All three girls stood in Rafael’s office. Across from them, Rafael and Mike watched with unreadable expressions.There were no smirks now. No playful jabs or sarcastic remarks. The laughter that once sparked so easily between them had been buried beneath the weight of discipline and consequence.
Lili, Cova, and Katika stood straighter, their shoulders squared. Whatever innocence they’d carried into that week was burned away by training that had scraped them down to the bone and rebuilt them in silence.
Rafael leaned forward slightly, fingers steepled beneath his chin. “You’re not the same woman who walked out of this office a week ago,” he finally said. “I don’t know if that should comfort me or terrify me.”
Lili didn’t look away. The weight of his gaze met the steady fire in hers.
Rafael’s expression didn’t change, but his stance shifted into cautious approval. “Your punishment is over,” he continued. “But the consequences are still echoing.” He turned toward the wide window with hands behind his back. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll begin monitored field missions again. If even one toe crosses the line… I won’t need to say what happens.”
The next morning, Lili stepped into the meeting room with the grogginess of too little sleep.
The moment her gaze lifted, she froze not because of Mike. What she didn’t expect was the figure lounging just behind him—Notori. He leaned against the wall with one ankle crossed over the other, arms folded, eyes locked on her with unreadable intent. A silent grin ghosted the corner of his lips, like he already knew what she was thinking.
And Lili nearly said it aloud. Of course it’s him monitoring me. Why not pour oil on the fire while we’re at it? But she bit her tongue hard.
“Sit,” Mike said without looking at her.
Lili obeyed and didn’t look at Notori for a while, but she still could feel his gaze pressing into her and she promised herself she’d give him nothing to see but control.
“Mission details,” Mike began. “Senator Halveth rhetoric has taken a dangerous turn recently. We believe he’s in deep with illegal factions we’ve been tracking.”
Lili stared at the photograph, tracing the lines of the senator’s smile, as if looking for a crack in the perfection. But her focus soon shifted to Mike as he continued. “We need to gather proof, get inside his office during a private ball he’s hosting this weekend. There’s a chance the senator has been moving illegal weapons under the radar, and it’s up to you two to confirm it.”
Lili glanced at Notori, who stood quietly off to the side. “Wait,” Lili spoke up. “How exactly do we get in? This is a private event, right?”
Mike folded his arms and leaned against the wall. “That’s your job to figure out.”
Lili’s brow furrowed. “You want us to just… sneak in?”
A faint glint of amusement flickered in Mike’s eyes, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. “Not sneak in, Lili. Infiltrate. You’ll be attending as guests. Once inside, find his office, look for the evidence, and get out. No powers unless you have no other choice.”
Lili nodded slowly, taking the weight of his words in. “And if things go sideways?”
Mike gave her a hard, cold stare. “Then you improvise. But it’s important to get away as clean as possible. Understood?”
Lili hesitated, but nodded. “Understood.”
Lili thought for a moment, then turned her gaze slightly. “I might know someone who can help get us into the ball,” she said at last.
Both Mike and Notori snapped their attention to her.
“I hope,” Mike said sharply, “you’re not talking about someone from the mafia. If they’re even remotely tied to them, we’d be tipping off the entire network.”
Lili’s jaw tightened, annoyance flashing through her features. “Of course it’s not,” she snapped. “It’s someone who’s always wanted to take a bite out of the mafia’s neck and they’d still do it with a smile.”
Mike’s eyes narrowed, studying her like a puzzle he almost solved. “You’ve been hiding something from us?”
Lili took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, as if trying to keep the edge out of her voice. “Mike, really? You of all people? I handed you every scrap of mafia knowledge I had. I also risked my neck to save both Cova and Rafael. Does that sound like someone who’s hiding a threat?”
Mike remained silent for a long moment. “Is it the same someone whose number you deleted from your phone before we secured it?”
Lili froze. Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t thought they would find that. She lifted her chin, meeting Mike’s eyes without blinking. “Yes,” she said, finally. “It is.”
Mike crossed his arms. “Why?”
Lili’s voice didn’t waver. “Because I didn’t want them dragged into this. They’re not part of the mafia. They’re not part of your network. But they hate the mafia more than I do. And you would’ve used them like a tool because of the information they possess.”
Notori tilted his head, finally speaking up. “And you trust them?”
“With my life,” Lili answered without hesitation.
A long silence stretched in the room. Mike’s gaze bore into her, weighing the truth behind her words. Then he spoke again. “This better not bite us in the back, Lili. If this person screws up, the fallout’s on you.”
“I know,” she said. “I’ll handle it.”
Mike turned toward the door, motioning the meeting to a close. “Then you’d better contact them now. You’ve got two days to get into that ballroom.”
As he left the room, Notori lingered, watching Lili for a moment longer. “You deleted their number,” Notori said. “That means they meant something.”
“They still do,” Lili replied softly. Her gaze dropped for a breath, as if the truth had brushed too close to the surface. Then she inhaled deeply, bracing herself. “Would you… stay? For the call?” Her voice wavered, just a fraction, but it was enough.
Notori blinked, taken off guard. Surprise flickered behind his eyes. He gave a short nod. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, of course.”
Lili turned away slightly, her fingers moving over her phone. The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. “Dotina is listening.”
Lili’s breath hitched, and her voice came out quieter than expected. “Hey, Dotina.”
“Lili?!” the voice cracked shocked and breathless. “Oh my gods, I thought you were dead! What did that piece of shit do to you?! I swear, if he laid a hand on you—”
Lili shut her eyes for a second, the familiar heat of emotion rushing to her face. “I’m okay,” she said. “I’m fine. I swear I’m fine. But… I need a favor. And it’s not something I can explain over the phone.”
Another pause. The voice was quieter now, but layered in urgency. “Lili… are you in trouble again?”
Lili gave a short breath of laughter that wasn’t really laughter. “When am I not?”
Notori watched her in silence.
“Can I come by your office?” Lili asked, swallowing hard. “Please. Just for a short talk.”
Dotina didn’t hesitate. “You have an hour. And if you’re not here by then, I’m coming to find you myself.”
The line went dead.
Lili lowered the phone slowly. “She’s going to kill me with hugs first,” Lili muttered under her breath, almost to herself. Then she turned to Notori. “You coming with?”
He tilted his head with a faint smile. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
***
Notori pulled the car to a smooth stop in front of a glass tower etched with golden letters that read “DOTINA INDUSTRIES – COSMETICS & RESEARCH.” His brow lifted as he glanced sideways at Lili. “Your contact works here?” he asked in disbelief.
Lili smirked, a spark of amusement glinting in her tired eyes. “She doesn’t work here,” she said, brushing a wrinkle from her jacket. “She runs it.”
Notori arched a brow. “Unexpected.”
Lili glanced at her phone and winced. “And we’re thirty minutes late. She’s going to skin me alive and moisturize the remains.”
Without another word, they stepped out of the car and approached the entrance. The building’s front lobby gleamed: marble floors, towering LED displays of flawless faces, and a scent in the air of money and ambition.
The security guard at the front desk straightened the moment he spotted Lili. “Miss Lili,” he greeted, a rare smile breaking the formality of his uniformed demeanor.
Lili gave a curt nod in return, not breaking stride as she headed toward the private elevator. Notori trailed behind.
Once inside the elevator, Lili pressed the topmost button without hesitation. “She’s… intense,” Lili said after a moment. “Dotina gives off this vibe like she’s always two steps ahead and waiting for you to trip.”
Notori glanced at her, curious. “You really trust her?”
Lili didn’t answer right away. She watched the floors tick by on the glowing panel above.
“She has helped me more than once,” she said finally.
The elevator chimed, doors parting into an office that looked more like a throne room than a workplace—velvet walls, glass desks, gold trim, and in the center of it all, a figure already waiting. Tall, statuesque, dressed in crimson silk and stilettos. Dotina’s heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she stepped forward, her crimson dress cascading behind her. Her eyes narrowed with theatrical curiosity as she took in the scene before her: Lili, standing stiffly with shoulders held in practiced poise, and Notori—stoic and alert at her side, his presence quiet but unmistakably protective.
“Well, well,” Dotina purred, tilting her head slightly. “Is this your boyfriend? Is that why you went off-grid? He kept you… preoccupied?”
Lili’s cheeks flared instantly. She coughed lightly, averting her gaze. “A close friend,” she corrected firmly, though her voice held a hitch too honest to ignore.
Notori raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained but saying nothing.
Dotina folded her arms with a frown that wasn’t entirely theatrical anymore. Her gaze cooled, tinged with a sliver of real hurt beneath the polish.
“Where were you, Lili?” she asked, and this time the question came with no teasing. “Months passed without a single goddamn word.”
Lili’s mouth opened, then closed again. Her eyes dropped for a moment, and when she spoke, her voice was quieter. “You were right… about Torin,” she said. The name alone left a bitter taste in her mouth. “I—I didn’t want to believe it. But things changed. I was forced to leave him behind.”
Dotina’s gaze sharpened. “Forced?” she echoed.
Lili nodded once, then lifted her eyes to meet Dotina’s. “After you helped me last time… they locked me up. Tortured me in ways that—” her voice cracked, “—you probably couldn’t imagine. I didn’t think I’d survive it. But when I finally got the chance… I ran.”
Notori shifted, his arms folding tighter across his chest.
Dotina’s crimson lips parted, outrage softening into something more maternal. “Jesus, Lili…” Her voice rose in disbelief. “You could have come to me! I would’ve hidden you, fought with you. I would’ve—”
Lili’s head dropped slightly, her lashes shadowing the regret written across her face. “I know,” she said, a fragile smile ghosting over her lips. “But I didn’t want to drag your life into danger. I already owed you too much. I couldn’t risk letting them reach you too.”
She glanced sideways toward Notori, who met her eyes with a slow nod of quiet understanding. “I had help,” she added softly.
Dotina followed Lili’s gaze to Notori, then looked back at her, expression unreadable now. There was tension, but also respect beneath it. “Well,” Dotina finally said, “You always did have a terrible sense of timing and a heroic flair for dramatics. But you’re here now. And that means you need something.”
Lili gave a sheepish nod.
Dotina sighed and turned toward her desk. “Let’s get to it, then. If I’m going to open the gates to hell for you again, I’d at least like to know which devils you’re trying to outdance this time.”
Dotina slid into the velvet-backed chair behind her glass desk. “Tell me,” she said. “Who are we charming this time? And more importantly—who are we stealing from?”
Lili exchanged a glance with Notori, then stepped forward. “There’s a ball,” she began. “A private political event. Senator Halveth is hosting.”
Dotina’s brow arched. “Halveth?” she echoed. “That coward?”
Lili gave a tight nod. “He’s clean on paper. But the organization I work with suspects he’s been trafficking illegal weapons. We need proof and fast. His office is locked behind the upper floors of the estate. We need an invitation, a disguise, and ideally… no attention.”
Dotina leaned back in her chair, pursing her lips. “You mean to crash a lion’s den. Bold. Idiotic, but bold.”
Lili gave a half-smile. “I knew you’d appreciate the theatrics.”
Dotina’s eyes shone with pride. “Oh, I do. I do love a good performance. And I still owe you… even if your sense of timing is a nightmare.”
She stood, moving toward a wall-mounted painting and pressed her fingers into the frame’s corner. With a soft click, it slid aside, revealing a small steel vault. Her fingers moved across the keypad. “You’re in luck,” she said, pulling out a sleek black envelope, embossed with the crest of Halveth’s office. “I happen to know the designer supplying costumes for the ball. She’s a dramatic mess, drinks like a fish, but she owes me a favor or five. I’ll get you both in under false names, of course.”
She held the envelope out to Lili, but didn’t let go immediately. “You’re playing a dangerous game,” Dotina murmured. “And I get the feeling this isn’t just about duty.”
Lili’s fingers closed around the envelope. “It never was.”
Dotina studied her for a long moment, then smiled. “I’ll have the costumes delivered by tomorrow night. The ball is in a week. I’ll make sure your names are on the list, and no one will question your presence… at least not until they should.”
“Thank you,” Lili said, voice quieter, more genuine.
Dotina waved her off like the gratitude was an annoying insect. “Just don’t die. I have a reputation to maintain, and having my guests explode mid-ball would ruin the aesthetic.”
Notori chuckled under his breath. Lili gave Dotina one last nod of gratitude before turning toward the door.
As they stepped back into the elevator, Notori finally spoke. “She’s terrifying.”
Lili smiled faintly. “Yeah. But she’s the kind of terrifying that saves lives.”
Notori watched her a moment longer, then nodded. “Let’s hope we can return the favor.”
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