The Sinister Screen Queen

The air smelled like a sugar-coated dream warm cinnamon, lemon glaze, vanilla dust, and something else entirely...

"Mary… how did you even make this? There's like, twelve flavors in this cake alone!" Emilia drooled at the amazing smell.

"This has to be magic!"

Mary Poppins smiled, pouring tea. "Everything in life is magic, dear, if you're in the right kitchen."

Allegra bit into a zodiac-shaped cupcake and moaned in bliss. "Miss Poppins, quanto would it cost-a for you to become my pasticciera personale, eh?"

Mary dabbed her lips with a napkin. "Tempting. But I'm afraid I belong to Miss Pendragon."

Tanya, sipping juice from a fancy teacup like a smug gremlin. "Get your own magical nanny."

Before Allegra could retort, the TV flashed with the opening coverage of the match.

"Oh!" Emilia pointed. "It's almost kickoff!"

Allegra turned to Tanya with a grin. "You still wanna back out before Inter gives you a bella figuraccia, huh?"

Tanya leaned back on the couch. "Why? You trying to back out?"

Allegra scoffed and grabbed the remote. "Let's do this."

The TV shifted to the stadium, showing the teams warming up on the pitch.

Emilia made a face. "Ugh, Serie A? Why are we watching this? Premier League is so much better."

"Oh please." Allegra shot back, "This is real football… Italian football."

"It's slow!" Emilia snapped.

"It's tactical!" Allegra shouted.

"Booooringgg!"

Allegra gasped, hand to chest. "Scusa?! That's a personal attack!"

"Italian teams don't even—"

"They're tactical geniuses! Not everything needs to be a sprint fest!"

As their bickering escalated, Ming calmly butted in. "Uh, guys… remember? You bet on this game."

That shut them up instantly.

Emilia looked sheepish. "Right. Right. I did sort of gamble our cake money…"

"I have no regrets either." Ming lied, eyes fixed on the screen.

Kickoff. The game began. And from the start, something felt... off.

Inter Milan moved like they were stuck in molasses.

"Dai, dai!" Allegra shouted at the screen. "Move! It's not ballet!"

Ming arched a brow. "They always start this slow?"

Tanya popped another slice of cake into her mouth. "Mm-hmm."

Then it happened Atalanta made a fast break. One sharp pass, and boom, the net rippled.

"NO!" Allegra cried.

"YES!" Ming and Emilia shouted in unison, jumping up.

GOAL.

Atalanta 1. Inter Milan 0.

Allegra glared. "WHAT?!"

Ming clapped politely. Emilia cheered a little too hard. Tanya just blew on her tea.

"First half's ours," Emilia grinned.

Allegra looked like she was in mourning.

"Still early." Allegra muttered. "Second half's ours."

The break passed with more cake and mild roasting.

Then, the second half kicked off and Inter woke up. For a glorious spell, the tempo changed. They passed smoother, found open space.

Inter Milan struck back with a beautiful equalizer.

1–1.

"Finalmente!" Allegra cheered. "See?! We're back!"

Tanya rolled her eyes. "Give it a minute…"

But just as quickly, Inter's engine sputtered. Their rhythm collapsed. Atalanta's press returned with the force.

And then, in the 70th minute.

GOAL.

Atalanta again. 2–1.

All girls jumped in shock except Tanya, who reached for another pastry.

"No. No. No. NO!" Allegra shouted, switching to rapid-fire Italian. "Ma che cavolo stanno facendo?!"

Ming and Emilia were just as animated, screaming at every pass, every foul, every near-miss.

Then the final whistle blew. Score: 2–1, Atalanta.

"WE WON!!" Emilia screamed, grabbing Ming by the shoulders and bouncing. "I'm rich!"

"I'M RICHER!" Ming shouted, almost falling over in excitement. "Two thousand pounds! Oh my God!"

Emilia's hands flew to her face. "I have five hundred! I'm gonna buy so many treats they'll rename the bakery after me!"

Allegra sat back in her chair in stunned silence, a ghost of her usual sass.

Tanya leaned back with a content sigh.

Was the 4,000 EP worth it? Casey asked smug.

Definitely, Tanya replied internally. And you didn't lie.

I never lie to you

Allegra finally turned to Tanya, frowning. "How'd you know? You were so sure Atlanta would win. And by that score?"

Tanya gave her a lopsided smile and shrugged. "Just a hunch."

"That was not a hunch." Allegra argued further.

"Alright," Tanya said, licking icing off her thumb. "It was…"

Everyone stared at her.

And she smiled wider.

"Just a little luck."

"…" x3

"You're the worst."

"Correction." Tanya leaned forward and tapped her nose. "I'm the luckiest."

"Are you even listening to yourself?"

Tanya stretched like a cat and smiled. "You're free to speculate. While you do, Allegra… it's time to cough up."

Allegra rolled her eyes dramatically. "Ugh, fine." She nodded to Ming, who reached into her hoodie pocket and handed Tanya a betting slip.

Tanya's eyes scanned it £2,000 wagered. Final payout: £18,000.

"Wait. You bet on Atalanta?" Tanya blinked.

"Yup," Allegra said breezily, leaning back with her arms folded. "Keep the change."

Tanya stared at the ticket like it might explode. "You bet on Atalanta? After screaming about Inter being the better team the entire night?"

Allegra rolled her eyes. "Eh? I cover-a all my bases, capisci? If Inter win, I'm insopportabile, mamma mia! If they lose… eh, I'm ricco, no?"

"You bet two thousand pounds!"

"The odds were great." Allegra said with a shrug. "High reward, minimal emotional damage."

Tanya's eye twitched. "Do you even understand how suspicious it looks if one girl walks out of a betting shop with eighteen thousand pounds?"

"Why do you think I spread all the bets between multiple places instead of lumping them together?"

Allegra gave her a blank look. "Who's gonna care?"

Tanya sighed through her nose, slowly picked up a pillow, and whacked Allegra square on the head.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

"You reckless maniac!" Tanya shouted, now standing on the couch.

Allegra grabbed the nearest pillow and swung back. "You're just mad you didn't think of it first!"

"I literally did think of it first!"

Ming tried to slide out of the way, but Tanya grabbed another pillow and flung it straight at her.

"Hey!" Ming ducked too late, face full of fluff. "I'm on your side!"

Emilia, still laughing, grabbed a cushion. "Not anymore!"

Pillows began flying in all directions as the football feud dissolved into chaos once again.