Michael lowered the morning edition of the newspaper with a slow, deliberate movement. A deep, heavy frown immediately carved lines into his forehead, shadowing his eyes.
Vinni, watching his reaction with cool, detached intensity, smoothly lowered herself onto the adjacent seat on the breakfast banquette. She leaned in, her gaze drifting to the bold headlines on the front page her husband had just been scrutinizing.
"Sara has pulled our son into her family's mess again," Vinni stated, her voice quiet but laced with corrosive judgment. "Do you still, truly, believe she is the right woman for Luca?" she taunted, allowing a hint of triumph to color the question.
"That," Michael countered, his tone clipped, "is Sara's personal family affair."
