Henry swore loudly. Olivia gasped, covering her mouth. "But… why? She seemed… okay?"
"Apparently not," Theo said grimly. Her distraction, her mistakes, her mention of money troubles… it all clicked into place with sickening clarity. He felt a surge of cold fury, quickly followed by a weary resignation. He'd misread her. Ignored the warning signs because he needed the help. He'd wanted to trust, just a little, and this was the result.
He spent the next hour on the phone with the police, filing a report, giving Tammy's details, knowing deep down the chances of recovering the cash, or even catching her immediately, were slim. She was likely long gone. He reassured Henry and Olivia, telling them it wasn't their fault, trying to project a calm he didn't feel. The betrayal felt sharp, personal, dredging up memories of his corporate ousting and how he had been backstabbed by people he thought he knew. Just when things were finally looking undeniably good… kicked down again.
Week 22 - Saturday
Saturday morning. Theo felt like he'd been run over by a truck. The anger from last night had curdled into a sour mix of cynicism and exhaustion. He'd barely slept, his mind replaying Tammy's distracted behaviour, kicking himself for not acting sooner. He forced himself to do some online searches using the details from Tammy's (likely fabricated) resume, address, previous employers. Dead ends. As expected. He tried her disconnected number again. Nothing. She had vanished.
He seriously considered just keeping the shop closed for the day. Calling in sick to his own life. The violation felt that profound. He'd offered Tammy a job, fair pay, bonuses, treated her decently… and she'd repaid him by robbing the till blind the first chance she got. It reinforced every cynical instinct he possessed about trusting people.
But then he thought of Henry and Olivia, who were relying on their hours, and also genuinely seemed to be good people. He thought of the customers who were now eagerly anticipating the amazing chicken. He thought of the $38,000 investment. He couldn't let one betrayal derail everything. Gritting his teeth, forcing down the shitty feeling, he went to the shop.
Henry and Olivia were already there, their expressions subdued but determined. The mood was somber as they prepped for 200 sales, the usual easy banter replaced by a heavier silence. Theo appreciated their quiet support, their unspoken understanding that they were still a team, minus one rotten apple. They opened, and the customers came, oblivious to the previous night's drama. The work was a welcome distraction, forcing Theo to focus on the process, the orders, the rhythm of the kitchen. They ended the day with 190 sales, a testament to the shop's momentum even with the dark cloud hanging over them.
Week 22 - Sunday
Sunday. Theo still felt the lingering bitterness, the sour taste of betrayal. But the focus was shifting towards a new problem. They prepped for 200 again, expecting the usual Sunday rush. But the day felt… slower. Noticeably quieter than the previous Sunday, or even Saturday. There were still customers, yes, but the frantic energy, the constant queue out the door, wasn't quite there. They ended the day having sold only 149 sets. Still respectable, but a significant drop from the previous weekend's peak.
"Weird," Henry commented as they cleaned up. "Felt way slower today. Wonder why?"
Just then, Olivia, who had taken to monitoring the shop's online reviews on her phone during downtime (inspired by Sarah's visit), let out a sharp gasp. "Uh, Theo? You need to see this."
Theo walked over, peering at her phone screen. His eyes narrowed, anger instantly eclipsing the lingering hurt from the theft. A flood of one-star reviews. All posted within the last 12 hours. All anonymous or using clearly fake names. All utterly vicious.
"AVOID! Found RAT DROPPINGS in my chips! Disgusting!""Used to be good when Maria ran it. New owner uses CHEAP ingredients and OLD OIL. Tasted rancid. Threw it out.""Dry chicken, soggy fries, place looked dirty. Health department needs to shut them down.""Saw cockroaches near the fryer! Seriously unsafe!""Overpriced garbage. Don't believe the hype. This place is TRASH."
Dozens of them. A coordinated, blatant attack. "Review bombing," Theo spat, the words tasting like venom. The timing wasn't accidental. Hitting them on Saturday and Sunday, designed to cripple the start of the next week, to poison the well of positive sentiment Sarah had helped build.
"But… rats? Old oil? That's completely untrue!" Henry exclaimed, looking horrified. "We clean everything constantly!"
"Of course it's untrue," Theo said, his voice dangerously quiet, fury coiling in his gut like a cold serpent. "Someone is deliberately trying to sabotage us." But who? Jono? Unlikely, he just wanted to sell and be done with it. A rival business? Possibly, but this felt targeted, vicious. Pete the lowballer from the bike days? No, he wouldn't know about the chicken shop. Tammy? Revenge for… what? Getting caught stealing? It didn't make sense. However the timing of this felt off, happening just shortly after Tammy's thieving stunt, was it related? Was she involved? Regardless, he didn't think he had no obvious enemies in this venture. Yet.
Sunday night. Theo sat alone in his apartment, the exhaustion of the weekend compounded by the fresh wave of anger and paranoia. First the theft, now sabotage. He stared at his ledger, needing the grounding reality of numbers after a week that felt like a chaotic blend of triumph and disaster. He tallied the week's figures, the impressive revenue tempered by the increased costs and the bitter, unrecorded loss from the stolen cash.