Chapter 224

• Carlo looked as familiar as ever, his midnight hair meticulously styled, skin bronzed from the sun. But standing across the room from Leonardo, I finally
• noticed just how different the two truly were. Where I’d once thought I saw shades of Leonardo in Carlo, I now saw how wrong I’d been. Carlo had a warmth and openness in his smile, with darker grey eyes and a lighter energy that drew people in. Leonardo, on the other hand, was all restraint and calculation. His eyes were a paler grey, his skin alabaster, and his presence intense, like a storm waiting to break. Carlo was naturally kind, open to everyone, while Leonardo held an unpredictable, unfiltered intensity that could draw you in or shut you out in an instant. They shared nothing in common now.
• I tore my eyes from Leonardo’s cold, rigid stance and focused on Sofia, who rushed towards me with an excited grin. Dante was seated nearby, silent as usual, though his gaze flickered between Leonardo and me with a quiet observance. It was easy to see that he noticed far more than he let on, and I didn’t want to imagine what he might’ve noticed between Leonardo and me.