Chapter 158: The South Side Restaurant Opens
After staying in William's arms for a while, Fiona looked around at the restaurant, now fully prepared for business.
"Let's call it South Side Restaurant."
After all, the two chefs specialized in Southern (Black) cuisine, and the place was located in Chicago's South Side.
The name fit perfectly.
William, of course, didn't care what it was called.
To him, it was just a tool for money laundering.
With this restaurant in place, all it took was a bit of manipulation on the accounting side, and the money he earned from selling weapons could be quietly cleaned.
Of course, he still needed to have Svetlana handle the supply chain.
Since Fiona was now the legal owner, William wouldn't directly take money from the restaurant.
Instead, the numbers would be balanced through suppliers.
That way, everything stayed invisible—Fiona wouldn't notice anything unusual about the extra funds.
As for the suppliers arranged by Svetlana—
There was no law saying food couldn't be sold at high prices.
On top of that, he could easily spend some money to get environmental agencies to certify the ingredients as healthy and eco-friendly.
And if the food was "premium" like that…
Charging higher prices would be perfectly reasonable.
At the end of the day, it was all just accounting.
As long as the right people were taken care of, laundering money in America wasn't difficult.
---
"Cool, I'll go get someone to make a sign," Veronica said.
Fiona nodded.
And just like that—
The restaurant officially opened.
---
Opening Day
Being located in the red-light district, the area was packed with all kinds of people.
And no matter who you were—
You had to eat.
Fiona priced the menu based on her experience working at fast-food places before, so everything was affordable.
Naturally, it attracted a steady stream of customers.
Combined with the chefs' authentic Southern cooking—
Even many Black customers came specifically for the food.
During all this, the glances between Lip and Sniqua grew more and more frequent.
Fiona noticed.
But she didn't say anything.
She didn't want her relationship with Lip to worsen again.
She could only hope that one day Sniqua wouldn't show up holding a pregnancy test.
---
Meanwhile…
William didn't stay at the restaurant.
Instead, he headed to the North Side—
To Sophia's apartment.
Sophia had just returned home from work.
She removed her sunglasses and placed them on the table.
Ever since regaining her sight, her eyes had become too lively—
Too expressive.
Without sunglasses, people would quickly notice she was no longer blind.
"Who's there?!"
Even though she could see now, years of living as a blind person had sharpened her senses far beyond normal.
At that moment—
William stepped out from the shadows.
"My Lord!"
The moment she saw him, Sophia immediately dropped to her knees.
"Long time no see. How have the past few months been? Have you adjusted… to seeing again?"
William walked over and gently stroked her blonde hair.
"Thank you for your gift, Father. These days have been filled with joy beyond words."
Sophia looked at him with deep gratitude.
Seeing her devout expression, William couldn't help but think—
People with faith were truly… convenient.
"Sophia, the time has come for you to serve me. Are you willing to give me everything you have?"
"I am willing, my Lord. Everything I have belongs to you—you may take it as you wish."
She nodded eagerly, taking his hand and pressing it against her cheek, rubbing against it like a cat.
---
At the Same Time — On the Highway
Frank was driving.
Peggy sat in the passenger seat.
Traffic was completely jammed, cars stretching endlessly ahead.
Fast food sat between them—bought earlier that morning with money Frank had earned at a gay bar.
Peggy's return had disrupted his plan to scam Dottie.
But now, thanks to Peggy—
He had moved back into the Gallagher house.
And suddenly…
Dottie's inheritance didn't seem quite as important anymore.
Frank, as a person, was undeniably awful.
But at the same time—he was lazy.
Completely devoid of ambition.
Whenever he wanted money, it was always for the same few things:
Alcohol.
Cigarettes.
A place to crash.
And drugs.
Beyond that… he was, in a strange way, almost free of desire.
---
Peggy glanced around the messy car interior, clearly irritated.
Without a word, she grabbed the crumpled fast-food wrappers from the dashboard and tossed them out the window.
Then she sat there, arms crossed, her expression cold.
Frank noticed the movement and immediately grew tense.
The silence from Peggy was suffocating—he needed to fill it.
"Kids turned out pretty great, huh? All grown up now."
His attempt at conversation earned zero reaction.
Peggy absentmindedly picked her nose, utterly uninterested.
But Frank kept going anyway.
"Have you talked to Lip? Smart as hell—must've gotten it from me."
"And Ian—total heartbreaker. Just like I was back in the day. Remember?"
To be honest, years of heavy drinking and drug abuse had clearly taken a toll on Frank's brain.
It was no surprise he'd eventually develop dementia.
"He had everyone wrapped around his finger."
"And Fiona—beautiful girl. Just like her mom."
Peggy's face twisted with impatience.
But since Frank was focused on the road ahead, he didn't notice.
"Carl likes karate—takes after me."
"And Debbie's got that Gallagher entrepreneurial spirit."
"You see all those kids running around? Feels like we started a whole school."
"And little Liam—hell, he's actually my kid."
---
Frank just kept rambling.
Finally—
"FRANK!"
Peggy suddenly shouted.
"Huh?" Frank turned slightly, still smiling, as if everything he said reflected a happy, functional life.
But the truth was—
He didn't care about those kids at all.
Out of the six, the only one he might feel a trace of guilt toward was Fiona.
The rest?
Nothing more than tools to him.
Otherwise, how could every single one of them end up with ruined credit before even entering society?
"Shut up. I'm not interested in any of this."
Peggy crossed her arms again, completely shutting him out.
Frank immediately shrank back, intimidated.
Right then, traffic finally started moving again.
He quietly stepped on the gas, and the car began to roll forward.
---
Just like that—
The morning passed.
---
Afternoon — A Cosmetic Clinic
Pitts walked into his office, holding an iPad.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Pitts, Mrs. McGlarkady."
As he spoke, he closed the office door behind him.
"So—you're interested in breast augmentation surgery?"