Evelina

(xxii)

Evelina

I woke up to the low hum of murmurs floating through my bedroom, an invasion of my peace. My eyes were still heavy with sleep, but the sounds were impossible to ignore. I groaned and tried to bury myself deeper into the warmth of my bed, hoping the voices would disappear on their own.

But no. Of course not.

"Hey, Lexy sexy, good to see you." I heard Mateo's irritatingly smug voice. Always flirting. Always being him.

Eww. I cringed, my skin crawling at the sound of his ridiculous pet name for Alexa. Seriously, it was way too early for this.

From somewhere across the room, Janice's voice cut through, her tone dripping with irritation. "Matty, she's older than you." I could practically hear her rolling her eyes at him.

Good. At least someone had sense.

Frustration bubbling inside me, I reached blindly for the nearest pillow and hurled it in the general direction of Mateo's voice. I didn't even care if I hit him—though the satisfaction of doing so would've been immense. "Shut up and get out," I groaned, my voice muffled by the blanket I pulled over my head. My patience was nonexistent this evening, and their presence was the last thing I needed. They destroyed my nap.

I turned over, pressing myself closer to the warm, solid body lying beside me. Tony. His warmth was the only thing keeping me from snapping completely. The weight of his arm around me felt grounding, comforting, like a shield against the chaos in the room.

Then I heard it—a deep, amused chuckle.

A second later, soft lips pressed a kiss to my forehead, gentle but teasing.

"Wake up, love," Tony murmured, his voice low and impossibly sweet. His words tugged at me, pulling me further out of sleep, though I stubbornly fought to stay in that dreamy state. "The gang came all the way here with information."

'Information?' I frowned, barely processing the words through the fog of sleep and irritation. Whatever it was, I didn't care. Not right now. Not when I was cocooned in this perfect warmth.

I let out a frustrated grunt, inching even closer to him, if that was even possible. My fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt as if holding on would keep the rest of the world away. "Later," I mumbled into his chest, hoping he'd understand that I wasn't ready to deal with anything yet and that I wanted to sleep now. Let alone Mateo and whatever ridiculous drama had dragged them all to my room at this ungodly hour.

But apparently, no one in this house understood personal boundaries. Like seriously, it's like they don't know what privacy is.

"Lina, seriously, wake up! They have information about Vincenzo." Mateo's voice whined from somewhere too close for comfort. I could hear his footsteps approaching, and the very thought of him leaning over me was enough to make my blood boil.

Before I could react, I felt the blanket being tugged away from my head. "Come on, sleepyhead," he taunted, his annoying grin practically audible.

"I swear to God, Mateo," I hissed, bolting upright with a speed that startled even me. My eyes locked on him, and if looks could kill, he'd be six feet under. "Get out of my room or I will throw more than a pillow at you."

Mateo raised his hands in mock surrender, but the smirk never left his face. "Alright, alright, relax!" he laughed, backing up a few steps. "Just trying to help you out, sorellina."

"By being an obnoxious pest?" I shot back, my glare sharp enough to cut glass.

Tony chuckled softly beside me again, clearly amused by the whole situation. He leaned in closer, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "Come on, love, let's hear them out. You know they wouldn't be here if it wasn't important. It's also about Enzo."

I huffed, reluctantly swinging my legs over the side of the bed. Important? Of course it will be, after all it's Vincenzo they have news about.

Still, I couldn't help but let my irritation simmer beneath the surface. "Fine," I muttered, dragging myself up from the comfort of the bed. "But if this is about some stupid rumor or whatever Mateo's latest drama is, I swear I'll lock you all out next time."

Mateo shot me a cheeky grin, clearly unfazed by my threats. "Good morning to you too, sunshine."

"Don't push your luck," I warned, shooting him one last glare before turning my attention back to Tony. He stood beside the bed, watching me with that calm, reassuring presence that always seemed to balance out my storm.

"So?" I crossed my arms, already bracing myself for the nonsense that was sure to follow. "What's so important that you felt the need to wake me up like this?"

The room went quiet for a moment. The playful banter dropped, and I could see a shift in everyone's expressions. Mateo exchanged a quick glance with Janice, and for the first time since they'd barged in, I felt a tiny flicker of unease.

Something was definitely up.

"Full attention will be needed," Olivia's voice cuts through the room like a knife, her tone leaving no room for doubt. She steps forward, her posture sharp, commanding, as she pulls out her sleek tablet. Her fingers swipe decisively across the screen, left and right, navigating through files faster than I could blink.

The atmosphere in the room shifts. Everyone goes quiet, tension building as we wait for what she's about to say. Olivia rarely speaks unless she has something critical to reveal.

"Vera Louise," she begins, eyes flicking up from the screen, catching each of us in turn, "daughter of the British Mafia, was recently kidnapped by the Germans." Her words hang heavy in the air. The gravity of the situation is palpable. "They've made it clear—they'll return her only if the Brits sever ties with the Italians."

My heart tightens. Of course, the Germans would pull something like this. Blackmail was their specialty, and now they were playing the Brits and Italians against each other. The room feels smaller, suffocating under the weight of this new information.

"Which brings us to my latest discovery," Olivia continues, her voice lowering, as if she's about to unveil something even darker. "I have a strong suspicion that the Germans and Aiden are working together."

Aiden? Of course, he would turn to the Germans. After all, a weak person like him will need a backer and what better backer than the enemy of your enemy.

"Because when I... How do I say this in simple English?" She pauses for a moment, tilting her head with a small, trying to look for the right vocabulary to use for her complicated techy stuff. "Oh, yeah. When I broke down the video to look for possible locations, I heard Vincenzo."

The room tenses even more at the mention of Vincenzo.

She taps the screen and suddenly, audio fills the room, distorted but unmistakable. His voice. I feel a chill run down my spine as I hear it.

"Don't hurt her." Vincenzo's voice, frantic, almost desperate, echoes through the small space. "Do whatever you want with me, but don't hurt her!" His scream is muffled, as if he's being restrained, or worse, gagged.

I swallow hard, trying to process it all. Vincenzo—my brother. I surely missed his voice but I didn't want to hear it this way. If the Germans are in with Aiden, then we need to hurry and look for Enzo because he may not survive for long.

"So, did you find out where they're holding him?" I ask, my voice sharp, cutting through the tension, barely able to hide the growing frustration building in my chest. If Vincenzo was involved, then things were even more complicated than I thought.

Olivia shakes her head, her expression tightening, though it's hard to tell whether it's from genuine frustration or something else. "No," she replies, her voice cool, collected as always. "Not yet."

I narrow my eyes at her, crossing my arms over my chest. There's something about the way she's speaking that feels... off. Too polished. Too prepared. She always has an answer. Always. But now, she's shaking her head as if this whole thing is suddenly a mystery to her? No. I wasn't buying this act of hers. Not for a second.