Late night.
Inside the Club.
The place was still packed to the rafters.
Dressed in an outfit that left very little to the imagination, Fiona balanced a tray of drinks, weaving through the crowd of people writhing to the music. She was delivering overpriced alcohol to suckers and taking fresh orders as she went.
After finishing a round, she returned to the bar and shouted to the bartender, "One Mojito..."
As she was yelling the order...
Suddenly, a pair of hands landed on her ass and gave it a squeeze.
Fiona instinctively froze, then whipped her head around.
"Hi, beautiful," Adam flashed a brilliant smile and leaned in to kiss her.
Fiona hesitated for a split second, didn't dodge, and let him kiss her. When it was over, she smiled at Adam. "That is the last free sample you're getting from me."
Adam blinked, confused. "Why?"
This time around, Fiona wanted to make things work with Steve. she didn't want to repeat history and make the same mistakes... at least, that was her mindset right now.
Fiona smiled and replied, "I met someone else."
Adam: "..."
Even though they had never defined the relationship, and hadn't had much interaction lately besides fking, Adam still felt a pang of betrayal. He felt a surge of irritation.
However, his upbringing and status kicked in. Adam fought down the anger and kept his smile fixed. "Is this 'someone else' better than me?"
Fiona shook her head with a smile. "No."
"Then your choice is really strange," Adam said, his tone dripping with passive-aggression. "I think I deserve a chance to fight him for you."
Fiona shook her head again. "Adam, you're handsome, you're rich. You can hook up with half the beautiful women in here. Move on."
The words left her mouth.
The drinks were ready.
"I have to get back to work." Fiona didn't waste any more time. She picked up her tray and walked away.
Adam didn't move. He stood there, watching Fiona disappear into the crowd, feeling a mix of hatred and reluctance.
Adam didn't love Fiona. He didn't even like her that much.
Adam liked fking Fiona.
Fiona had a great body, she was pretty, and more importantly, the sex was passionate and incredible.
"Fk!" Unwilling to let go, Adam cursed under his breath.
Fiona didn't know, and didn't want to know, what Adam was thinking or feeling.
In her view, they were just playing around. There was no responsibility or obligation between them. Now that the game was over, they should just go their separate ways.
Fiona put Adam out of her mind. She thought of Steve, and the corners of her mouth tilted up.
She believed she had made the right decision this time. It felt good.
---
A new day.
Early morning.
Right after waking up, Veronica grabbed her phone and called Carl.
The call connected quickly.
"Carl, it's Veronica. You and Peg come over to my place for breakfast in a bit," V said directly.
Carl sounded a little confused. "Okay... how did you get my number?"
"Dexter told me," Veronica replied.
The truth was, inviting Carl and Peg for breakfast was Dexter's idea.
Of course, Veronica didn't mind.
For one, her income was substantial now. Providing breakfast for Carl and Peg every day cost pennies to her.
For another, ninety percent of the reason she and Kevin were doing so well today was because of Dexter. Since Dexter asked, how could she refuse?
"Oh, okay. Grandma and I will be over soon," Carl replied cheerfully. "I want bacon for breakfast."
Veronica knew Carl well. She didn't feel any type of way about his lack of politeness. "Sure. How about some eggs and ham, too?"
"Awesome!" Carl laughed happily.
Fifteen minutes later.
Peg and Carl were seated at Veronica's dining table, eating breakfast with Veronica, Kevin, and Ethel.
Kevin knew that inviting them was Dexter idea, so he was extra enthusiastic toward Peg.
The atmosphere among the five of them was surprisingly harmonious.
---
Dexter's Place.
Just like always, Bianca made breakfast first, then went to wake Dexter up.
After they ate, they headed out to the car.
As per routine, Dexter drove Bianca to work.
They seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement.
Bianca cooks, Dexter drives.
It worked out well.
At an intersection, while waiting for a green light, Dexter glanced at Bianca with a smile.
Bianca felt guilty under his gaze and lowered her head slightly.
"Ms. Greene, you really suck at hiding things," Dexter said, finding her reaction hilarious.
Bianca's eyes darted around as she played dumb. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"It's fine. I like how goofy you are," Dexter laughed.
Bianca: "??? You're the dummy."
"Haha."
Bickering playfully, they arrived at the hospital.
Bianca got out and said goodbye.
Dexter didn't go home. He drove to meet a real estate agent.
The agent had called last night—the deal for the empty lot next to the Gallagher house was finalized.
He needed to go sign the contract and pay. After that, he'd contact Tommy. Ideally, they would break ground today.
About half an hour later.
The transaction was successfully completed. The agent would handle the title transfer process, so Dexter didn't need to worry about it. He got back in his car to go buy ingredients and called Tommy.
Tommy had just sat down at the Alibi and was happily admiring the new bartender, Katherine. Listening to Dexter , he actually hesitated. He really didn't want to leave.
However.
Compared to ogling beautiful women, work was more important. Tommy knew this. He hesitated for a few seconds, grit his teeth, and agreed despite his reluctance. "Alright, I'll get the guys and start work immediately."
Hanging up the phone, Tommy downed the beer in front of him in one go and smiled at Katherine. "Katherine, hit me with another one."
Katherine returned the smile and quickly poured Tommy a beer.
Tommy chugged it down—glug, glug, glug—paid his tab, and stood up. "Gotta get to work. See you tonight."
"See you tonight," Katherine replied with a polite smile.
Tommy turned around, scratched his junk awkwardly, and walked out.
---
Dex Restaurant.
Lunch service began.
The restaurant filled up with customers quickly, as usual.
Veronica and Vivian got busy taking orders.
Bianca's father, Ted Greene, and her mother, Marianne Greene, sat opposite each other. They looked around curiously at the small, compact restaurant while listening to the conversations around them.
Listening and listening.
Quite logically.
Both Ted and Marianne were shocked out of their minds.
They couldn't help it.
The prices were insane.
Nearly two hundred dollars for a meal? Was this a joke?
Both of them were stunned.
Driven by this shock, when Vivian walked up to their table to ask what they wanted, Ted couldn't help but ask, "It's our first time here. Does a meal here really cost almost two hundred dollars?"
Vivian had a great temperament. She gave a sweet, quiet smile. "Yep. It's a bit pricey. The boss is a greedy bastard."
Ted: "???"
Marianne: "????"
Several customers at nearby tables heard this, chuckled, and nodded in unison. "Well said. He's definitely a greedy bastard."
"Hehe," Vivian laughed joyfully.