Evelyn's Pov

“Stop bluffing and leave us,” Bianca said, but I barely spared her a glance

“I know how you can get to Roberto, but I have to know what you are after.” I stood with my hands over my chest, eyes searching for answers.

They turned to Raffaele seeking his approval. He maintained eye contact with me, annoyance laced in them.

“Roberto is with a drive that has some vital information” he replied curtly. His answer was not what I wanted.

“And?” I asked further.

“If it falls into the wrong hands, it could trigger a clash— one that won't end well,” he added, though his words felt more like half-truths than full transparency. It wasn't the answer I wanted but it will do.

If I know something, I know that they don't trust me, and I am not bothered by it, but I don't want to play home anymore.

“How do you know Roberto?” Raffaele asked, his eyes boring into mine with suspicion creeping into his tone and I looked away from him.

I haven't met Roberto yet, but during my time in the factory, some of us were made to learn about mafia leaders, their weaknesses, strength, and power dynamics.

“What you should be asking,” I paused, stepping closer, “Is how I can help you steal the drive” I took the laptop from Raffaele's hands, scrolling through the information.

Their eyes widened and they held a surprised look on their faces at my response and choice of word.

Raffaele's expression, however, remained unchanged— he still had the same annoyed look on his face.

“Here is how we get to him” I highlighted a section and gave the laptop back to Raffaele.

“We?” Bianca's voice cut through the air. I groaned inwardly, tired of her behavior.

“You are not one of us. You can be a spy, for all we know” she hissed.

“Well, I am doing well” I shot back and turned back to Raffaele. “What do you think?” I asked.

Raffaele eyed me for a moment before speaking. “Roberto is attending a party tomorrow night. That is how we will get to him. He will be heavily guarded. That is our main obstacle,” he finished.

“We could pose as his guards,” Oscar suggested.

“All guards go through thorough investigation and screening. It won't work” Raffaele answered.

“Women,” Bianca injected. “We could get to him through women.” For once, I found myself agreeing with her. At least she has some brains. I muttered to myself.

“He won't be able to resist a beautiful woman. That would be his weak point” Enzo chimed in, supporting Bianca's stance.

Raffaele turned to Bianca. “You will handle that. You know what to do.”

Bianca smirked, clearly satisfied with her assigned role before she left the room to start the preparation.

“Carmen, get the device ready by tomorrow night,” Raffaele said, dismissively.

“I want in” I announced, having been quiet all through their conversation. My voice cut through the room and the room fell silent as they turned to me

“There is nothing you can do,” Raffaele said, his voice flat.

“That is where you are wrong,” I countered, “You know Roberto's weakness, but you don't know what brings him to his knees. I do, I have both what it takes to bring him down. So it is either you do it your way and risk the operation flopping or you let me in and I will make sure you get your drive”

The room was tense, all eyes now on Raffaele as he considered my words. For a brief moment, I held my breath, waiting to see if he would finally let me into the plan.

“You can help Carmen in getting the devices ready” Raffaele finally conceded, letting me into the plan.

“We can catch up along the way” Carmen's excited voice reached my ear. A frown laced my face.

“I want to be the one to go in for Roberto” Carmen's eyes grew wide in shock.

“You can't do that,” he objected, his voice filled with disbelief

I faced Raffaele, “If you want to use a woman to get close to him, I am your best option” I paused, glancing around the room, hoping Raffaele would allow me. Enzo watched me with keen interest

“I know how to get him on his knees. You just have to tell me what you need me to do,” I continued confidently.

“This could be dangerous,” Oscar said with concern flashing in his eyes.

“I know,” I replied calmly, “But I have faced danger before. I am not afraid of this

All eyes shifted to Raffaele, waiting for his decision. I looked at him and searched his expression, trying to gauge his thoughts.

“I have the clothes already; Ana is on her way with a who*e,” Bianca suddenly announced, entering the room with a rack of dresses.

Raffaele, clearly tired of the back-and-forth, said, “Just get it over with. Bianca, find a dress for Evelyn. She is in.”

He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, the others trailing behind him, leaving me alone with Bianca.

A smirk made its way to my lips as Bianca had a horrible expression on her face.

She clearly wasn't in support of this turn of events, and I relished her misery.

“I will be ready when you are,” I said sweetly before walking out. I had some things knocking over before the door shut behind me.

I bumped into Emily on the way to the kitchen. “Is that a smile on your face?” she teased, raising an eyebrow at me.

I shot her a look but didn't say anything. I stepped past her, walking into the kitchen.

“You don't have to go back to your shell” she continued, following behind me. I rolled my eyes at her choice of words. Shell? Really?

“I am just here to make food,” I muttered, trying to shake off the lingering tension in the room.

“What do you want to make?” She asked, taking a seat by the kitchen counter. “Because the last time you helped in the kitchen was a total disaster,”

I glanced at her and caught her usually mischievous grin on her face. I sigh and open the refrigerator.

“You know you could ask for help,” she called out.

“Shut up,” I snapped back, scanning the contents in the refrigerator.

“I just wanted to help,” she mumbled in a low voice as she walked out of the kitchen. I sighed, deciding to ignore her. She will get over it.

*****

Somehow, I managed to whip up... well, was it a waffle? It looked like one, at least. I took a bite and spat it out immediately. Tasteless. A total waste.

Grabbing a glass of juice, I poured myself a drink. Just then, Emily re-entered the kitchen and I quickly shoved my ruined waffle aside.

She didn't spare me a glance but instead started pulling out a few things from the refrigerator.

I watch her silently move around the kitchen with ease, like someone who knows what they are doing.

I glanced at my waffle which I put aside and sighed. My stomach growled in hunger and I subconsciously placed my hands on my stomach.

"Need help now?" she asked, not looking up but knowing what was going on.

I hesitated for a moment before finally giving in. "Fine," I muttered, bringing out the plate of failed waffles and throwing them in the bin. "I need help."

Emily's lips curled into a smug smile as she turned to me, a knowing look in her eyes. "Thought so."