The hostess led Alessia deeper into the restaurant, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor as Alessia followed behind her. The sound blended naturally into the quiet atmosphere around them. The restaurant was occupied, but nobody seemed particularly interested in being loud. Conversations drifted from nearby tables in low murmurs, glasses clinked occasionally, and somewhere farther away, someone laughed before the sound disappeared back into the gentle hum of the evening. It was the kind of place where people seemed to understand that they didn't need to raise their voices to be heard.
The place was undeniably expensive, although it wasn't expensive in the obvious way some luxury establishments tried to be. There were no ridiculous chandeliers hanging from the ceiling or dec
