Chapter 1207

Tammie burst in, heels clacking across the floor so loudly that it was impossible to ignore her even if you couldn't see her, you could definitely hear her coming.

She rushed through the door and froze at the sight of Cassandra, who was gripping a knife and stabbing it down with wild determination.

Tammie's heart nearly stopped. For a second, the world spun and she thought she might actually faint.

"Cassandra, no!" she yelled.

But when Tammie finally got close enough to see what was really happening, she just stood there, totally stunned.

Tammie: ??

"What the..."

Cassandra picked up a huge chunk of chicken she'd just cut off and took a dramatic bite, chewing like her life depended on it.

Tammie: "..."

She'd come running in a panic—over this? Seriously?

This?

Tammie dropped into a chair and shot Cassandra a look somewhere between disbelief and irritation.

"You rushed in here like the world was ending just to eat fried chicken?"

Cassandra shrugged. “I'm in a terrible mood. Only something delicious is going to make me feel better."

Tammie: "..."

Honestly, her imagination was something else.

She'd thought Cassandra was about to hurt someone.

She'd worried Cassandra was sneaking off to meet some shady character.

She'd even convinced herself Cassandra was about to do something totally reckless.

But in the end, her daughter was only losing her mind over a bucket of fried chicken.

Tammie pressed a hand to her forehead. What kind of daughter had she raised?

Meanwhile, Cassandra was still happily gnawing away, completely unaware of her mom's inner turmoil.

"Mom, don't you love the tail piece? Here, have it." Cassandra tore off the crispy tail and offered it right up to Tammie's mouth.

Tammie opened her mouth to say something-probably to scold her-but before she could, Cassandra just stuffed the piece in.

Wait-

Wow.

That was actually incredible.

"Good, right?" Cassandra beamed.

Tammie couldn't help herself. "So good! Seriously, Cassandra, how do you always find the best fried chicken in the city? This is amazing."

"Mom, I may not be able to outsmart Josefina, but when it comes to finding good food, I'm second to none. No one can touch me."

Tammie grinned. "That's my girl!"

The two of them dove in, not caring about the mess, their fingers and faces shiny with grease.

That's when a woman in a black coat, black hat, and mask walked in.

The shop owner didn't waste a second-he flipped the "Closed" sign on the door and hurried into the back.

Just as Tammie and Cassandra were about to reach for another piece, the woman slid into the seat across from them.

The whole vibe in the room changed in an instant. Tammie quietly put her chicken tail down.

Cassandra, too, set her drumstick aside.

Neither of them bothered to wipe their mouths, both looking like they'd just been caught raiding the fridge at midnight.

The woman slammed her hand on the table. "What on earth is this? Useless! Absolutely pathetic!"

Tammie and Cassandra didn't even flinch. You could tell this wasn't the first time they'd been yelled at like this.

After a while, you just get used to it.

The woman glared, her tone icy. "You two screwed up, and you're still here stuffing your faces? Have you no shame at all?"

Tammie shot back, not bothering to hide her annoyance. "Honestly, this wasn't all Cassandra's fault. You had her try some crazy experiment with Deadly Nightshade at school-do you know how dangerous that is? There's no antidote! Cassandra's new to this and you throw her in the deep end. You're setting her up to fail, and making her enemies at the same time."

Cassandra chimed in, "It's not just me. If Fiona was here, she'd have messed it up too. Sometimes

wonder if you orking for Fiona

really on my side, or

you're actually

just here to trip me up."

Clearly, mother and daughter were thinking the exact same thing.

This wasn't teamwork—it was a setup. A trap, plain and simple.

A whole chain of traps, honestly.

The woman in the hat looked like she was about to lose it. She shot them a look like

they were the dumbest people she'd ever seen.

Cassandra crossed her arms. “Don't pull this on me again. I'm not doing something like that next time."

Tammie nodded. "I've spent a

.n

fortune and put my reputation on the line to get Cassandra out of trouble. You promised to invest in our company, and so far all I've seen is two hundred grand-and I almost lost my daughter in the process.