Chapter 214

Cassandra didn’t so much as glance at Mara Hawthorne sitting nearby—let alone waste a look on either of them. Soon, the waiter brought out the dishes she and Emma had ordered. They both started digging in, occasionally chatting casually. The moment the waiter served Ethan Carter and Mara their Western-style meals, Cassandra suddenly let out a low exclamation like something just struck her. Keeping her voice down, she leaned in and said, “Oh yeah, Emma, I watched this post-apocalyptic zombie film the other day. Not sure if you’ve seen it, it’s got this somewhat twisted plot—zombies evolved and took over, and humans were being bred like livestock… just for food.” “Oh my god, I saw that one too,” Emma caught on to her friend's wicked little game and played along with a grin. As Cassandra described those stomach-churning scenes in detail, Emma glanced sideways at Mara’s black pepper wine steak, pretending to be excited. “You know what part was the best? The one where the zombies started fi