SPECIAL CHAPTER: Phoenix's Breakfast

SPECIAL CHAPTER: Phoenix's Breakfast

The cafeteria was filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread and strong coffee. At a table by the window, Lucian, Vanessa, and Phoenix were enjoying a breakfast that, in theory, should have been peaceful.

Lucian was finishing his third pancake. Vanessa calmly sipped her juice. Phoenix was checking the menu for the fifth time, as if looking for an excuse not to look at the bill.

When the waiter placed the small folder with the check, the three fell silent. Phoenix opened it with a dramatic gesture, like someone deciphering a classified file.

"Well…" he said, swallowing hard. "Who's going to pay?"

Lucian raised an eyebrow.

"Not you," he replied immediately. "And if you're thinking of asking me for money, forget it. I barely have enough for myself. I'm completely broke after buying my new sixty-inch TV. And believe me, it was worth every bill."

"Really, you won't even lend me enough for a coffee?" asked Phoenix, trying to sound innocent.

"No." Lucian kept drinking his coffee without a hint of remorse.

Vanessa sighed and gave Phoenix a light tap with the menu.

"Okay, explain something to me…" she said, crossing her arms. "How is it possible that you're dating the CEO of Enid Corp and can't even pay for a basic breakfast?"

Phoenix slumped his shoulders in resignation.

"It's just that Enid hardly ever gives me money," he confessed. "But she pays for everything."

They both looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean, 'everything'?" asked Vanessa.

Phoenix raised his fingers and began to list things in an exaggeratedly serious order:

"She pays for my food, transportation, clothes, devices, suit repairs, subscriptions, gym membership, books, insurance, accessories, chocolates, trips, car upgrades, drones and… well… practically everything that exists except actual cash."

Lucian set his cup down on the table.

"So," he said, "Enid supports you as if you were a research project."

"Exactly," admitted Phoenix. "And that's why I never have cash."

Vanessa brought her hand to her forehead.

"Phoenix… you are literally sponsored by your girlfriend."

He sighed.

"I won't deny it."

Phoenix stared at the check as if it were a sentence written in stone. Then he slowly turned to Vanessa with a smile he thought was charming, but to her was clearly a red alert.

"Vanessa…" he said in a soft voice. "Will you pay for my breakfast? Please."

Vanessa didn't even look up from her juice.

"No."

"But please," repeated Phoenix, a little more dramatic.

"No."

"Just this breakfast. Just one. I won't ask you for anything else all year."

"Still no."

Phoenix leaned towards her across the table.

"Vanessa, look, if I don't eat something in the morning I get irritable, dizzy, my vision gets blurry, I lose my reflexes and… I'll probably blow something up by accident."

Lucian raised his hand.

"I can confirm that's true. And I'm not willing to risk that happening in the middle of the cafeteria."

Vanessa closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and clenched her jaw. Phoenix seized the silence.

"Pleeeeeeease," he insisted, drawing out the word with almost artistic desperation.

"No."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease."

"Phoenix, stop."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease."

People at nearby tables started to look. Phoenix clasped his hands, tilted his head, and gave Vanessa an expression so tragic it looked like a soap opera poster.

Vanessa slapped the table with her palm, resigned.

"Fine! I'll pay! But just so you'll stop making noise."

The waiter appeared immediately, as if he had been waiting for the exact moment to intervene. Vanessa paid the total while Phoenix leaned back in his chair, victorious.

"Thank you, Vanessa," he said with an innocent smile. "I'll pay you back in a week… or maybe not."

Vanessa looked at him with a mix of limited patience and a silent threat.

"One week," she repeated, very seriously. "Or I'll charge interest. High interest."

Lucian laughed as they got up to leave.