"Or perhaps your family once had money and lost everything."
She smiled faintly.
"Life has a funny way of changing people's fortunes."
Daniella immediately shook her head, laughing.
"My father?"
"A wealthy man?"
She waved the idea away.
"Not possible."
Camilla chuckled.
"You never know."
She picked up the wooden spoon again and resumed stirring the sauce.
"Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction."
Before Daniella could respond, the quiet atmosphere inside the villa was interrupted by the sharp ringing of the wall-mounted house telephone.
The sound echoed gently through the spacious kitchen.
Camilla instinctively glanced toward it.
"I'll get it."
Before she could take a single step, Daniella had already stretched out from where she sat on the countertop. The telephone was mounted just above the counter within easy reach.
"I've got it."
She smiled, reaching for the receiver before lifting it to her ear.
"Hello?"
