Harbinger Of Glory-Chapter 171: A Win Before The Game.

Mia stared at Vittoria for a second longer than polite, eyes flicking from her face to her coat and back again, as if her brain needed time to catch up.

Then she stepped aside.

"Come in," she said, still smiling, still looking curious.

Vittoria nodded, staying just behind Leo as they crossed the threshold.

The warmth of the apartment hit them right away, along with the smell of food that had clearly been cooking for hours.

Before Leo could say anything else, Sofia appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel, eyes already fixed on the guest.

"Oh," she said, stopping short. "Oh, wow."

Leo groaned quietly.

"Aunt Sofia."

Sofia ignored him and stepped closer, looking Vittoria up and down with open admiration.

"You’re gorgeous," she said without hesitation.

"Leo never mentioned having a gorgeous friend like you." She paused, then added, pointedly, "Friend."

Leo shook his head, lifting his bottle of water to hide his face.

"I didn’t think I needed to write a biography."

Vittoria laughed softly and held out her hand.

"It’s really nice to meet you. Both of you."

Mia finally spoke again.

"I’m Mia. His little sister."

She said it like a warning and a joke at the same time while Sofia waved them further inside.

"Come, come. Don’t stand in the doorway. You must be freezing."

She guided Vittoria toward the living area, already asking questions.

"Tell me, do you eat everything? Any allergies? No strange diets?"

Vittoria smiled as she set her bag down.

"Nothing serious. I eat pretty much everything."

Sofia clicked her tongue.

"See?" she said, turning back toward Leo. "You should’ve told us more. We could’ve planned better."

Leo set the bottle down, rolling his eyes at their antics.

While Sofia went back toward the kitchen, Mia grew quieter.

She leaned against the counter, phone in hand, eyes moving between the screen and Vittoria.

Each glance lingered a little longer, like she was lining things up in her head.

Leo saw what she was doing, but kept his thoughts to himself, leaving it up to Mia to say it or think it, and it seemed she wasn’t very far off.

The noise of plates and cutlery filled the space instead.

Sofia started laying out dishes, calling for help, and soon everyone was moving around the table, setting the table together.

Afterwards, they settled around the table, plates already full before anyone could protest.

Vittoria picked up one of the pastries first, breaking it gently before taking a bite.

Her eyes lit up almost at once, covering her mouth a bit with her palm while turning towards Sofia.

"This is really good," she said, nodding as she swallowed.

Sofia smiled, pleased. "Thank you."

Vittoria didn’t stop there.

She sampled a little of everything, unhurried, clearly enjoying herself, and the conversation drifted easily around the table.

At some point, Vittoria tilted her head and said, "At least you can tell you guys haven’t been ruined by fish and chips."

She laughed at her own joke, while Sofia joined in, pointing at her plate.

"My ancestors wouldn’t allow it. I raised these two on proper Spanish food," she added, gesturing at Leo and Mia.

"Can’t let their palate go bland just because of the country we’re in."

Vittoria laughed, wiping her fingers on a napkin.

"I appreciate the effort."

Mia, who had been quiet again, leaned back slightly and squinted at Vittoria.

"You know," she said slowly, "you look really familiar."

Leo snorted into his food before he could stop himself.

Three pairs of eyes turned on him at once, but he kept chewing, gaze fixed on his plate, pretending nothing had happened.

Vittoria turned toward Mia, curious. "Really?"

Mia nodded.

"Yeah. You look exactly like a model I follow."

Leo snorted again.

"Oh my God," Mia said, pointing at him. "Can you stop doing that?"

"What?" Leo said innocently, finally looking up.

Vittoria smiled into her glass while Sofia leaned closer to Mia as she pulled out her phone.

Mia showed her the screen, and Sofia studied it for a moment before looking back at Vittoria.

"Oh my God, you’re right. They look like twins," Sofia said.

Vittoria glanced at the phone, then nodded.

"Thank you, but that’s because we’re the same person."

Mia’s brows shot up. "Shut up."

Vittoria nodded once.

"But the name," Mia said. "It’s different."

"Fiorella D’Averna," Vittoria replied calmly.

"That’s the one I use for work."

Mia stared for a second, then broke into a grin.

She then turned toward Leo, gave him a thumbs-up, and said, "You’ve got good taste."

Vittoria nearly choked on her water, while Sofia grinned shyly at her niece’s remark.

The former coughed, laughing as she wiped her jaw, while Leo dropped his gaze back to his plate, pretending he had nothing to do with any of it.

By the time dinner had been cleared, Sofia, a glass still in hand, attempted a dramatic catwalk across the rug, one hand on her hip, chin lifted like she was on a runway instead of between the sofa and the coffee table.

Mia clapped, half laughing, half serious.

"Okay, wait. That was actually really good!"

Sofia stopped, squinting at her niece.

"Of course it’s good. What do you take your aunt for, huh, Mia?"

"Sorry for doubting you, my graceful aunt," Mia said, putting her hands together.

"I will take tips from you when I start my modelling career!"

Leo appeared from the side with a bowl in his hand, already digging into what was clearly his fourth serving of dessert.

"I thought you wanted to be a lawyer," he said to Mia. "Now you want to be a model?"

Mia rolled her eyes. "People can have options."

"Why not both?" Vittoria said easily, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "That’s what I’m doing."

Leo paused mid-bite and raised a brow, finally looking at her.

It was the first time she had mentioned something like that.

"I never knew," Leo said, to which Vittoria smugly looked at him.

"You didn’t ask!"

"That’s admirable," he continued, but before he could say anything more, Sofia turned on him.

"Enough," she said, pointing at his bowl. "You’ve had too much."

"If I don’t eat it, it’ll go bad," Leo replied, unfazed.

"That is why we have a refrigerator there," Mia said, pointing at the gadget.

"I know that, but I do not want to leave it to the snack monsters that come down at night," he said, pointing his fork attached to a spoon at Mia.

"Besides, it’s getting worked off tomorrow in the game anyway."

Mia’s eyes lit up at that as she then turned to Vittoria.

"You should come."

Vittoria nodded.

"I am. Leo already gave me a ticket."

Mia leaned back slowly and looked at Leo, who had conveniently turned his back to them, focused on setting the bowl down like he hadn’t heard a thing.

"So he can still get tickets," Mia said, loud enough.

Leo didn’t answer.

Sofia crossed her arms, amused.

"Good. Then we’re taking ours too."

Leo stayed facing the counter, lifted a hand in a small nod, and didn’t turn around while the women exchanged looks, satisfied.

.....

A couple of hours later, Vittoria stood by the door with her coat already on, scarf wrapped neatly around her neck.

Mia lingered close, while Sofia leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her smile warm and unforced.

"We liked having you around," Sofia said. "You should come by more often."

Vittoria nodded, sincere.

"Thank you for inviting me. I really enjoyed it, and I’ll try to visit whenever I’m in the country."

"That’s good," Sofia replied, then turned her attention to Leo. "Make sure you see her off properly."

Leo, who had been scrolling through his phone, looked up.

"Yeah," he said, slipping it into his pocket.

He stepped forward, then, without warning, placed a hand on Mia’s face and gently pushed her back inside the apartment. "Alright. That’s enough," he said.

"Hey," Mia protested, laughing as the door closed in front of her.

Leo shut it fully and gestured for Vittoria to follow.

The cold hit them immediately as they stepped outside, light snow drifting down in small, quiet pellets.

It clung to the pavement and melted just as quickly, leaving the street damp and glowing under the lamps.

They walked side by side toward Portland Street, the city calmer now, with Christmas lights around still on but subdued.

By the time they reached the Mercure Hotel, Vittoria slowed and turned to face him.

"Thank you," she said again. "I had a really good time."

Leo smiled, easy and wide.

"We had fun together. That’s a win."

He reached up and adjusted her scarf, tugging it back into place as it loosened.

"It’s cold. See you tomorrow."

Vittoria nodded, holding his gaze for a second longer than necessary.

Then she turned sharply and walked away, her steps quick, almost hurried, like she was trying to outrun a thought she did not want to carry inside with her.