Chapter 31 – Warning
Chapter 31 – Warning
"Black coffee, two sugar cubes, please," Fiora said, her voice calm and clear, a faint smile playing on her lips.
The young waitress nodded clumsily, eyes wide, visibly flustered under the pressure of Fiora's presence. She nearly fumbled her pen as she scribbled down the order, then turned to the boy sitting across from her.
"W-What... ehem... what can I get you, sir?" she asked, trying and failing to mask her nerves behind a veil of professionalism.
Zane looked up, completely unfazed by her stammering.
"Just a cup of water," he said flatly.
The waitress blinked, unsure if she'd heard him right. "Are you sure? I-It's on the house," she offered, glancing nervously at Fiora as if silently asking whether she should insist.
"Yeah," Zane replied without missing a beat. "Not in the mood for anything else."
Fiora raised an eyebrow. "...If you say so." She turned back to the waitress. "That'll be all."
"Y-Yes, right away!" the girl chirped before practically sprinting away, cheeks burning red.
Zane watched her retreat with a silent sigh, his eyes scanning the rest of the café. The reaction they'd gotten walking in was impossible to ignore—every pair of eyes had snapped toward Fiora, drawn to her like moths to a flame. Men and women alike whispered behind their cups, unable to look away from the beauty that so effortlessly outshone everything around her.