She Stole My Promotion With My Uncle's Name. I Came Back Holding His Signet

It was the Moretti Family's annual gathering, and everyone at the table was allowed to choose one dish.

When it was my turn, Bianca, a young woman who had only recently been taken under the Family's protection, suddenly snatched the menu from my hand.

We've ordered enough. You don't need anything else.

I ignored her and looked at the waiter.

"I'll have the mac and cheese."

Before the waiter could respond, Bianca slammed the menu straight into my face.

"I said you're not ordering. Who the hell do you think you are?"

The hard edge scraped across my cheek, leaving a sharp sting behind.

My temper snapped.

I grabbed the menu and struck her across the face with it.

Bianca shrieked and stumbled back, clutching her cheek.

"Do you have any fucking idea who I am? My father is Wesley Modine, head of the Modine Family. He's the Morettis' most powerful ally!"

Her face twisted with rage.

"Even the Don shows him respect. And you dare put your hands on me? One word from my father, and I can have you stripped of your place in this Family. I'll make sure no crew in this city dares take you in!"

I stared at her, genuinely confused.

Wesley Modine was my biological uncle.

He was forty years old.

And as far as I knew, he'd never had a wife, a mistress, or even a serious girlfriend.

So when the hell had he gotten a daughter this old?

Seeing me go quiet, Bianca mistook my confusion for fear and grew even more smug.

"What? Scared now? A woman like you, who only got this far by showing her face to the right men, should be grateful the Family even lets you sit at this table. And you think you deserve to order whatever you want?"

Got this far because of my face?

I was up before dawn checking ledgers, spent half my days in warehouses and on docks negotiating shipments, and had been out in the sun so much my own mother joked she barely recognized me anymore.

And this bitch thought I survived on my looks?

I pushed my chair back and stood, staring straight at her.

"Watch your mouth. Everything I've earned in this Family came from my own work. Everyone sitting here knows that. You don't get to insult me."

I glanced at the table.

"And this is a Family dinner. You're not paying for it. If I don't have the right to order, you sure as hell don't."

I looked her up and down.

"No wonder I smelled something rotten when I walked in. Turns out it was just your mouth."

Several people around the table lowered their heads, trying to hide their laughter.

They had been sick of Bianca for weeks.

She had only been under Moretti protection for a month, yet she already treated everyone around her like servants.

Not long ago, when Meg Wheeler, one of the younger women working for the Family, refused to fetch her coffee, Bianca had dumped the entire cup over her head.

The coffee was hot enough to blister Meg's scalp.

Bianca hadn't apologized.

Instead, she'd pointed at Meg and threatened her.

"Try making me apologize, and I'll have you thrown out of the Family."

In the end, the Morettis quietly paid Meg's medical expenses.

I'd wanted to step in at the time, but the others stopped me.

Back then, I couldn't understand why everyone was furious but too afraid to confront Bianca.

Now I did.

They were all afraid of the supposed daughter of Wesley Modine.

Bianca's face turned scarlet. She thrust a finger toward my face.

"Bitch, stop pretending you're tough! Without my father, the Morettis would've lost half their territory years ago. At this table, I call the shots. If I say you don't order, then you don't order!"

Her voice rose even higher.

"Who the hell do you think you are to challenge me? Order one more dish, and I'll make sure you're out of this Family by tomorrow!"

The waiter had heard everything. He looked at me uneasily.

"Ma'am... would you still like me to put in the order?"

"Yes."

I answered without hesitation.

This was ridiculous.

I'd brought millions into the Family's legitimate businesses and helped secure some of its most profitable deals.

And now I wasn't even allowed to order one damn dish?

"What the hell is all this noise?"

A cold voice cut across the room.

Don Cody Godlock walked in, his expression dark.

"This is a Family gathering, not a street brawl. What's going on?"

Before anyone else could speak, Bianca hurried over to him, instantly putting on an aggrieved expression.

She twisted the entire story in her favor.

I didn't even get the chance to explain before Cody's cold gaze settled on me.

"Phoebe, you've been with the Family for a year. You should know we don't tolerate waste."

His tone hardened.

"Bianca was only thinking about the Family. Is skipping one dish really going to kill you?"

"You hit her. That's crossing the line."

Cody's voice turned cold.

"Apologize to Bianca now and pay her ten grand for what you did. Then we'll consider the matter settled."

I stared at him for a moment before laughing in disbelief.

"Don Cody... you're seriously asking me to apologize to her and pay her?"

His face darkened.

Meg quickly tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "Phoebe, don't push this. Bianca is Mr. Modine's daughter. You can't afford to offend her. And Don Cody is counting on the Modine Family to back our next territory deal."

I let out a cold laugh.

"So she says Wesley Modine is her father, and everyone just believes her? Did anyone even verify who she was before letting her into the Family?"

Meg hesitated, then pulled out her phone and opened Bianca's social media.

"It's real. Mr. Modine personally brought her here on her first day."

I looked at the photo and nearly dropped my jaw.

There was my uncle, dressed in one of his usual immaculate suits, standing beside a black luxury car.

And right next to him was Bianca.

She had even posted a caption beneath it.

[Thanks, Dad, for taking time out of your busy schedule to bring me here. I promise I won't let you down.]

I immediately called my uncle.

The call didn't go through.

Seeing that I still refused to apologize, Bianca shot me a vicious smile.

"Phoebe, don't regret this. I'll make sure you pay for it."

The next day, she kept her word.

At the Moretti Family's monthly gathering, the promotion and seventy-thousand-dollar cut that should have been mine were handed to Bianca.

They hadn't even bothered to change the presentation properly.

My name was still on the screen when Bianca walked up to accept the honor.

My blood boiled.

This wasn't favoritism anymore.

They were stealing my work in front of everyone.

I stood up immediately.

"How exactly are Family contributions being judged now?"

Every eye in the room turned toward me.

"The deals I handled this month brought more than a hundred million dollars through Moretti businesses and tens of millions in profit. I brought in five million more than the next highest earner."

I looked directly at the men seated at the head table.

"Bianca hasn't closed a single deal since she arrived. So I'd like someone here to explain why my promotion and my cut are being given to her."

The room went completely silent.

The men responsible for the Family's books and business operations exchanged uneasy looks, but neither dared answer.

Bianca leaned back in her chair, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Because everyone knows your deals weren't exactly clean."

Her lips curled into a mocking smile.

"The Family can't reward a woman for using cheap tricks to bring money in. Right now, we're only taking away your promotion and your cut. Keep damaging the Moretti name with your filthy methods, and next time you'll lose your place in the Family entirely."

My hands trembled with anger.

I looked across the head table.

These were the same men who had praised my instincts, toasted my deals, and told me I had a future in the Family.

Now every one of them avoided my eyes.

Finally, I looked at Cody.

"Don Cody. Is this your decision too?"

Being challenged in front of everyone clearly irritated him.

He frowned.

"Phoebe, the Family has its reasons. Don't ruin an important gathering over something this small. Learn to see the bigger picture."

"The bigger picture?"

My eyes burned as I stared at him.

"So I spend an entire year working for this Family, staying up until midnight balancing accounts, negotiating deals, and cleaning up problems no one else wants to touch, only for someone else to take everything I earned?"

I pointed toward Bianca.

"She throws out one baseless accusation, and suddenly all my work means nothing. And every person sitting up there is willing to pretend that's reasonable?"

My voice shook with fury.

"Tell me something. Where's the fairness in that? Where's the honor? After everything I've brought into this Family, does none of it matter?"

Cody had no answer.

Bianca, however, didn't look ashamed in the slightest.

She lifted her chin and smiled at me.

"Fairness?"

She gave a quiet, contemptuous laugh.

"Phoebe, don't be so naive. In our world, the people with power decide what's fair."

"You want justice? Then go find yourself a powerful father who can fight for you."

Bianca didn't bother hiding the contempt on her face.

"Too bad you don't have one."

She lifted her chin proudly.

"But I do. I'm Wesley Modine's daughter, the only daughter of the man who controls the Modine Family. That name alone is enough to crush you so badly you'll never get back up."

I stared at her, genuinely wondering where she got that kind of confidence.

For a moment, I even started doubting my own uncle.

Had he somehow fathered a secret daughter without anyone in our family knowing?

Then a thought occurred to me.

"I heard Mr. Modine has a niece he treats like his own daughter."

I looked Bianca straight in the eye.

"Tell me, Miss Moretti Rising Star. Have you ever met her?"

Bianca's expression stiffened for a fraction of a second.

Then she gave me a disdainful look.

"Of course I have. She's my cousin."

She crossed her arms.

"But she's lived overseas for years and hardly ever comes back. Even I rarely see her. Someone like you, some nobody off the street, shouldn't even dream of meeting her."

I let out a short laugh.

"Is that so?"

My gaze dropped to the insignia she'd been given at the ceremony.

"If you're so far above nobodies like me, why did you have to steal someone else's promotion and cut?"

I paused deliberately.

"Unless, of course, you're not really a Modine at all."

"Bitch!"

Bianca's face darkened instantly.

"Phoebe, don't push your luck. You lost your position because you didn't deserve it. Everything I got, I earned with my own ability."

"Ability?"

I stepped closer.

"You mean the ability to sit around the estate playing on your phone all day?"

I held her gaze.

"Or disappearing for two hours at lunch and leaving the second dinner is served?"

My lips curled slightly.

"Maybe you mean the day Cody asked you to prepare a territory report, and eight hours later you'd managed to write nothing but the title."

I didn't raise my voice, but every word made her face grow uglier.

Bianca opened her mouth, yet nothing came out.

Finally, she turned desperately toward Cody.

The look he gave her practically screamed that he couldn't believe how useless she was.

Then he turned on me.

"Phoebe, watch your mouth."

His voice dropped dangerously low.

"This is the Moretti Family, not some street market. You don't get to stand here screaming insults whenever something doesn't go your way."

His expression hardened.

"And don't think that because you've brought in a few profitable deals, you can do whatever you want. In our world, the strong replace the weak. If someone more capable takes your place, you accept it."

He stared at me coldly.

"You don't make a scene."

Everyone in the room turned toward me.

They were waiting to see whether I'd humiliate myself over seventy thousand dollars.

Seventy thousand?

I wouldn't have cared if it were five million.

This had never been about money.

It was about what I'd earned.

I didn't lose my temper.

I didn't argue.

I simply gave a cold laugh.

"Fine. I accept it."

I glanced at Bianca.

"A position like that should certainly belong to someone more 'capable.'"

Not long after I returned to my office, two official notices appeared on the Family's encrypted network.

[Phoebe Tuffield misused Family funds for personal indulgence and showed blatant disregard for Moretti discipline. Effective immediately, she is stripped of her position overseeing the Family's legitimate business operations and suspended from all active duties.]

[Bianca Modine demonstrated exceptional loyalty by protecting Family interests and has shown outstanding ability since joining us. Effective immediately, she will assume Phoebe Tuffield's former position and take control of all businesses and deals previously under Phoebe's authority.]

Seconds later, Cody tagged me in the Family's private channel.

[@Phoebe. Wasteful. Undisciplined. Your cut for this month is revoked. You will submit a written confession detailing your misconduct and post it here for everyone in the Family to read.]

I stared at the message.

So that was what this was.

Public humiliation.

They had stripped me of my position, taken my cut, handed my operations to Bianca, and turned me into an example for everyone else.

My supposed failure was nothing more than a tool for Cody to remind the Family who held the power.

The channel went completely silent.

Even the office outside seemed to freeze.

People kept sneaking glances at me.

Some looked sympathetic.

Some were furious on my behalf.

Others were simply waiting for the show.

Cody's message remained pinned at the top of the channel, as though everyone were waiting for me to lower my head and admit I was wrong.

Then another notification appeared.

[@Phoebe. Did you not see my order?]

I didn't respond.

A minute later, Cody tagged me again.

Then again.

The man seemed to have lost his mind.

Finally, a private message from Meg appeared on my screen.

[Phoebe, stop being stubborn. Just give in a little. Your place in the Family matters more than your pride.]

I looked at Meg and forced a smile, the kind that made my eyes sting.

My fingers felt stiff as I typed a reply into the Family channel.

[Understood, Don Cody. I'll remember this lesson. I swear I'll never order a five-dollar dish again and waste Family money. At the next gathering, I'll drink water and won't touch a single plate.]

The message looked like an apology.

But everyone reading it knew exactly what it meant.

I was done with this Family.

Right after sending it, I logged out of every Moretti system and surrendered access to every account and operation under my name.

Then I began seriously "reflecting on my misconduct," exactly as Cody had ordered.

Cody loved telling people, "If you don't hold the position, don't touch the work."

So after stripping me of my authority, he moved me to a cramped desk beside the back corridor near the restrooms.

Every day, people walked past me.

Some looked at me with contempt.

Others with pity.

Meanwhile, Bianca took over my old office and started ordering everyone around as if she'd been running Moretti business for years.

Unfortunately for her, taking my chair was easy.

Doing my job wasn't.

Every operation under my control had been handled personally by me, from negotiating terms to moving shipments and balancing the legitimate contracts that kept everything clean on paper.

I knew every detail.

Bianca knew nothing.

Within days, more than a dozen of our business partners had complained.

Several made their position clear.

Either Phoebe Tuffield took over again, or they walked.

The Morettis were suddenly facing losses worth millions.

Eventually, Cody couldn't ignore it anymore.

He swallowed his pride and came to my miserable little desk.

"Phoebe, those operations were originally yours. There are problems with several of them. Go straighten things out and keep our partners from pulling out."

I slowly looked up at him, deliberately confused.

"Don Cody, are you sure you're talking to the right person?"

I smiled faintly.

"I'm still suspended."

He paused.

Then his voice stiffened.

"Suspended doesn't mean useless. Those were your operations. You're responsible for fixing them."

I spread my hands.

"But I surrendered all my access. I can't see the files, accounts, or contracts anymore."

His expression froze.

Anger flashed in his eyes.

"Suspension isn't exile. Why the hell would you surrender your access? Request it back immediately."

I looked at him calmly.

"You were the one who said that if I didn't hold the position, I shouldn't touch the work."

I gave him an innocent look.

"I'm only following your orders, Don Cody."

His face twitched.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he forced out, "Fine. Your suspension is lifted. Contact those people immediately and make sure none of them walk away from the Morettis."

I smiled.

"Shouldn't you ask your new rising star to handle that?"

I glanced toward Bianca's office.

"After all, I'm just a woman who supposedly uses her face to close deals. I don't have any real ability, remember?"

Cody's face darkened.

"Phoebe, people say things when they're angry. Are you seriously holding on to that?"

My smile remained, but there was no warmth in it.

"So taking away my position and my seventy-thousand-dollar cut was just something said in anger?"

I tilted my head.

"And calling a five-dollar dish an extravagant misuse of Family money was also just a joke?"

Each question made his expression uglier.

His face went red, then pale.

But he remained silent.

I knew exactly what he was struggling with.

Admitting he'd been wrong was apparently harder for a Don than losing millions.

Before he could answer, Bianca came rushing over, excitement written all over her face.

"Don Cody! The Modine Family agreed to put money into our next operation!"

Cody's entire expression changed.

"Excellent!"

He looked at Bianca as though she'd personally handed him the city.

"Bianca, you really are the Morettis' lucky star. With the Modine Family backing us, every crew in the city will be lining up to do business with us."

Then he turned toward me.

The smile disappeared.

His eyes turned cold.

"Phoebe Tuffield, you're done here."

He pointed toward the door.

"You're out of the Moretti Family. Hand over anything that still belongs to us and leave."

I nodded calmly.

"Fine."

Then I looked him straight in the eye.

"But we'll settle everything the Family still owes me first. My unpaid cuts, my share from the operations I closed, all of it."

His face twisted with rage.

"Owes you?"

He slammed a hand against my desk.

"After the losses you've caused us? You'll be lucky if the Morettis don't come after you for damages."

Bianca stepped forward, staring at me with open hatred.

"Bitch, once you're out, I'll make sure every Family in this city knows your name."

Her lips curled into a vicious smile.

"By the time I'm done, no crew will dare take you in."

I smiled faintly.

"Fine. I'll wait."

I packed my things in silence and walked out of the Moretti estate, leaving behind the Family I'd spent an entire year working for.

I'd poured everything I had into their operations.

I hadn't relied on my name or my connections. Every deal I'd closed, every dollar I'd brought in, I'd earned through my own ability.

And this was what I got in return.

They threw me out.

The thought left something cold and sharp lodged beneath my ribs.

One by one, people came to see me off, offering quiet words of comfort.

Meg's eyes were red.

"Phoebe, you're good at what you do. You'll make it anywhere. Don't listen to Bianca. Another Family would be lucky to have you."

I smiled but said nothing.

Bianca?

She had no idea what she'd just done.

The moment I stepped outside, my phone buzzed.

It was my uncle.

I hadn't heard from him in nearly two weeks.

"Phoebe, sweetheart. I'm having the alliance papers finalized with the Morettis next week. I'll be in Russia inspecting one of our operations, so I won't be there in person."

I frowned.

"Uncle... I'm no longer with the Morettis."

There was a brief silence.

"Trouble?"

His voice immediately sharpened.

"Do you need me to handle it?"

"No."

I looked back at the Moretti estate.

"I want to come back to the Modine Family and take charge of this alliance myself."

After hanging up, a faint smile touched my lips.

There was no hurry.

This was only the beginning.

A week later, I walked into the hall where the Moretti and Modine Families were supposed to formalize their alliance.

The moment I appeared, nearly every Moretti in the room stared at me.

Especially Cody and Bianca.

The looks they gave me could have cut through bone.

Bianca was the first to speak.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

She sneered.

"You've already been thrown out of the Moretti Family. You have no right to be at this ceremony."

I glanced at her.

"Just because I'm no longer with the Morettis doesn't mean I don't belong here."

I paused.

"Did it ever occur to you that I might be sitting on the other side of the table?"

Her expression changed slightly.

I smiled.

"As the representative of the Modine Family."

Bianca burst out laughing.

"Don't embarrass yourself."

She looked at me with open disgust.

"The head of the Modine Family is my father. I'm the one representing him here. I can authorize this alliance whenever I want."

She folded her arms.

"And you? A cheap woman who slept her way into a few profitable deals isn't even worthy of cleaning the floors at a Modine property."

Her voice carried across the hall.

Whispers immediately broke out around us.

"So she's Wesley Modine's daughter?"

"No wonder the Morettis treat her like royalty."

"That other woman actually challenged Wesley Modine's daughter? She must have a death wish."

"Look at her. Maybe those rumors about how she closed her deals weren't rumors after all."

"Miss Modine certainly looks more like the daughter of a Don."

Bianca was clearly used to being admired.

The more people whispered, the higher she lifted her chin.

But when she noticed the smile on my face growing wider, her expression darkened.

She snapped her fingers at the guards.

"Get this trash out of here."

Several men immediately moved toward me.

"We have an alliance to formalize."

I didn't move.

Instead, I calmly reached into my bag and took out a heavy signet ring.

I raised it where everyone could see.

"Bianca."

The guards stopped.

I looked straight at her.

"How exactly are you planning to authorize the alliance without this?"

The entire hall fell silent.

Every eye locked onto the ring in my hand.

Someone near the front sucked in a breath.

"That's Wesley Modine's signet."

Another voice followed.

"The Don's personal seal. No one touches that without his permission."

"How the hell did she get it?"

Bianca's face stiffened.

I walked past her and headed straight for the long table at the front of the hall.

Then I turned to face everyone.

"On the authority of the Modine Family, I am formally withdrawing our support for the proposed alliance with the Morettis."

Cody's eyes narrowed.

He stared at me in disbelief.

"Phoebe, who the hell do you think you are to speak for Wesley Modine?"

I met his gaze calmly.

"I already told you."

My voice was even.

"I'm the one sitting on the other side of the table."

Bianca had gone pale.

She stared at the signet ring in my hand, then at me.

"Phoebe... how did you get my father's ring?"

Her voice sharpened.

"Who the hell are you? What gives you the right to make decisions for him?"

I looked directly into her eyes.

Then I answered slowly.

"Because Wesley Modine is my uncle."