Piero: "So we have a window. Six hours, at the most."
"Then we move fast."
"I'm coming with you," Paola said.
Every man in the room looked at her like she'd lost her mind.
"Absolutely not," I said immediately. "You'll stay here where it's safe."
"Safe? Nowhere is safe if Viktor has whatever Bianca brought him." She crossed her arms. "And if those documents are about me, I have a right to see them."
"You have a right to stay alive. This is dangerous. Professional. No place for—"
"For what? A woman? Your wife?" Fire in her eyes. "I'm not some delicate trophy, Cesare. This is my life too. My sister. My reputation on the line."
Piero wisely stayed silent, watching the standoff.
My jaw clenched. "You're not trained for this. You'd be a liability."
"Or an asset. Bianca is my identical twin. If we need to get close to her, who better than me?"
That... actually made strategic sense.
I hated that it made strategic sense.
"If—and this is a massiveif—you come, you follow every order I give. Immediately. Without question."
Paola nodded. "Agreed."
"You stay behind me at all times. You don't engage unless I tell you to. You run if I tell you to run."
"Fine."
"And you change out of that dress into something practical."
A ghost of a smile. "Obviously."
Giulio looked pained. "Boss, this is a bad idea."
"I know. But she's right—having Bianca's identical twin could be useful. Especially if we need to create confusion or distraction."
Rocco: "What's the objective? Retrieve the documents? Grab Bianca?"
"Both if possible. Documents are priority one. We get those, destroy them, Viktor loses his leverage."
"And if we can't get them?"
My expression went cold. "Then we make sure Viktor can't use them. If Bianca disappears, if the documents disappear, if there's doubt about their authenticity—Viktor's leverage evaporates. Even fake documents are dangerous if people believe they're real."
The implication hung in the air.
Paola's face paled but she didn't object. She understood what was at stake.
The team dispersed to prepare. Giulio coordinated the security team—four of our best men, armed, experienced. Rocco pulled up building blueprints, camera placements, guard rotations.Matteo handled logistics—vehicles, escape routes, medical standby.
Paola disappeared to change.
Piero stayed with me, watching as I loaded a weapon with practiced efficiency.
