Dex Restaurant.
Ted and Marianne waited for a long time, hoping for Dexter to come out so they could observe him.
The result? Dexter didn't appear, but lunch did.
This lunch was costing nearly four hundred dollars...
Ted and Marianne temporarily put aside their mission to observe Dexter and began to enjoy the meal with gusto.
A moment later.
Because the food was just too delicious, Marianne smiled happily. "How long has it been since we've seen Bianca?"
Ted, who was completely focused on shoveling food into his mouth, paused and thought for a moment. "Quite a while, I guess. Why?"
Marianne giggled and whispered, "Her boyfriend cooks this well. Do you think she's put on a few pounds?"
"..." Ted pondered this for a few seconds, then nodded. "Very likely."
"That would be hilarious," Marianne chuckled with delight.
Ted didn't say anything more. He transformed into a food-eating machine and went back to work.
Marianne did the same.
At this point, even though they hadn't met Dexter yet, their impression of him had improved significantly.
In a flash.
The plates were cleaned spotless. Ted wiped his mouth, still savoring the flavor, and let out a long sigh of relief. "The taste is incredible. It's actually worth the price."
Marianne agreed completely. "It really is delicious. Too bad we can only eat here occasionally, otherwise, we'd go bankrupt. Unless Bianca marries Dexter..."
Saying this, Marianne blinked mischievously.
Ted was dumbfounded: "????"
What the hell?
Selling your daughter for free meals?
That's absolutely ridiculous.
The truth is, fathers and mothers often have very different attitudes when it comes to their daughters.
Ted was immediately displeased and frowned. "What nonsense are you talking about? We haven't even met the guy yet, and you're talking about marriage."
Marianne just grinned.
Daughters usually take after their mothers.
Bianca had a mischievous streak, and as her mother, Marianne wasn't far off.
"What's wrong with thinking about it?" Marianne laughed.
Ted frowned, too lazy to argue. An idea struck him. He stiffened his face into a serious expression and waved Vivian over. "Waitress, could you come here for a moment?"
Vivian hurried over to Ted's side. "Hi there, is there a problem?"
"There is definitely a problem," Ted said with a stern face. "I need to speak with your boss. Please call him over."
Dex Restaurant had been open for a while, and they had never encountered a situation like this.
Vivian was surprised. "Was the lunch not to your liking?"
"There is a huge problem with the two meals we ate. I can't explain it clearly to you. Please call the boss over," Ted insisted.
"Okay, please wait a moment." Vivian didn't waste words and went straight to the kitchen.
Entering the kitchen, Vivian told Dexter about Ted's request.
After listening, Dexter grinned. "Do you know who that couple is?"
How would Vivian know? She thought for a second. "Professional scammers?"
"Haha," Dexter laughed out loud.
Bianca said her own parents were there to scam him.
Now Vivian was saying the same thing.
"Do they look like the type of people who would do that?" Dexter asked with a laugh.
"A little bit," Vivian replied.
"Stop messing around. They're Bianca's parents," Dexter laughed, shaking his head.
Vivian gasped. "Bianca's parents are professional scammers?"
Dexter: "????"
"Haha, just kidding." Seeing Dexter reaction, her little prank succeeded. Vivian laughed happily, then said, "So, Bianca's father wants to scrutinize you, that's why he said there was a problem with the lunch. I get it."
"Vivian, you're getting more and more mischievous. You're learning bad habits," Dexter teased.
Vivian smiled proudly and changed the subject. "So, aren't you going out?"
"No. Bianca doesn't seem to want me to meet them right now. You handle it. Tell them the meal is on the house," Dexter replied.
"Alright," Vivian agreed readily. "Leave it to me. I guarantee I'll kick them out for you."
Dexter: "... You really are learning bad habits. Get out of here."
"Yes, sir!" Vivian turned and left.
Watching Vivian's retreating back, Dexter suddenly felt that maybe he should spend some time checking in on Comrade Vivian, lest she stray down the wrong path.
Of course, not right now.
Right now... he had to tease Bianca first.
Moments later.
Bianca received a text from Dexter and found out what her dad was doing. Her brain buzzed.
[Yes! Kick them out! Better yet, ban them from eating there ever again!]
Dexter saw it and cracked up.
Comrade Bianca... truly a model of filial piety.
Dex Restaurant, Front of House.
After trying several lines and failing to see Dexter, Ted—who was a normal person, not a shameless scoundrel—was out of options. He had to give up for now. He and Marianne left the restaurant and got into their car.
But they didn't leave. They sat in the car and waited.
They had come all this way; they had to at least see Dexter, or the trip would be wasted, right?
Besides, this concerned Bianca...
They had to see the guy!
As Bianca's father, Ted's determination was unshakeable.
They waited like that for about an hour.
Lunch service at Dex Restaurant ended. Dexter left the restaurant, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and strolled toward the Alibi Room.
Both Ted and Marianne widened their eyes, scrutinizing him carefully.
Then.
"He's handsome, and his cooking is amazing. Not bad," Marianne praised.
Ted didn't make a sound, just watched quietly until he saw Dexter walk into the Alibi Room. Only then did he speak, stating the facts. "He looks alright. Don't know about his character though... Let's go sit in that bar too."
Hearing this, Marianne sighed helplessly. Then, she said very seriously, "Sitting is fine, but don't cause a scene. If you upset Bianca, I won't help you."
"Fine..." Ted agreed weakly.
---
Carl went to work.
Peg wasn't idle either. She took a bus alone and went to see her other three sons, excluding Frank.
Currently, Peg was chatting in one of her sons' homes.
They got along okay, chatting about daily life.
After about half an hour.
Peg left two thousand dollars, got up, and left for the next son's house.
Traveling around, it was past three in the afternoon.
Having visited all three sons and left two thousand dollars for each of them—fair and square—Peg sat in a taxi, her emotions complicated, heading toward the Alibi Room.
On the way.
Through the window, looking back at the house of the son she just visited.
Peg zoned out for a moment. She thought of Frank, looked away, and sighed silently.
She had four sons in total.
Except for Frank, the lives of her other three sons ranged from good to okay, but overall, they were doing fine.
Frank...
Peg got a headache just thinking about him.
And the truth was...
Even though Peg was indeed a terrible mother, no matter how terrible, she still had love for her children. It wasn't like she had no feelings at all.
And, if you really got down to it...
Frank, who was doing the worst, might not be Peg's favorite son, but he was definitely the one she worried about the most.
Otherwise, after getting out of prison, Peg wouldn't have gone straight to 2119 North Wallace to find Frank.
Did Peg find Frank just to have him take care of her?
No.
Peg wasn't afraid of death. She faced it very calmly.
She found Frank mostly because she was worried.
In the original show.
Later on, if Frank hadn't kept doing inhuman things—like stealing Peg's medication...
Peg wouldn't have gone so far as to leave Frank penniless and send all her money to her other three sons...
Actually, thinking about it carefully, even at that point in the show, after Frank treated her like that and disappointed her enough to send the money away...
Before deciding to die, Peg still couldn't completely harden her heart. She still wanted Frank to be a little better off. That's why she tried to get hit by a bus—so Frank could sue the city and get some compensation.
Quite an interesting form of motherly love.
Isn't it?