Feliks gave the bag of icing another twist, before making another flower at the corner of the cake. He wanted to start adding the needed text, but the others could not come to a consensus on the ordering.

"Katerina's name should be first," Madeline argued, "It sounds better when it's alphabetical."

"No, Yao's name should be first," Lovino countered, "It's traditional for the man's name to come first."

"They had a city hall wedding with the bride being 8 weeks pregnant," Natalya opposed, "Their marriage is hardly traditional in the first place."

"Well, technically, they are still trying to follow tradition," Ludwig pointed out, "She is taking his last name, after all."

Feliks rolled his eyes at the group, and looked at the cake again. Once Katerina discovered her pregnancy, she and Yao decided to finally tie the knot, choosing August 29th as their wedding date with a simple ceremony at city hall. Everyone else still had to work the Friday shift, but the cafe kitchen also included the party preparation for when they closed up shop early at 8:00. It was now 7:55, and Feliks was trying to finish up the cake, but had made the terrible mistake of asking for advice. Now he had to endure listening to a guys versus girls debate on the two options.

Should it say congratulations to Yao & Katerina, or to Katerina & Yao?

Feliks glanced through the serving window at Madeline and Ludwig, who were on the dining side of the cafe because Maddie was on the closing shift. They were all rather surprised when Lovino revealed that Madeline's boyfriend was a police officer, and it was even more shocking when they found out that the cop actually agreed to work for them as a double agent. Natalya was probably the most alarmed when they finally met the man, since he was the same officer that arrested her a few weeks ago, but they quickly overcame the awkward situation.

The group was interrupted by the clicking of high heels entering the kitchen from the back, and turned to see the lovely bride walking in. Katerina looked drop-dead gorgeous in her white shimmering cocktail dress that ended at the knees, and it accentuated her fantastic figure that has yet to show any sign of pregnancy. Aside from the gorgeous white dress and sparkling white shoes, she still kept her hair and makeup as simple as possible, focusing on her natural beauty.

"What's going on in here?" she asked, "What are you all fussing over?"

"I made the mistake of asking for help with your cake," Feliks explained, "We're putting both your names on it, but can't agree on which name should be first."

"Oh, so it's either 'Yao & Katerina' or 'Katerina & Yao', is it?" Katerina judged, "Well, Yao won't give a rat's ass, and I haven't used my bridezilla rights yet, so put my name first."

"Well, you are the bride," Feliks chuckled, and turned to start writing her name on the cake while the others giggled and groaned at the decision.

"As for the rest of you, get back to work, I still see some dirty dishes," Katerina ordered as she strolled past through to the main dining area, "Madeline, your boyfriend doesn't work for me, so why is he behind my counter?"

"I'm sorry, Katerina," Feliks heard Ludwig answer, "I got involved in the cake debate."

Just as Feliks finished writing the first name, the small bell rang at the front door, and Feliks rolled his eyes. He had a feeling there would be a last-minute customer, and that he'd have to move the cake so that the others could still serve some food.

While he expected a customer, he didn't expect Katerina to start yelling.

"Oh, hell no! Get out of my restaurant, you fucking bastard!"

Feliks tried to lean over to look through the serving window at whoever had come into the restaurant and alarmed Katerina, but couldn't get far enough without having to start mushing the cake. As he stood back up properly again, Natalya came to his side and leaned over the counter at an angle where she wouldn't wreck his cake. Feliks saw her face light up in alarm, before she turned towards Lovino.

"It's Antonio," she reported, before reaching below the counter and grabbing the gun that was taped underneath.

Feliks pressed himself against the counter as Natalya stormed by, before shuffling over to where she had stood to look through the window. That's when he saw the Vargas clan's former bodyguard arguing with Katerina at the front of the restaurant. Madeline and Ludwig cautiously stood at attention by the counter, while Lovino and Natalya stormed through the door moments later to take over for Katya.

"What the fuck are you doing here, you traitor?" Lovino immediately demanded, aiming his gun at the Spaniard.

"How lovely to see you too, Lovi," Antonio greeted, "I see you've done well enough for yourself since I last saw you."

"Since you betrayed us, you mean," Lovino amended, "You drugged me and Feli, you killed Gupta, and you gave our base's location to the police!"

"You've got that all wrong," Antonio denied, raising his hands in surrender, "I never told the police where the base was, and Gupta said goodbye to me on the way out."

"And the drugging?" Natalya drilled.

"I will admit, that part was me," Antonio confirmed, "I was about to start my new job, but your grandfather had forced me to spend the night at the base. My associates advised me to get out of there as quickly as I could after work, by any means necessary, so the sleeping serum was my only option to slip past you boys. I am sorry I had to drug you, but I did not do any of the other things you accuse me of."

After a moment of silence and glaring, Lovino huffed and lowered his gun, earning a confused look from Natalya at his side.

"As ridiculous as all that sounds, it's unfortunately plausible," Lovino determined, "Still, you haven't explained why the fuck you thought you could just walk in here."

"I'm here to talk business," Antonio declared, "We want your help with a heist."

"And why the fuck should I work with you?" Lovino demanded.

"Or old time's sake, maybe?" Antonio suggested, "Or how about the millions of dollars we want to steal and are willing to split? This could be the last heist you ever need to pull, you'd all be able to retire from your criminal careers and live comfortably the rest of your lives."

"That sounds way too promising to be feasible," Natalya criticized.

"I agree with her," Lovino added before continuing, "What exactly is your plan?"

"It's actually not my plan," Antonio corrected, "I'm just a subordinate on this one, my colleagues are waiting outside your back door."

Just as Antonio said that, the receiving area doorbell rang at the back of the restaurant.

"Your colleagues?" Katerina inquired.

Antonio nodded, as Lovino leaned past Natalya to look through the serving window.

"Feliks, go answer the door," Lovino commanded, "See who this asshole brought with him."

Feliks nodded back to Lovino, before hopping off his counter and heading to the back of the kitchen. When he reached the hallway, he had to pause as Elizaveta rushed past at the bottom of the stairs. Feliks followed as she went to open the door wide before slamming it shut, spinning around, and putting her back to the door with an alarmed expression on her face.

"It's Ivan and Toris," she revealed, "What are they doing here?"

"Are they armed?" Feliks asked as he approached and reached past her for the door handle.

"No, they weren't," Elizaveta told him, swatting his hand away from the door, "You're not letting them in, are you?"

Without answering, Feliks calmy pried Elizaveta off the back of the door, before reaching for the handle and turning it. He opened the door to find their two former colleagues waiting calmly outside, hands clearly visible and empty. Feliks gave the blond a quick glance before focusing on the brunette and addressing him.

"I thought I told you to stay the fuck away from me."

"I am not here to intrude on what has become of your personal life, Feliks," Toris promised, "This is strictly business."

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Elizaveta demanded.

"We have a joint venture to propose," Ivan reported, "Now, are you just going to stand there and stare at us in suspicion, or will you let us in to talk?"

Feliks suddenly felt Elizaveta leave his side, and turned to watch as Lovino stood between his girlfriend and the door, attempting to push her back towards the stairs.

"Let them in, Feliks," Lovino ordered, before turning back to the alarmed woman, "Elizaveta, go get Feli and Yao from upstairs."

As the couple quietly talked to each other at the bottom of the stairs, Feliks pulled the door the rest of the way open, and put his back against the opposite wall as he held it wide open. Ivan and Toris walked up the steps and into the hallway, each nodding at Toris on their way by. As Feliks shut the door behind them, he saw Elizaveta running up the stairs while Lovino stood guard at the bottom, directing the two men into the kitchen. As Feliks followed them in, Lovino gave him a nod, reassuring him that they had control of the situation, before they heard Ivan's voice in the next room.

"Good evening, everyone," the Russian greeted, before turning to look at Katerina, "That is a lovely dress, is there a special occasion?"

"I got married today at city hall," Katerina bluntly replied, with noticeable irritation, "You're interrupting the setup for the reception."

"Ah, congratulations to you, then," Ivan praised, "Perhaps after this bit of business, we could stick around for a bit of the celebration."

"That is not a good idea," Katerina refused.

"I do suppose that is your call," Ivan acknowledged, "Might I at least shake the groom's hand, wherever he may be?"

"If he lets you," Katerina answered.

Ivan nodded, before turning to join Toris and Antonio at the back of the kitchen. Feliks shuffled along the side to stand by Madeline and Ludwig, who had entered the kitchen with Natalya and Katerina. Lovino paced along the middle aisle of the kitchen, watching the trio intently without saying a word.

Moments later, they heard footsteps marching down the stairs, before Elizaveta entered the kitchen and stood beside Feliks. Yao followed her in, and gave the unexpected trio a curious look as he crossed the room to stand between his wife and sister-in-law. Feliciano was the last to enter the kitchen, and froze in his spot when he saw who the guests were.

"What are they doing here?" Feliciano asked, glaring directly at Antonio.

"It's okay, Feliciano, I let them in," Lovino informed his brother, before turning to face the trio himself, "We're all here now, so what is this joint venture you fuckers are proposing?"

"Before we begin, may I point out that there is a police officer in our midst," Ivan observed, "I don't know what arrangement you have for his secrecy, but having him in the room when I describe this joint venture would allow him to compromise the mission."

"Ludwig is sworn to secrecy on his association to us," Madeline vouched, "Even if he tried to spill the beans about what you are plotting, he would also be forced to reveal us as well. If we can trust him to keep his mouth shut, then so can you. Now, get on with your proposal."

"If you insist, Madeline," Ivan accepted before addressing the group, "We want to pull off a bank heist. It's a little more complicated than usual, but it is certainly possible. We've already got the logistics planned out, all we need help with is emptying the cash vault."

"Which bank?" Lovino pried.

"The Bank of National Commerce, on 29th and Broadway," Ivan answered, prompting gasps and outbursts from almost everyone in the room.

"The biggest bank in the city?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"This isn't a small venture, it's a suicide mission!"

"That bank keeps well over 100 million dollars in its vault on an average night," Toris pointed out once everyone had their moment to freak out, "More than enough for all of us to split and easily retire on."

"We will also be setting up remote access to the banking databases on a USB drive," Ivan added on, "That way, we can intercept wire payments as we please."

"They'll catch onto that very quickly," Katerina warned.

"Not if multiple international bank accounts are used to funnel the electronic funds," Antonio countered.

"And how exactly will you handle security at the bank?" Feliks cross-examined, "They'll have guards, alarms, security cameras, the works. Not to mention how you intend to create the remote connection to the database with all their cyber security."

"Ivan has already created a computer program that will do everything for him," Toris explained, "All he has to do is plug the pre-loaded USB into one of their computers and execute the program."

"Since when are you a computer expert, Ivan?" Elizaveta drilled, "You never shared that with us when you worked for Mikkel."

"I was a software engineer long before I met Mikkel," Ivan disclosed, "My position with Mikkel didn't require that expertise, he needed my brawn over my brain."

"How much of the cash do we get to keep?" Madeline inquired.

"You can take 45% of the cash," Antonio proposed, "We'll be keeping the rest."

"How do you guys deserve more than us?" Feliciano challenged, "We'll be seven strong versus you three, there's more of us to split it across!"

"We're the ones doing all the logistical work and planning," Toris justified, "All you have to do is pack the cash in the bags."

"You're also getting a USB drive that will allow you to wire yourselves millions as you please," Yao reminded, "If you're not going to give us that as well, we should be getting all the cash."

"Yao has a very good point there," Madeline supported, "If we also get a copy of the USB drive, we could split the cash more evenly."

"I do suppose a second USB could be made that night," Ivan remarked, "You've always had good judgment, Madeline, what would the adjusted cash split be?"

"All parties have valid points, but our group has the larger number of people to share across," Madeline analyzed, "In addition, while you may understand what is on the USB, we'll have to learn how to use it before we can make any wire transfers. We should be taking 60% of the cash with a copy of the USB drive."

"That sounds reasonable to me," Ivan agreed, "Does anyone have any other concerns to address?"

"What will happen if your plan fails?" Natalya criticized, "You're talking about the biggest bank in the city here, which will have the highest levels of security available to it. If any part of your logistics falls apart, and the police find out we were involved, we'll be hunted down as well."

"I will be disarming all the alarms, and shutting down all the cameras," Ivan explained, "Everything will be arranged so that they have no way to trace it back to any of us."

"We'll put it to a group vote then," Lovino took over, "All in favour of accepting this joint venture, raise your hand."

Feliks watched as everyone in the room hesitated for a moment, before Madeline took the initiative to raise her hand as the first vote. Feliciano followed her lead, with Elizaveta, Lovino and Yao raising their hands afterwards. As Lovino spun around the room to count the votes, Feliks rose his own hand at the last moment to be counted among the majority in favour.

"Hands down, everyone in favour," Lovino directed, "Now, who do we have against this venture?"

Natalya's hand immediately shot up against the venture, and Feliks noticed she was glaring heavily at Ivan and Antonio, likely already knowing that the venture would nonetheless be accepted.

"Thank you, Natalya, you may lower your hand," Lovino requested, "Ludwig and Katya, can I assume that your decisions not to vote are meant to be as abstaining?"

"Like Ivan said, my position as a double-agent compromises me," Ludwig explained, "Since I am the newest member of your group, and in a position where I could inadvertently cause trouble, I saw it best not to be involved in this decision."

"Thank you for your consideration, Ludwig," Lovino approved, "What about you, Katya?"

"You know damn well to keep me out of your mob business, Lovino," Katerina cautioned, "All my previous warnings to you still stand."

"It appears that we have a majority vote in favour then," Lovino summarized, offering his hand to Ivan, "We will accept your joint venture, then."

"That's wonderful," Ivan cheered, accepting Lovino's hand and shaking it, "We were planning for next Thursday night, if your group will be available that night."

"That can definitely work, it's not like any of us have anything happening on Thursdays," Lovino complied, before turning back to look at Ludwig, "Will you be on duty that night?"

"I will be working day shift on Thursday, and have the day off Friday," Ludwig disclosed, "I can be available to help that night, under the guise of being on a date with Madeline."

"That sounds good to me," Lovino assented, before turning back to Ivan, "We'll need to communicate somehow to arrange these plans before that night."

"Madeline can be our intermediary, if you don't mind," Ivan suggested, "We already have her cellphone number, and she has Antonio's."

"I suppose we can work with that," Lovino accepted, "Is that all we need to address at the moment? I think Katya wants you out the back door as quickly as possible."

"Yes, that is all we need for now," Ivan commented, before taking another look at Katya and Yao, "Before I leave, though, I do believe I requested to give Katerina's groom a congratulatory handshake."

"I see no problem with that," Yao allowed, stepping forward and offering his hand for Ivan to reach for.

"Congratulations on your marriage, my friend," Ivan lauded as he shook Yao's hand, "You take good care of Katerina now, and may the fates smile on your union."

"Thank you for your kind words," Yao acknowledged before ending the handshake.

Without another word, Ivan turned away from the couple and headed for the back hallway with Antonio and Toris, where Feliciano had gone ahead to open the outside door. The entire group stood in their spots silently, listening as the door slammed shut and Feliciano re-entered the kitchen.

"Did we really just agree to work with them, Lovino?" the Italian checked, breaking the silence, "I thought they were the last people on Earth we could trust."

"They're going to spin this on us some way," Natalya warned, "I could feel it in my bones the moment they showed up."

"We also had a majority vote in favour, so that's what we're going with," Lovino reinforced, "If we spot any mischief on their end during the heist, we'll back out immediately. Now, I believe the lovely bride here would rather be celebrating her wedding than watching us fret over our departed visitors, wouldn't she?"

"That is very true," Katerina replied, "Let's get everything cleaned up here, while Madeline and I close up the front. Feliks, that cake can head upstairs if you're done with it."

As everyone spurred back into action, Feliks went back over to the cake, picked up the bag of icing, and finally finishing the last bit of writing on it.