As I slip it into my notebook, my mind races, connecting the dots between the two phones and this card. My curiosity burning, I finally speak up.

"You like to keep your professional and personal lives separate, don't you ?"

With a slightly furrowed brow, he meets my puzzled gaze in the rearview mirror. Taking a moment to understand my question, he clears his throat and looks back at the road before answering.

"I don't have much of a personal life. I live alone, and my family is no longer with us. I dedicate my entire life to my work."

"And what exactly does your work involve ?"

"I follow Don Ezio's orders. Whatever task he asks of me, I do it."

His evasive answer heightens my suspicion. Despite realizing he won't make it easy, I press on.

"So, no deviations? Your life is solely dictated by Ezio's demands ?"

He lets out a contained laugh before pursing his lips.

"Despite all my dedication, I'm still a man. I'm not infallible."

Without giving me time to question him further, he parks the car and informs me we've arrived at the studio.

"I'll wait here until you're done."

Despite my frustration, I resign myself to letting go of my questions for now.

"The day might be long; I don't want you to get bored. If you have other things to do, go ahead, and I'll call you when I'm done. Give me your number, and I'll let you know when to pick me up. I don't want to impose an endless wait on you."

He takes my phone, which I hand him, and enters his number.

"Thank you, May, that's very kind of you. See you later," he says, handing my phone back.

"Thank you, Salva. See you later."

Without wasting any more time, I get out of the car and enter the studio.

"May !" Andy greets me warmly, wrapping me in a hug. "It's about time! One more minute and you'd have found skeletons instead of our bodies."

I grimace at his remark and then smile at her.

"I'm doing well, Andy, thanks for asking," I reply sarcastically. "I brought some gems for us to work on," I tease, waving the notebook in my hand.

"Great ! Let's not waste any more time and get started !"

For the next few hours, we work to the rhythm of chords and adjustments. I rewrite some lyrics, and we do vocal tests and recordings.

"Okay, guys, that's enough for today. I think we've worked hard enough !" Andy exclaims.

"Seriously, great job, May. I love all these inspirations between love, adrenaline, danger, and power. Your album will have a fantastic universe that everyone can relate to on some level. It's shaping up to be a huge success. We still have work to do, but the foundations are solid. You've outdone yourself again; you impress me. How about we grab a drink to celebrate ?"

"Yeah, sure, just give me a second to take care of something, and we'll go."

I take out my phone and see five missed calls from Ezio. Worried, I call him back immediately.

"Hey, is everything okay ?"

"You should tell me! I haven't heard from you all day."

I glance at my watch and realize we've spent the entire day working on the album.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was so late. We were so focused on the album that we lost track of time. I'm really sorry," I say, feeling guilty.

I hear Ezio's relieved sigh through the phone.

"The important thing is that you're okay. But please, next time, keep me updated. If I'd listened to myself, you would've gotten more than twenty calls and a personal visit."

"Oh, I wouldn't have minded that," I tease him.

"Are you coming home soon?" he asks, his impatience clear.

"Not just yet. Andy and I were planning to go for a drink to unwind. I was about to call you to let you know."

"Okay, anyway, I'm not at the apartment. I'm at my father's place for business. But please, keep me posted from now on."

"Yes, I'm really sorry again. Good luck with work, and I'll see you later."

"Yeah, thanks. See you tonight, my love."

I hang up and text Salva, letting him know we're leaving soon.

"So, for a cousin you recently reconnected with, you two seem pretty close." 

I turn quickly and see Andy playing with her blonde hair, her eyes inquisitive.

"You were eavesdropping on my conversation?"

"Obviously, where do you think I get all my gossip from?"

I smile, not surprised by her revelation.

"Let's go get that drink, and I'll satisfy your craving for a scoop."

Intrigued, she follows me, smiling. We step outside, and I head towards Salva's car.

"You have a car now?"

"Not exactly..."

Andy watches Salvatore step out and greet us, opening the door for us.

"What's going on ? A chauffeur now ? May Torre, you owe me a long explanation, and one drink won't suffice," she declares as she slips into the car, leaving me alone on the sidewalk.

I give Salvatore a resigned look, and he offers me a "good luck" smile. I smile back and settle next to Andy.

"Salvatore, meet Andy, my closest friend. Andy, this is Salvatore."

"Nice to meet you, Salva," she says in a sultry voice.

"Nice to meet you, miss," he replies, slightly uncomfortable, avoiding her gaze through the central rearview mirror.

"Could you take us to " The lipstick" please?"

"On our way."

Driven by curiosity, Andy bombards Salvatore with questions throughout the trip. Growing increasingly uncomfortable, he evades the questions or gives succinct answers to provide as few details as possible. While Andy monopolizes the driver's attention, mine focuses on the spot where there were two phones on the way here, now reduced to one. Unsurprisingly, it's the one that resembled Valentina's phone that's missing. Surprised but not really, I shift my attention to the passing scenery, moving as fast as the ideas swirling in my mind.