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Chapter 32 - Chapter 32: Mira Coax and Pester

In the desolate grip of a relentless snowstorm, Mira and Iris, once ensconced in comfort, now find themselves teetering on the brink of survival. Desperation leads them to Phoenix, a man from their past, seeking a haven within his abundantly provisioned sanctuary. The video call reveals the stark contrast between their lives: Phoenix is ensconced in warmth and luxury, while Mira and Iris are haunted by the specter of hunger and cold.

Phoenix, seemingly insulated from the chaos enveloping the world, maintains a façade of nonchalance. His queries about their well-being, set against the backdrop of his sumptuous surroundings, exacerbate their desperation. With their resources dwindling and their bodies emaciated from rationing, the disparity is a visceral blow to their pride and a chilling reminder of their vulnerability.

Driven by their dire circumstances, Mira endeavors to resurrect Phoenix's erstwhile infatuation. Discarding her dignity, she adopts a tone of coy vulnerability, a stark departure from her previous aloofness. She implores Phoenix, with a blend of flirtation and feigned longing, to grant her access to his home—a bastion against the cold and starvation encroaching upon them.

Phoenix, however, is no longer the smitten suitor of yesteryear. His heart, once tender and receptive, has been hardened by betrayal. The earnest pleas from Mira, which would have once ignited his chivalrous instincts, now fall on deaf ears. Phoenix's responses are laced with scorn, a mirror reflecting Mira's own past dismissals back at her. His biting retort is a barrier as impenetrable as the walls of his well-stocked home, denying her the comfort and security she craves.

The stark reversal of fortunes is not lost on Phoenix. He savors the irony of Mira's supplication, relishing the opportunity to return the slights he once endured. In a world upended, where warmth and sustenance have become priceless commodities, Phoenix wields his newfound power with a cold vindictiveness that chills Mira and Iris more than the frost outside.

Their exchange culminates in a chilling impasse. Mira, once the unattainable goddess, now pleads with feigned innocence and a veiled promise of intimacy—a far cry from her previous refusals to even set foot in Phoenix's home. Yet Phoenix, unmoved by her act, echoes her former excuses, emphasizing the inappropriateness of their solitary communion. His pointed reminders of her earlier rejections are a poetic justice, serving to reinforce the distance between them.

Mira and Iris are left to confront their dire straits alone, while Phoenix remains cocooned in his domestic fortress, his empathy extinguished by the cold betrayal he once suffered. In this new frozen world, the social dynamics have been upended, and Phoenix now presides over his domain with a detached air, guarding the warmth of his hearth and heart against those who had previously scorned him. The coldness of the world outside is matched only by the icy resolution that has crystallized within Phoenix, sealing his generosity behind a façade of indifference.