.
Dexter, a cigarette dangling from his lips, kept grilling.
Tonight, this street in the South Side of Chicago was hosting the wildest banquet in the city's history.
It was insane.
News helicopters hovered overhead, broadcasting live.
Before long, half of Chicago knew what was happening at Dex Restaurant.
After the broadcast segment ended:
"Can we land? That smells amazing. I'm starving!"
"...How the hell are we gonna land? Look at that crowd. It looks like The Walking Dead down there."
"Find a landing spot nearby, we'll walk."
"..."
On the ground, media crews were everywhere. They were the lucky ones—Dexter made sure they got fed.
"Delicious! This is insane! I've never had BBQ this good!"
"Folks, I'm not lying. This is life-changing. I want to quit my job and work here!"
"Sorry viewers, cutting the feed. I need to eat!"
"??????"
---
Carl, Veronica, Kevin, and the others were busy running trays of meat out to the crowd, but they were having a blast.
Why?
One, they were eating as they worked.
Two, for the first time in their lives, they were being interviewed on TV.
"Hi, can I ask why your boss is giving away free food?"
"Because he wants to!"
"Because he's interesting like that."
"Because he's a good guy."
Carl and the others gave different answers to the cameras.
---
Prisons and Juvie have TVs.
Fiona saw the live news. She saw Carl, Debbie, Liam, Veronica, and Kevin appearing on the screen.
Lip and Ian saw it too.
Watching it...
Fiona smiled. Then, she started to cry.
If she had just made the right choices, she would be there. That joy could have been hers.
As for Lip and Ian...
Lip hated Dexter even more.
Why? He couldn't explain it. He just hated him.
Ian didn't hate him. He was just envious, and happy for Carl and the others.
---
"Carl! Carl!! Give me some meat! I've been waiting forever! I haven't had a single bite!"
In the crowd, Frank—who had gone through hell to wheel his wheelchair all the way here—spotted Carl and shouted desperately.
Carl heard him. He saw Frank.
A second later.
Carl looked away and completely ignored him.
Frank was furious. "You little bastard!!"
Carl turned sideways and shot Frank the middle finger.
Frank was stunned. Then he screamed, "I should have shot you onto the wall years ago!!"
Carl, holding a massive tray of skewers, pretended he was deaf and happily handed the food to strangers.
Frank cursed for a while, but he wasn't going to give up. He used his disability card, forcing his way toward the restaurant entrance.
Being in a wheelchair worked.
After about 30 minutes, Frank finally squeezed his way to the door.
Inside the restaurant, Dexter spotted Frank almost immediately.
Heh.
Perfect timing.
Dexter didn't hesitate. He pulled the small vial of potion from his pocket—the one he'd already inscribed with the curse. He dripped it onto a grilled chicken wing.
He grabbed the wing and a few other skewers and walked out.
He stopped in front of Frank.
"Frank, long time no see. Here, you went through a lot to get here," Dexter handed the skewers to Frank.
Frank grinned, showing zero shame. "Get me a beer too."
"You got it," Dexter smiled. He turned to a handsome guy nearby holding a six-pack. "Hey handsome, can you spare a beer?"
"Of course!" The guy knew Dexter was the boss and immediately handed a beer to Frank.
"Thanks. The next batch is yours," Dexter smiled, dropped the promise, and went back inside.
"Thank you so much!!!" The guy was ecstatic.
Meanwhile, Frank happily tore into the chicken wing and chugged the beer.
Walking back into the restaurant, Dexter glanced back. He was genuinely happy. Uncontrollably happy.
Why?
Because in seven days, Frank's junk was going to detach from his body.
How could that not put a smile on your face?
---
11:00 PM.
The BBQ carnival began to wind down.
People, full of meat and beer, started to drift away.
Another hour passed.
The party was officially over.
"Good work, everyone," Dexter lit a cigarette and smiled at Kevin and the crew.
"You worked the hardest. You never stopped," Kevin replied.
The others agreed.
They sat around the restaurant, ate a little more, drank a little more, and then it was time to part ways.
"Alright, that's a wrap. We'll party again when I get back from my trip."
Before they left, Dexter smiled.
"Boss, come back soon."
"Safe travels."
Kevin and the others said their goodbyes.
A few minutes later.
Dexter returned to his hotel room, showered, and went to sleep.
Time flew.
A New Day.
It was past 10:00 AM.
Dexter woke up naturally. He washed up, packed his things, and dressed sharp.
Everything was ready.
"Business trip time."
[End of Season 1]