Chapter 233: An Honest Talk
"Fuck!" Kevin and Lip were working on a car in the yard when Lip grabbed the wrong tool. A water hose burst and drenched him completely. He cursed under his breath.
Kevin tossed him a cigarette and asked, "What's up with you lately, man? You've been totally out of it."
Lip sat down on the toolbox and replied, "Frank's been talking to me."
"What about?" Kevin asked.
"He wants me to go to college," Lip said quietly.
"That's a good thing! Frank actually has money now. He can afford to send you to college. For once, he's acting like a real dad—you should be happy." Kevin smiled.
"I don't know... I'm conflicted," Lip admitted.
"Conflicted about what? What's there to be confused about? Don't you want to go to college?" Kevin asked.
Lip stayed silent.
Kevin looked surprised. "You seriously don't want to go?"
Then Kevin narrowed his eyes. "Bro, don't tell me you're chickening out. Scared that if you get too educated, life's gonna get more complicated?"
Kevin and Lip were close—arguably even closer than Ian—so he could easily see the worries Lip wasn't voicing.
"Come on, you're Lip. You're smart as hell. Doesn't matter where you are, you'll fit in—even at college. Just go. Enjoy being the smartest guy in the room. Rule the damn universe while you're at it." Kevin grinned.
"I don't care about ruling the universe," Lip muttered, exhaling a puff of smoke.
"Don't give me that. You're gonna be somebody. Rich, successful, living the dream—models in your arms, driving a sports car, chilling in a mansion... and then you can pay for my kid's college." Kevin laughed, slapping Lip on the shoulder.
"Fuck off. I'm not paying for your kid's tuition—unless the kid's mine." Lip shot back.
"Well, that depends on V, doesn't it? She'd have to be down for that. But you're still a baby—I doubt you could handle her." Kevin teased.
"Piss off." Lip laughed and cursed.
Then Lip asked casually, "So, Frank really bought into your bar?"
"Yeah, fifty grand. I've never seen that much money in my life. I offered to give him the whole place, but he only wanted half. Weird, right?" Kevin said.
Lip frowned. "I'd be careful if I were you. Frank's money isn't exactly clean. If he's buying into your bar, he might have a hidden agenda."
"What agenda could he possibly have? Worst case, I'll walk away from the bar. I've already got the money." Kevin said dismissively, then added, "Hand me the jack, will you?"
—
Meanwhile, Frank—the man in question—was sitting across from Jimmy in a café.
"What do you want, Frank?" Jimmy asked warily, glancing repeatedly at Frank's waist, where a gun was tucked under his coat.
Frank had originally planned to handle other things today, but after his conversation with Fiona, he decided to push everything else aside and take care of her relationship issues first.
He had gotten Jimmy's address from Officer Tony. Once he found him, he showed up at his place with a gun and forced him to come out for a "chat."
"I'm not here to do anything crazy," Frank said as he ordered two coffees and some food, handing the menu back to the waiter. "I just want to talk."
"I don't think we have anything to talk about," Jimmy said coldly.
"That girl at your place—the one who doesn't seem to believe in clothes—is she your wife?" Frank asked, glancing at the wedding ring on Jimmy's finger.
When Frank had gone to Jimmy's place, he'd seen the sexy Brazilian woman.
"Yeah... some unexpected things happened while I was away," Jimmy started to explain.
"No need. Fiona told me everything. Said you were forced into the marriage or whatever," Frank interrupted.
"But whether it was voluntary or not, the fact is you're married now. So why the hell are you back here messing with Fiona again?" Frank demanded.
"That's none of your business," Jimmy replied defensively.
"She's my daughter. You think this isn't my business?" Frank raised his voice.
"You told Fiona who I really am. I gave you that house so you'd keep your mouth shut. You promised to keep it a secret," Jimmy shot back.
Jimmy had been trying to slowly rebuild his relationship with Fiona, trying to counteract the damage done by his marriage. But just as things were improving, Frank dropped the bomb—revealing Jimmy's real identity to Fiona. It tanked his progress like a crashing stock, and he was furious.
That house wasn't cheap, and he'd given it to Frank in exchange for silence. But Frank had completely sold him out.
"That was then. Things are different now," Frank said calmly.
"You've put me in a terrible position. You're married, yet you still come back and try to worm your way into my daughter's life. I don't care if you came back to Chicago—fine. But why go find Fiona?"
"If you'd stayed away from her, I wouldn't have said a damn thing," Frank added.
"I'm not really married. I still love Fiona," Jimmy said.
"How much? Enough to divorce the Brazilian girl?" Frank raised an eyebrow.
"Of course! If Fiona asked me to, I'd leave Estefania in a heartbeat," Jimmy said confidently.
"Really? You sure about that?" Frank asked with a skeptical look.
"O-of course! This is America, not Brazil!" Jimmy insisted—but his voice lacked conviction.
The truth was, Jimmy had gotten in trouble back in Brazil. He'd crossed a local crime boss who forced him to marry his daughter so she could gain U.S. citizenship. Jimmy was still alive only because he had value.
If he tried to leave that marriage, he'd be screwed. Those Brazilian crime families made the Mexican cartels look tame. You didn't just walk away from a deal like that.
Frank had always known what kind of guy Jimmy was—cowardly, selfish, and always running from responsibility.
All this talk about divorce was just that—talk. Jimmy didn't have the guts to actually go through with it.
Frank sighed. "Jimmy, let me level with you."
"Fiona keeps saying she's done with you, but it's obvious she still cares. Everyone can see it. She loves you."
"She came home crying yesterday. I'm her father—do you know how much that hurt me?"
"You've known her long enough to understand what kind of person she is."
"You know our situation. You know how I was. The mess I made. Fiona held this whole family together by herself," Frank said.
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