Send the Ugly One, He'll Reject Her! They Laughed — But the Mafia Boss Was Speechless!

The boardroom of Jones Financial sat on the thirty-eighth floor of a glass tower overlooking Boston Harbor. The sky outside was slate grey, reflecting the cold, restless waters below.

Rockford Jones sat at the head of the long mahogany table, his face grey, his eyes bloodshot. Beside him, Evelyn was dressed in a pristine white silk suit, nervously checking her diamond-encrusted wristwatch. Chloe sat across from her, applying a fresh coat of red lipstick in the reflection of her smartphone screen.

“Where is the courier?” Evelyn snapped, her voice tight with tension. “The court clerk was supposed to deliver the authorization papers for the Zurich transfer twenty minutes ago.”

“Relax, Mom,” Chloe said, snapping her compact shut. “Daddy signed the power of attorney before we left the house. The money is already moving. By tonight, we’ll be at the chalet.”

Rockford groaned, burying his face in his trembling hands. “Adelaide... what if Moretti... what if he hurt her? What if he realized what we did?”

“Oh, stop it, Rock!” Evelyn sneered, waving her hand dismissively. “The girl was useless anyway. She spent her life lurking in the library like a ghost. If Moretti keeps her locked in the Berkshires, he’s doing us a favor. We don't have to pretend to care about her anymore.”

The double heavy oak doors of the boardroom swung open with a loud, resounding thud.

Two men in tailored dark grey suits stepped inside, taking positions on either side of the entrance. Behind them came Mateo Moretti, wearing an immaculate black three-piece suit, his hands tucked casually into his pockets.

Evelyn gasped, standing up so quickly her leather chair rolled back into the glass window. Chloe’s lipstick slipped, smearing a red line across her cheek. Rockford slowly raised his head, terror washing over his weathered features.

“Mr. Moretti,” Evelyn stammered, forcing a artificial smile onto her pale lips. “We... we were not expecting you in person. We assumed the paperwork regarding Adelaide’s... arrangement would be handled by your attorneys.”

Mateo did not answer. He walked slowly down the length of the table, his polished leather shoes clicking rhythmically against the hardwood border of the carpet. He stopped at the head of the table, resting his palms on the high back of the chair opposite Rockford.

“You left your daughter in my study last night without a coat, Rockford,” Mateo said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “She was wearing an old dress from your guest closet. She had no luggage. No shoes suitable for the snow.”

“She... she insisted on going,” Rockford stammered, his voice trembling. “She said she wanted to help...”

“She went because you are a weak man who allowed a pair of parasites to feed on your dignity until you had nothing left to offer,” Mateo said flatly.

Evelyn straightened her shoulders, her shock turning into sharp indignation. “Now see here, Moretti! You have no right to come into our corporate headquarters and insult us! The agreement was clear. You got a daughter to settle the debt. If you don't like her, that’s your problem. Send her back or keep her, but our financial obligations are concluded!”

Mateo smiled. It was a cold, cruel expression that did not reach his eyes.

“Your financial obligations have barely begun, Mrs. Jones,” Mateo said softly.

He turned toward the open doorway. “Adelaide. Please bring the files.”

Evelyn and Chloe froze.

Adelaide stepped through the doorway.

She wore a custom-tailored dark charcoal wool suit that fit her slender frame perfectly. Her brown hair had been styled into an elegant French twist, framing her face and leaving the pale, jagged scar along her cheek completely visible. She wore no thick glasses; instead, sharp, rimless designer frames sat on her nose, highlighting her striking, intelligent hazel eyes. She carried a thick leather briefcase under her arm.

Chloe’s jaw dropped. “Adelaide?”

Adelaide walked past her stepmother without giving her a single glance. She stopped beside Mateo, setting the briefcase on the center of the mahogany table and opening it with two crisp clicks.

“Adelaide, baby,” Rockford gasped, tears welling in his eyes. “You’re okay... he didn't hurt you?”

“I am perfectly fine, Father,” Adelaide said, her voice clear, confident, and entirely devoid of the meekness that had defined her for fifteen years. “In fact, I have never been better. Though I cannot say the same for your personal finances.”

She pulled three thick packets of legal documents from the briefcase and slid them across the table toward Evelyn and Chloe.

“What is this garbage?” Evelyn demanded, refusing to touch the paper.

“That is an emergency injunction issued by the Massachusetts Superior Court two hours ago,” Adelaide explained smoothly. “As of eight o’clock this morning, Mateo and I were married by a justice of the peace.”

Chloe shrieked, standing up. “Married? You married that freak?”

Mateo didn't even look at Chloe. He simply raised one finger. The guard standing near the door stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Chloe’s shoulder and forcing her back into her seat with uncompromising force.

“Under the terms of my biological mother’s original trust agreement—which you illegally hid from me when I turned twenty-one, Evelyn—my marriage automatically triggers the full release of her twenty-six percent voting share in Jones Financial,” Adelaide continued, her eyes locked on her stepmother’s pale face. “When combined with the shares Mateo purchased from the secondary board members last night, my husband and I now hold sixty-four percent controlling interest in this firm.”

Evelyn’s breath hitched. She reached out with trembling hands, opening the top page of the court injunction.

“Furthermore,” Adelaide said, leaning over the table, “I spent the last four hours conducting a full forensic audit of the Evelyn Luxe Holdings shell company. I traced every single wire transfer back to your personal IP address at the house in Brookline. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission have already been provided with the complete digital paper trail.”

Right on cue, the boardroom doors opened once again.

Four uniformed officers from the Boston Police Department, accompanied by two federal agents in dark coats, stepped into the room.

“Evelyn Jones? Chloe Jones?” the lead federal agent asked, pulling a set of steel handcuffs from his belt. “You are under arrest for federal wire fraud, grand larceny, and conspiracy to commit financial racketeering.”

Chloe burst into hysterical sobs, kicking her legs as the officers pulled her hands behind her back. “Mom! Do something! Daddy, help us!”

Rockford sat completely paralyzed, staring at his wife and daughter in utter shock. Evelyn glared at Adelaide with pure, unadulterated hatred as the steel cuffs clicked around her manicured wrists.

“You little rat,” Evelyn hissed, her voice dripping with poison. “You ugly, worthless little rat! You think he loves you? Look at you! He’s using you to take this company!”