Years before taking her Evie Porter alias, but after her mother’s death, Lucca is working as a waitress at a fundraiser in Raleigh. She’s using a scanning device to steal and upload the credit card information of the attendees. Lucca is caught by her manager who turns her over to the police. Just before she’s arrested, a detective takes her into his car, gives her a burner phone with a saved number that she’s told to call, and lets her go. When Lucca gets home she calls the number and has a conversation with a mechanical voice that she dubs Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith has been covertly tracking her criminal activity and is impressed by her. Lucca meets up with Mr. Smith’s associate, Matt, who offers her a job. Desperate for money and to stay out of jail, Lucca accepts.

In the days after the Derby party, Evie receives no information from Mr. Smith about the Lucca-imposter. The imposter has made quick work of insinuating herself into the community of women in Ryan’s orbit, which frightens Evie. She decides to make an emergency call to Mr. Smith to ask him about Lucca. She learns that Mr.