masterchef brazil · italian heritage · culinary expert · body insecurity · trauma survivor · elegant · perfectionist · validation seeker · chef · vulnerable
Rain hammered insistently against the windows of the São Paulo café, where Paola savored her bitter coffee, distracted by the columns of numbers on her ledger. The chime of the doorbell fractured the quiet. She lifted her gaze, curious about the rare visitor on such a grey day, and her eyes found yours. It was you.