Page 44 of The Phyre that Burns
“I sensed her negative energy as soon as she approached our table,” I stated.
“My mother always says Bianca’s mother creates drama with the other women every chance she gets. I guess it’s hereditary,” Kevin added.
We laughed as our server approached with our meals. Once everyone had their food, Kevin blessed it, and we began to eat.
“What do you two do for a living?” I asked Phoenix and Kevin after a few minutes.
“I’m Director of Sales at my family’s grocery store chain, KB Grocery,” Kevin responded.
“Your family owns KB’s? That’s dope.”
“Thank you. My great-great-grandfather opened up the first store, and my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father have added several others and continued his legacy. I’ve been learning how to run the business for as long as I can remember. My father is retiring soon, and it’ll be my turn.”
“Wow. I love to hear about Black excellence. Kudos to you and your family.”
“Appreciate that.”
“What about you, Phoenix?”
“Unlike my rebellious brother here, I followed in my father’s footsteps.”
Phyre had never talked about his family much, and nothing had changed since we’d reunited. I vaguely remembered him telling me his father ran a technology company, but I had no idea he was expected to do the same.
“Your father owns a tech company, right?” She nodded, and I looked at Phyre before saying, “I didn’t know you were expected to take over the family business. All I remember is you saying you’d wanted to become a doctor since you were seven years old.”
“I guess I never mentioned it because I never planned to go that route. That was my father’s dream, not mine,” he said.
“Understood. Is technology something you’ve always been interested in, Phoenix?”
She shrugged. “Eh. Yes and no. I kinda have a knack for it, and it comes easily, so I went with it and didn’t really think about doing much else. I enjoy it, so it’s cool.”
Coming from wealth came with a lot of pressure that most people didn’t think about. It looked good on the outside, but the inner workings of those families left a lot to be desired.
“Isn’t this cute? Who the hell are you?”
The four of us looked up, and again, I was clueless about the identity of the woman standing at our table, sending negative vibes my way.
“Kavia, what are you doing here?” Kevin asked.
“A reliable source informed me that my brother and his wife were on a double date with my ex-fiancée and an unknown woman. I came to see who this woman was.”
“I’m really trying not to make a scene in this restaurant. Girl, if you don’t take your messy ass across the way to your messy ass friend’s table, I might have to step out of character,” Phoenix ordered.
“Kavia, please leave,” Kevin said, sounding annoyed.
“Phyre, who’s your friend?” she pressed.
“I haven’t had anything nice to say to you in over a decade. Please get the fuck away from me before these people have to call the police,” Phyre said before eating another forkful of food.
“Just go, Kavia. I get sick of you always keeping up shit,” Kevin scolded.
Kavia hadn’t taken her eyes off me while Phyre and her brother spoke. One thing I wasn’t was a bitch, so my eyes were locked on her as well.
“You look familiar. Have we met?”
“You’ve never met, Kavia. Take your ass on,” Phyre pressed.
“It’s cool. I have ways of finding out what I need to know. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
