Chapter 197: The Forgotten Liam
After Peggy's harsh scolding, Monica opened her mouth—
But in the end, fear won over courage.
She shut it again, shrinking back without saying a single word.
Frank, standing nearby, didn't feel great about it.
Sure, when Monica wasn't around, he didn't exactly speak well of her.
But when she was there, he usually stood up for her—
Just like he had yesterday.
Besides, Frank and Monica were like a chemical reaction—
Put them together, and something was bound to happen.
But this time—
Faced with Peggy's overwhelming presence, Frank backed down.
Off to the side, William watched everything unfold, thoroughly entertained.
There was nothing he enjoyed more than watching a group of terrible people tear each other apart.
Before long, the family finished breakfast under that strange, tense atmosphere.
Frank got stopped by Peggy and couldn't slip away.
Lip and Ian headed out to work.
Debbie stayed home.
William glanced at Carl. "Let's go."
And just like that, he took Carl out—presumably to "play" with guns.
Meanwhile—
Monica quietly slipped out of the house and made her way to the red-light district.
This time, she wasn't sneaking out to cheat behind Frank's back.
She had a purpose.
With the $200 Frank had given her, she intended to buy something—
Something that could threaten Peggy's life.
Most likely…
A gun.
But as Monica was looking around, she spotted something else.
Two Black men, standing near a crate, speaking in hushed tones.
Suspicious.
Curious.
Sharp-eyed as ever, Monica quickly noticed what they were dealing—
Drugs.
She looked down at the $200 in her hand.
And felt tempted.
Half an hour later—
Back at the Gallagher house.
Peggy was upstairs, asleep.
Frank sat downstairs alone, a beer in hand.
The door opened.
Monica walked in.
Frank immediately perked up, hurrying over to her—
But before saying anything, he instinctively glanced toward the stairs…
Making sure Peggy hadn't suddenly appeared.
He grabbed Monica's hand. "Honey… how did it go?"
Facing Frank's expectant gaze, Monica showed no guilt whatsoever. Instead, she casually pulled out a small bag of white powder.
"Look what I got you."
Only then did Frank notice—her dazed expression, the unfocused eyes.
She'd clearly already used some.
Then he looked at the tiny plastic bag in her hand.
His face darkened instantly.
"That's it? This isn't even worth a hundred bucks! I gave you two hundred! Did you seriously take the rest for yourself?!"
Frank snapped, glaring at her.
But Monica, already floating in her own haze, didn't even process what he said.
She simply opened the bag and handed it to him.
Frank stared at her… then at the bag.
"Fuck it."
He cursed under his breath—and took it.
While the two of them sank into their own chemically induced bliss—
Elsewhere…
William stood in a scrapyard with Carl.
Not far away, a mannequin target had been set up.
William sat casually on the hood of a car.
Carl, holding a small handgun, fired at the dummy in short bursts—just as William had taught him.
He was having the time of his life.
Before long, the magazine ran empty.
Carl jogged back over, grinning.
"Out of bullets."
William ruffled his hair and handed him another magazine.
Of everyone in the Gallagher family…
Carl was probably the only one William had no intention of screwing over.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
His phone rang.
"Hello?"
Unknown number.
"William~ it's me, Estefania."
Her voice came through, soft and syrupy.
"Hmm? What do you need?"
He wasn't surprised she called.
If anything, he thought it took longer than expected—Nando should've already arrived in the U.S. by now.
"Are you free? My dad wants to meet you… to settle the remaining payment."
Her tone carried a clear hint of anticipation.
William thought for a second. "This afternoon?"
"Okay… come to my apartment?"
That undertone of longing was even more obvious now.
William smiled slightly. "Sure."
Call ended.
He spent a bit more time letting Carl enjoy himself before finally taking him back to 2119.
But the moment they walked in—
They saw Frank and Monica sprawled on the couch, completely out of it.
"What's wrong with them?" Carl asked curiously, stepping closer.
William took a glance and immediately understood.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the Gallagher kids ended up scattered across foster homes.
Not that he cared.
If anything, he'd applaud it.
"Carl, I'll take you to your sister. Let's go."
He didn't bother explaining.
As for Debbie? Not even worth the effort.
She was probably upstairs right now, sneaking into Fiona's room—stealing clothes or makeup again.
That girl didn't just have impulses—she had a habit.
If she didn't steal something, she probably felt uncomfortable.
Soon, William brought Carl to the South Side diner.
Ding ding.
They pushed the door open.
Behind the register, Fiona wore a practiced smile.
Back in 2010, the U.S. economy was still in decent shape—small diners like this could actually make money.
So she looked genuinely upbeat.
"Carl? William? What are you doing here?"
Once she finished with a customer, William stepped forward.
"Carl, go play over there. I need to talk to your sister."
He patted Carl's head.
Thanks to the gun session earlier, Carl was now fully on board with William—he obediently ran off.
Fiona turned back, her expression tightening slightly.
"What is it?"
Something about William's tone made her uneasy.
He didn't sugarcoat it.
"Your parents… they're probably about to OD at home."
Fiona froze.
"What???"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
William shrugged.
She wasn't shocked by that.
But something else hit her immediately.
"Where's Liam?"
That was the real question.
William paused, thinking back.
"…I didn't see him."
He hadn't been downstairs.
Maybe upstairs.
Maybe somewhere else.
Or maybe—
Now Fiona couldn't sit still.
She had assumed that, with so many people in the house, someone would be watching Liam.
Turns out—
No one was.
(KEEP SUPPORTING THIS TWISTED MC)
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