"Ring ring," Lisa's phone buzzed with another flurry of incoming calls, the screen lighting up with familiar names. Some were family.
Others—old friends from her social circle. All of them, no doubt, had seen the same thing.
"Grandma, won't you pick the call?" Roman asked as he scooped another spoonful of steaming rice into his mouth.
His tone was casual, but there was an undertone of curiosity.
"No. Let them be," Lisa replied dismissively, slicing into her portion of roasted meat with effortless precision, her movements calm but deliberate.
Roman raised a brow, eyeing her for a beat. He knew her well enough to recognize that "let them be" never truly meant indifference. It meant she was thinking—calculating.
"They're all asking what my relationship with Julie is," Lisa added finally, her voice smooth and unbothered as she placed a neat slice of meat into her mouth and chewed slowly.
