Chapter 125: A Memorable Encounter

Accompanied by a young woman with ebony skin and long black hair gleaming with satin highlights, Phénix finally looked up from his phone, which he had been studying with the deeply serious expression of someone whose mission apparently involved answering messages of the utmost importance.

The moment he straightened up, every eye in the room turned toward him.

There was an effortless beauty about him, almost unreal, the kind sometimes found among the world's most famous models, yet stripped of every trace of artificiality. Tall and lean, broad-shouldered without excess, he looked as though he had been sculpted to make any piece of clothing look extraordinary. His naturally regal posture, relaxed demeanor, and almost feline way of moving gave the impression that he was constantly walking a runway, even when he was simply crossing a room.

His deep black hair shimmered with silver-white highlights whenever it caught the light, falling in soft strands around a face whose features were perfectly balanced. His luminous silver-blue eyes constantly sparkled with restrained mischief, while his smile, whenever it appeared, possessed the disarming ability to brighten the entire room.

The suit he wore—simple at first glance—looked as though it had been designed exclusively for him. The fabric followed every one of his movements with effortless elegance, as though the suit had adapted itself to his body rather than the other way around.

Blanche had no trouble understanding why he worked as a model.

In fact, she found herself wondering how the other models still managed to book contracts whenever he was around.

Phénix finally slipped his phone into the inside pocket of his jacket before lifting his head completely.

His eyes met Blanche's, and a knowing smile immediately spread across his face.

Dimitri, meanwhile, didn't even bother hiding his enthusiasm.

"There's my star!" he exclaimed, planting a loud kiss on Phénix's cheek.

He crossed the room with boundless energy to greet him, visibly delighted to see him again—almost more delighted than Blanche herself.

As for the young woman accompanying him, she rolled her eyes with amused resignation, as though this reaction had become routine whenever someone recognized her companion.

"Dimka!" Phénix replied, genuinely happy.

Without paying them any attention, Winter stepped into the elevator, followed by Kiyan.

Eva, however, suddenly became hysterical.

"You! You're the model from Devil D, aren't you?!"

Blanche sighed inwardly.

Devil D... subtlety really wasn't their strong suit.

"Yes," Phénix replied with a smile.

"I absolutely adore you! You're gorgeous!"

Kiyan grumbled while Winter pressed the elevator button.

It was already too cramped for four people—let alone six.

Without a word, Jax remained outside to wait with the girls.

Phénix handed Eva a signed promotional flyer, something he apparently carried with him at all times for moments exactly like this, before casting Blanche an almost pleading glance.

"I'm sorry, I'm expected elsewhere."

Eva stood frozen while Blanche gently pulled her into the elevator.

Phénix smiled at them.

Not a polite smile.

Not a distracted one.

No.

One of the smiles he reserved for the very few people who truly mattered to him: warm, radiant, touched with the eternal playfulness that always danced in his amber eyes.

Eva immediately felt her cheeks burn.

Her heart gave an absurd little leap.

For one fleeting second, she was convinced that smile had been meant for her.

After all...

He had been looking at both of them.

Blanche discreetly glanced sideways at her best friend.

The blush spreading across her face said everything.

Oh.

The poor thing.

She understood the misunderstanding immediately.

She could have corrected it.

She could have explained that she knew that smile by heart—that it was the one Phénix always gave her whenever they met again, a blend of affection, pride, and constant amusement. It wasn't flirtation.

It wasn't mere politeness.

It was simply...

Phénix.

But seeing the stars sparkling in Eva's eyes, Blanche didn't have the heart to shatter the illusion.

A few seconds of dreaming had never hurt anyone.

Phénix exchanged a few more words with Dimitri before giving them one last wave and walking away beside the young woman accompanying him.

Eva remained motionless.

She watched his silhouette until it disappeared completely behind a row of clothing racks.

"He's..." she breathed.

She searched for an adjective.

Couldn't find one worthy enough.

"Yeah," Blanche simply replied with an affectionate smile.

The elevator had already been called back downstairs several seconds earlier, yet Evanescence was still staring blankly ahead, as though her brain refused to accept that such an apparition had truly existed.

She hadn't even noticed that she'd followed Blanche into the elevator automatically.

It took Blanche giving her a gentle nudge with her elbow before she finally returned to planet Earth.

"You still breathing?"

Eva blinked.

"I think so."

"That's a good start."

The brunette slowly shook her head, still thoroughly shaken by such a brief and improbable encounter.

There was something about Phoenix that went far beyond his breathtaking beauty.

A presence.

A kindness.

A natural elegance that made him seem as though he belonged to another world.

Which, technically...

He did.

By the time they finally left the boutique, drove all the way back, and arrived at the Academy residence, Eva suddenly realized she had completely missed saying goodbye to the King of the Drakions.

She grimaced.

"Damn... I didn't even answer him."

"You were too busy trying to recover after meeting a model straight out of a fairy tale."

Funny, considering she already knew the cat personally.

"That's... actually true."

She sighed, still slightly embarrassed.

Then an even more horrifying realization struck her.

She spun abruptly toward Blanche.

"Wait..."

Her face fell.

"I missed my dad's goodbye kiss too!"

Blanche burst into laughter.

"You were so busy admiring Phénix that you completely forgot about Kiyan."

Eva dramatically placed a hand over her heart.

"I'm a terrible daughter."

"He'll survive."

"You think?"

"Knowing your father? He'll probably pretend to be offended for..."

She paused thoughtfully.

"...about three minutes."

Eva let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay... I'll survive."

Blanche wasn't nearly as convinced.

After all, Kiyan was perfectly capable of sulking with remarkable elegance.

And strangely enough...

It suited him rather well.

"What?" Eva asked in alarm when she saw the less-than-reassuring expression on her childhood friend's face.

"I need a drink," Blanche muttered, dragging her toward the cafeteria.

She had held herself together all morning.

Her newfound power was every bit as exhilarating as it was painful.

"Ever since you tasted alcohol, it feels like you can't live without it."

Blanche bit her lip.

Eva wasn't wrong.

Another week at this pace...

...and Poison would probably level up again.

Then again...

Taking it easy had never really been her style.

Quite the opposite.