Karen smiled sweetly. "What does it matter? I've never been on a yacht before. Come with me."
Lip wasn't having it. "I'm not going. If you want to go, go by yourself."
After spending so much time together—and calculating every move—Karen knew Lip wouldn't go. That was the exact sentence she was waiting for. "Then I'm really going. I heard there's going to be a lot of people. I'll just check it out and come back."
Lip didn't say anything, his face sour.
Karen didn't care. Let him sulk. Before long, Lip would want to fxxk, and he'd be back to normal.
---
On the other side of town.
Mickey exhaled a cloud of smoke, turned his head, and stared at his beat-up car. He started thinking.
Dexter had a yacht...
He'd been working for a while now and had saved up some cash.
Maybe it was time to get rid of this piece of junk.
People are people. When you have money, unless you're an idiot, who doesn't want to upgrade their life?
After thinking about it for a bit.
Mickey gritted his teeth. Fuck it. Since he had the money, he might as well spend it. He shouted to Carl, who was messing around nearby. "Carl! Get in. We're going somewhere."
"Where are we going?" Carl asked curiously.
"To buy a car!" Mickey said with swagger.
"Awesome!" Carl grinned, acting like he was the one buying a car.
After spending two days together, Mickey had long realized this kid wasn't playing with a full deck, so he didn't bother analyzing it. They hopped in the car and left.
About an hour later.
Mercedes-Benz Dealership.
After randomly picking out a brand-new Mercedes priced at sixty-eight thousand dollars, Mickey pulled out his savings and ID—which he had stopped home to grab—and casually paid the bill.
This was the first time in Carl's life he had seen that much cash in one place. Naturally, his eyes widened in shock. "Holy shit! How do you have so much money?"
"I worked hard and saved it," Mickey replied with a grin, half-bullshitting.
Carl's IQ was limited. Hearing this, even though he couldn't calculate how long he would have to work to save that much, his eyes lit up. He firmly believed that if he just kept working, he'd have that much money too.
In that moment, Carl found a very firm goal.
Paperwork done.
Mickey called one of his cousins to come drive the junk car back. Then, he got behind the wheel of the new Mercedes, with Carl riding shotgun, and drove straight to Dex Restaurant.
Why?
To show off, obviously. And grab some lunch.
But mostly to show off!
The Milkovich family was huge... and he was the first one to drive a brand-new Mercedes that he actually bought!
Damn right. If he didn't flex a little, what was the point of buying the car?
Before long.
Mickey pulled up to the entrance of Dex Restaurant with Carl.
The restaurant hadn't opened for business yet.
Veronica, Vivian, and Mandy were all idling inside.
Mickey didn't get out immediately. He rolled down the window and leaned on the horn. Honk! Honk!
Hearing the horn.
Mandy turned her head, saw Mickey's new car and Mickey inside it, and her jaw dropped. She immediately rushed out of the restaurant, ran up to the car, and glared at Mickey angrily. "Mickey, where the hell did you steal a new car from?"
Mickey: "?????"
Mickey froze for a second, then got pissed. He roared, "Fxxk you! I just bought this car!"
Mandy instinctively didn't believe him. "Are you fxxking kidding me?"
"Fxxk off!" He came here to flex, and instead, he gets accused of grand theft auto. Mickey was getting more annoyed by the second. He barked at Mandy, "Ask Carl!"
Mandy was skeptical. She turned to Carl. "Carl, did Mickey really buy this car?"
Sitting in the passenger seat, Carl nodded with a grin. "Yeah, he just bought it. Mickey paid a lot of money."
"?????" Mandy couldn't process it. She asked Mickey again, "Where did you get that kind of money?"
"Fxxk you!!" Mickey was done. He killed the engine, got out, and stomped toward the restaurant, ignoring Mandy completely.
Carl found the whole interaction weird. His little head was filled with big question marks as he followed Mickey out of the car.
Inside the restaurant.
Veronica heard the conversation between Mickey and Mandy, and she felt a pang of envy.
Mickey... a Milkovich... bought a Mercedes.
She and Kevin were still driving that beat-up pickup truck worth a couple grand.
They were being outdone by a Milkovich...
To this day.
Even though she didn't have any beef with Mickey anymore, deep down, Veronica still looked down on every Milkovich except Mickey and Mandy...
So.
Damn! Veronica couldn't help but curse silently. Then, she immediately thought about her and Kevin's savings.
Actually, they had quite a bit saved up. Buying a Mercedes would be easy—more than enough cash.
Buy it! We have to buy one! Veronica made up her mind instantly, without a shred of hesitation.
Vivian just giggled. She didn't have any complex thoughts about it. She just thought Mickey had changed a lot, and changed for the better.
---
Dex Restaurant.
It took some effort, but Mandy finally believed Mickey had actually spent money to buy the Mercedes. She beamed. "Mickey, I'm sorry. Let me drive it tonight."
"Fxxk off. The car is stolen!" Mickey said haughtily, clapping back without mercy.
Mandy didn't care. They'd been bickering like this for years; this was nothing.
"It's a deal then," Mandy laughed.
"Get lost!" Mickey retorted again.
Behind the counter.
Dexter watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but chuckle.
Mickey Milkovich. Worked an honest job for half a year, and now he bought a Mercedes.
Who would have thought?
What an interesting transformation.
Comrade Terry didn't die in vain.
Dexter suddenly thought of Terry. More accurately, he thought of the night he took Terry out.
Feels like a lifetime ago, Dexter whispered with a smile. He looked away, turned back to the kitchen, and continued his prep work.
Just then.
Svetlana walked in for lunch.
Moments later.
Right on cue, following in Veronica's footsteps, Svetlana couldn't stop the jealousy from bubbling up.
Mickey Milkovich, the former degenerate, bought a Mercedes...
But unlike Veronica...
While Svetlana was jealous, she suddenly felt a surge of motivation!
If a former lowlife punk like Mickey could have this kind of life...
Svetlana believed she could have it too. No, she must have it!
---
Even though they were still in a cold war, Veronica shared the news about Mickey with Kevin.
The Alibi Room.
Kevin saw the text and found it hard to believe.
Soon enough.
Tommy, Kermit, and the rest of the barflies all had the exact same reaction as Kevin.
"Mickey bought a Mercedes? Am I dreaming?"
"Who would have thought Mickey would see this day..."
"Those Milkovich siblings really hit the jackpot. One after the other, Dexter picked them up, and now they're getting rich!"
"...What do I gotta do to work for Dexter? I want a Mercedes too."
"Wash your ahole real clean, maybe you got a shot."
"..."
Tommy and the drunks joked around.
It was just banter.
Jealousy?
Nah.
Tommy and the guys had a great mindset. As long as there was beer, nothing else mattered. No jealousy, no drama. Just drinking and laughing. Life was good.