Mia's POV
I don't sleep all night.
By 7:45 AM, I'm dressed and staring at my apartment door, heart pounding. I made my choice. I'm going to Moonlight Cafe to find Adrian Steele, just like the mysterious Phoenix told me to.
But first, I have to deal with Sophia.
At exactly 9 AM, three sharp knocks hit my door. I take a deep breath and open it.
"Good morning, sunshine!" Sophia's smile is so bright it hurts to look at. She's holding a silver thermos decorated with little flowers. The same thermos from my first life. The one that held my destruction.
"Sophia! You didn't have to come all this way—"
"Are you kidding? It's your big day!" She pushes past me into the apartment, setting the thermos on my tiny kitchen counter. "I made you my grandmother's special tea. It'll open up your vocal cords and make your voice absolutely perfect."
I stare at that thermos, remembering how my throat swelled shut twenty minutes after drinking from it. How I could barely breathe, let alone sing. How everyone laughed at me.
"You're the best friend ever," I say, and I mean it to sound grateful. But there's an edge in my voice I can't quite hide.
Sophia pours the tea into a cup. Steam rises, and I catch a strange smell—something bitter underneath the honey scent.
"Drink up! You need to have it at least thirty minutes before the audition for maximum effect." She hands me the cup, watching me with eyes that are just a little too focused.
I take the cup. It's warm in my hands. In my first life, I drank it without question.
"Actually, I'm feeling kind of nauseous this morning," I say, setting it down. "Nerves, you know? Maybe I should wait—"
"No, no, you need to drink it NOW." Sophia's voice gets sharp for just a second before she catches herself. "I mean... it works best on an empty stomach. Trust me, babe. I would never steer you wrong."
She's lying. I can see it now—the way her smile doesn't reach her eyes. The way she keeps glancing at the clock. She needs me to drink this soon so I'll be ruined by audition time.
"You're right. I'm being silly." I pick up the cup and move toward my lips.
Sophia leans forward, barely breathing, watching like a hawk.
At the last second, I stumble. My foot catches on absolutely nothing. The cup flies from my hands, tea splashing everywhere—all over the counter, the floor, and most importantly, all over Sophia's white designer jeans.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" I grab paper towels, dabbing at her pants. "I'm such a klutz! I can't believe I—"
"It's FINE." Sophia's voice could cut glass. For one second—just one—her mask drops completely. Pure rage flashes across her face. Her hands clench into fists.
Then she forces another smile. "These things happen. Don't worry about it."
But her eyes tell a different story. She's furious. All that planning, wasted.
"Let me make you a fresh cup—" she starts, reaching for the thermos.
"No, no! You've done enough!" I practically push her toward the door. "I don't want to make you late. Don't you have that meeting with Victor Kane this morning?"
Sophia freezes. "How did you know about that?"
My blood turns to ice. I shouldn't know about that meeting. In my first life, she told me about signing with Victor's label three weeks from now.
"You... you mentioned it yesterday?" I lie quickly. "When you texted me?"
Sophia's eyes narrow. She's studying me now, really looking at me. "I never mentioned Victor yesterday."
"Then maybe Ethan said something—"
"I haven't told Ethan either." She steps closer, and suddenly the tiny apartment feels suffocating. "Mia, is something going on? You're acting really strange. And last night when I called, you didn't answer. You always answer my calls."
"I was sleeping—"
"Your location was on. You were awake." Sophia's voice drops lower. "And you told Ethan no about the song. You NEVER tell Ethan no."
My heart is hammering so hard I can hear it in my ears. She's suspicious. I've changed too much, too fast. I need to fix this.
"I'm just nervous about the audition," I say, forcing my voice to shake. "I didn't sleep well. I'm being weird. You're right. I'm sorry."
Sophia watches me for a long moment. Then her smile returns, but it's different now. Colder. "Well, good luck today. I hope your voice holds up... without the tea."
It's a threat. She's telling me I'm going to fail.
She leaves, and I lock the door behind her, leaning against it with shaking legs.
That was too close. I almost blew everything.
My phone buzzes. 7:58 AM. If the Phoenix was right, Adrian Steele is at Moonlight Cafe right now. I have two minutes to get there, and it's a fifteen-minute walk.
I grab my bag and run.
I'm sprinting down the street, dodging people, when I nearly crash into someone. Strong hands catch my arms, steadying me.
"Careful—"
I look up and my words die in my throat.
The man holding me is the most handsome person I've ever seen. Tall, sharp features, gray eyes that look like storms, wearing a suit that probably costs more than my rent. Everything about him screams money and power.
"Sorry!" I gasp, trying to catch my breath. "I wasn't looking—"
"Clearly." His voice is cold, but his hands are still on my arms, and he's staring at me with an intensity that makes my skin burn. "Are you running from something?"
"Running TO something, actually." I glance at my phone. 8:02 AM. I'm late.
His eyes follow my movement, and I see the exact moment he notices my screen—open to the map showing Moonlight Cafe.
Something changes in his expression. His grip on my arms tightens just slightly.
"Moonlight Cafe," he says slowly. "Interesting choice for this time of morning."
My heart stops. There's something in the way he says it—like he knows something I don't.
"Do you... know that place?" I ask carefully.
"I'm actually headed there myself." He lets go of my arms, and I immediately miss the warmth. "Are you meeting someone?"
I shouldn't tell him. He's a stranger. But something about those gray eyes makes me feel like he already knows all my secrets anyway.
"Adrian Steele," I say, watching his reaction carefully. "Have you heard of him?"
The man's expression doesn't change, but something flickers in his eyes. Amusement? Surprise?
"I've heard of him," he says quietly. "What makes you think he'll be at a random cafe at 8 AM?"
"Someone told me—" I stop. How do I explain the Phoenix without sounding insane?
"Someone told you." He says it like a statement, not a question. Then he does something unexpected—he smiles. It's barely there, just a tiny curve of his lips, but it transforms his entire face from cold to devastating.
"Walk with me," he says. "I'm going that direction anyway."
I should say no. I should run. But my feet are already moving, following this stranger toward the cafe.
We walk in silence for a moment before he speaks again. "Let me guess. Someone sent you anonymous messages. Told you things they shouldn't know. Said your audition was rigged. Told you to find Adrian Steele."
I stop walking. Stop breathing.
"How do you know that?"
He stops too, turning to face me fully. Those storm-gray eyes pin me in place.
"Because," he says calmly, "I'm the one who sent them."
The world tilts sideways.
"You're... you're the Phoenix?"
"No." He steps closer, and I can smell his cologne—expensive and dangerous. "I'm Adrian Steele. And I've been looking for you for a very long time, Mia Chen."
My mouth falls open. "That's impossible. How do you know my name? How do you know about the messages? How—"
"How do I know you died and came back?" he finishes softly.
Everything stops. My heart. My breath. Time itself.
"Because," Adrian Steele says, his gray eyes holding secrets that terrify me, "I came back too."