The kitchen smelled like coffee and bread.
Aunt Estella was at the stove, the morning light falling through the window and catching the steam rising from the kettle. Gio was at the counter with his tablet, scrolling through something with the focused stillness he always had in the early hours. He'd been up before everyone. He usually was.
Arianne came in. No blazer. No heels. Just a sweater and trousers, her hair pulled back loosely. She hadn't dressed for a boardroom. She wasn't going to one.
"Gio."
He looked up.
"I need you to find someone. Someone who restores old things. Toys. Specifically dolls."
Gio set his tablet down. "Restores toys?"
"A stuffed lion. It's old. The arm tore off last night."
He took this in. His expression didn't change, but something behind his eyes clicked.
"Why not buy the same one? It would be faster. Easier."
