Chapter 25: Flicker of life
Yeri squinted from behind the counter, trying to focus on the gentle hum of the espresso machine, but her ears betrayed her.
Amid the clinking cups and distant laughter, stray fragments of conversation floated over from the corner table.
She could make out the occasional flutter of words—"obligations," "family image," and something that definitely sounded like "useless"—but some things were better left unheard
Not that it was her business anyway.
Still, her eyes drifted toward the corner. She told herself she wasn't being nosy, just... observant. That was all.
Mrs. Neri gave off the kind of energy that made it difficult to look away. She sat with perfect posture, her hands folded in her lap, nodding as an older woman scolded her with thinly veiled cruelty.
Her eyes were dull, like glass that hadn't been cleaned in years, reflecting everything and absorbing nothing
She looked like a woman who had stopped fighting.
Yeri turned away with a soft sigh and returned to work. Trouble had a way of following quiet people and this was a café—not a therapy clinic. Whatever drama that table held, it wasn't her problem.
She slipped a fresh order onto a tray and turned toward table seven... only to realize it was their table.
Crap.