He picked up the fork at last and cut into the food with more suspicion than hunger. It tasted better than he wanted it to. Naturally.

Vivienne watched him take the first bite and rested her chin lightly on two fingers. "See? Progress. A few more dinners and you may even start acting civilized."

Neo lowered the fork. "A few more comments like that and I’ll start charging by the minute."

"Good. I’d hate for you to undervalue yourself."

That answer came out so smoothly it almost annoyed him more than the original jab.

He ate another bite anyway, more to avoid giving her the satisfaction of interrupting him than because he cared about the food. Across from him, Vivienne remained exactly as she had been since he sat down, perfectly at ease in a room built to make everyone else feel smaller.

Neo let the fork rest against the plate and met her stare again.

"I came because you offered money and because I wanted to know what you wanted. That’s all."

"Not curiosity about me?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Not enough to come for free."

A quiet laugh slipped from her. "That’s honest."

"You keep sounding surprised."

"I am." She folded one hand over the other and studied him with open interest. "Most people don’t speak to me like this."

"That sounds like your problem."

"It usually is."

The answer arrived clean enough to stop him for a beat.

She was irritating. More than that, she was difficult in a way he still hadn’t managed to pin down properly. Not because she hid everything. Because she chose what to show with too much care. A smile when she wanted rhythm. A softer tone when she wanted to lean the conversation somewhere else. A sharper line when she wanted to see whether he’d flinch.

’I really don’t understand this woman. I can’t stand her.’

Neo set the fork down.

"You didn’t clear out a restaurant floor and send a giant to drag me up here because you enjoy my company," he said. "So say it."

Vivienne did not answer immediately. She let the silence stretch just enough to show she had noticed the shift and did not mind it.

"I wanted to see you outside the Breach."

Neo’s expression didn’t move. "That’s not enough."

"No," she said. "It isn’t."

He waited.

Vivienne rested one elbow against the chair and turned the glass a fraction with her fingertips. "Do you know what most people looked like when they came out of that place?"

Neo said nothing.

"Broken," she answered for herself. "Terrified. Empty. Some of them were crying without realizing it. Some barely understood they were out." Her attention fixed on him again. "You looked tired. Dirty. Irritated. That was unusual."

Neo’s face stayed flat. "Glad I made an impression."

"You did."

Vivienne let that sit between them for a breath before the edge in her smile softened into something lighter. She leaned back in her chair, crossed one leg over the other, and turned the stem of the glass slowly between her fingers.

"Well," she said, one shoulder lifting with easy grace. "I think I’ve enjoyed myself a little." Her mouth curved again, less sharp this time. "You struck me as curious. You saved me from that lich in the Breach. And I want you to answer a few questions."

Neo watched her without touching the food again.

Vivienne tilted her head just slightly, red hair slipping over one shoulder. "Also," she added, almost lazily, "I’d like us to be good friends."

Neo stared at her for a long beat.

"I don’t think that sentence means the same thing to you as it does to normal people."

A quiet laugh escaped her. "Maybe not."

"Definitely not."

Vivienne’s smile widened by a fraction. "See? This is exactly why I invited you."

Neo clicked his tongue and leaned back a little farther in the chair. The city burned below them, reflected in the glass behind her, all that gold and white light making the red of her dress stand out even more. She looked perfectly at ease saying insane things over a table that probably cost more than his apartment.

’This woman is unbelievable.’ 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He folded one arm across his stomach and tapped once against the table with the other hand. "You paid me a hundred thousand Origin Points to ask questions and declare friendship at me."

"When you say it like that, it sounds charming."

"It sounds untrustworthy."

Vivienne gave a small nod, as though conceding a point she had never intended to defend. "Fair."

She lifted the glass, took a small sip, and lowered it again. "Still, the offer stands."

Neo’s expression stayed flat. "You don’t know me."

"You don’t know me either."

"I know enough."

That got something more genuine out of her, not laughter exactly, but amusement with a little weight to it. She rested her chin against two fingers and studied him again, as if he were becoming more interesting the longer he refused to make anything easy.

"And what is it you know?" she asked.

"That you enjoy cornering people. That you like hearing yourself talk. That you’re used to getting what you want." Neo paused, eyes on her face. "And that when you say something simple, there’s usually another reason underneath it."

Vivienne did not answer immediately.

The smile remained, though quieter now, less playful, more measured.

"That’s not bad," she said at last. "Especially for someone who claims not to care."

Neo let out a dry breath through his nose. "I care about not walking blind into things."

"A good habit."

"So ask."

Her brows lifted. "Just like that?"

"You dragged me here, changed my clothes, fed me expensive food, and spoke in circles for half the evening." He gave the smallest motion with his hand, impatient rather than rude. "Ask."

Vivienne held his gaze another moment, as if deciding whether to keep playing or reward him for the directness.

This time, she chose the second.

"Fine," she said softly. "Then let me start with an easy one."

She leaned forward slightly, silver pendant catching the light at her throat.

"Tell me what Leo did inside the breach."