Chapter 4

That evening, I got a call from my best friend, Rosa Esposito. For the first time in five years, I actually had time to meet her, and we arranged to meet at Nyx Club.

At 11:00 pm, the ringtone cut sharply through the quiet corner. Glass in hand, I answered my phone—it was Pietro.

The moment the call connected, Pietro's entitled voice came through. "Camilla, is the arms cooperation proposal for next week done? It's due to Don Costa tomorrow. There's been an internal shake-up with the Rinaldi family, and they're pushing to see the contract. Send it to me now."

His voice carried its usual rasp, and there was also a note of annoyance in his bossy, hurried tone.

It made me wonder—had I actually forgotten to send that email to the family group this afternoon?

I couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle and replied without hesitation, "Are you talking about your own responsibilities? Why are you asking me about your own work?

"Have you had too much to drink? Or did you forget that I'm not even at the level of a basic Soldato in the family? So, I have no authority to touch core tasks."

Pietro probably hadn't expected that response and was caught off guard for a second. There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, followed by a furious roar through the receiver.

"Camilla, what do you think you're doing? Are you trying to rebel? You've always handled these tasks before. Hurry up and send it over—I'm in a rush. Don't play dumb with me. If this gets delayed, you'll face consequences you can't handle."

I scoffed. "Sorry, but I really can't do it. I won't touch tasks that aren't mine anymore. Helping you in the past was a courtesy. Now, choosing not to is my right. Everyone in the family knows the rules, so I can't step out of line."

My smirk grew wider. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to. Goodbye."

Ignoring Pietro's furious shouts on the other end, I hung up and slipped the phone back into my bag.

Rosa and I clinked glasses, sharing a knowing smile, and I felt a deep sense of relief.

The next day, as soon as I settled into my workstation, things began to spiral.

First, Riccardo came over and tossed a mess of firearm and ammunition data at me, along with the figures for an upcoming drug trade, just like he always did.

"Camilla, sort this out properly. We need it for the meeting soon."

Without hesitation, I handed it right back to him. "Riccardo, this detailed work falls under your responsibilities. It's not within my scope to handle."

His expression darkened, and he was practically huffing with anger. Just as he seemed about to curse, he caught the gazes of the other Capos around and forced his temper down.

"Camilla, just do me this favor. I'm swamped today—there's just too much going on."

I spread my hands and shrugged. "I'm busy too, so there's nothing I can do about it."

I put on my headset and started typing, tuning everything else out.

His face shifted through shades of frustration before he finally turned away, muttering under his breath as he left, "Some people are just plain ungrateful."

Less than ten minutes later, Marco approached with his laptop in hand.

"Camilla, take another look—the security personnel placements are still off by just a bit. The elevated points and blind spots keep mismatching with assigned personnel. It's similar to the last issue. Can you adjust it again?"

I simply shook my head without looking up.

He roughly set the laptop on my desk. "It's no big deal. Just fix it quickly. The meeting's about to start. I need to report the deployment to Don Costa soon."

I lifted my head and stared straight at Marco. "Marco, the security deployment is the most critical part of the entire transaction, and I'm not a technician in the security department."

Accustomed to giving orders, Marco frowned and snapped at me, "It's such a small thing. Just take a look and it'll be sorted. Stop dragging your feet. Check it now—the meeting is about to start!"

"I really don't know how," I replied, meeting his gaze with an expression of pure innocence.

The muscles in his face twitched with suppressed anger. Finally, he picked up his laptop and turned away, muttering as he walked off, "She's getting more and more out of line for someone so young."

The strange tension that hung over the morning was finally broken after the lunch break.

Due to a minor upheaval within the partner family involved in the drug trafficking rights deal, they requested an early review of the finalized transaction plan. Thus, the meeting originally set for three days later was suddenly moved to this afternoon.

Renato Clementi, the Capo in charge, was clearly unprepared. He paced back and forth anxiously on the floor, his agitation having reached its peak.

Finally, he stormed over to me and slammed a fist on my desk, the skull tattoo on his arm looking more menacing than ever.

"Camilla, just what exactly are you trying to pull?" he roared, his voice echoing through the office. "You've been handling all the details and content for this deal from the start. Get it done now—don't you dare push back.

"The Abate family has always been ruthless. They're not someone you can afford to cross. Hurry up and get this done. If they aren't satisfied, you won't be able to handle the consequences."