Chapter 86 Life's Cruel

• The lunch unfolded in easy rhythms—light chatter, effortless laughs, and the kind of past echoes that warmed without stinging.
• Edward and Vincenzo swapped stories of Oxford professors, trading those insider jabs that only old allies could land, while Vittoria leaned in with real curiosity, her gaze flicking between them like she was piecing together a cherished puzzle.
• Amid the quiet chuckles and sharp-witted asides, she wove herself into the flow, drawing out even more tales from the pair and turning the table into a pocket of easy intimacy, almost like family.