His Intern Called Him “Bro”— Too Bad I Wrote the Pick-Me Girl Manual! Chapter 01

His Intern Called Him “Bro”— Too Bad I Wrote the Pick-Me Girl Manual! Chapter 01

My father was once ruined by a pick-me girl.

So I grew up determined to become the best pick-me girl detector alive.

Other people judged friends by sincerity. I judged them by how much “personal space” they kept around someone else’s husband.

Other women listened to sweet talk in relationships. I studied emotional manipulation like I was preparing for the bar exam.

I even wrote a pick-me girl survival playbook that made the rounds among Chicago’s syndicate wives — practically gospel for protecting a Mafia marriage.

But three years into my marriage, my life had been annoyingly smooth.

My husband, Luca Moretti, was the heir to the Moretti family — young, ambitious, and the kind of man who knew better than to break the family rules.

Sure, my mother-in-law Elena Moretti liked to remind me I was too career-driven and not a traditional mob wife — but at least she kept it civil.

I was starting to think my skills would never be put to the test.

Then an intern showed up at the Moretti enterprise.

She had the nerve to call my husband by his first name, and her Instagram was plastered with photos of the two of them.

The night of the family dinner, Luca brought his precious, painfully candid Ruby Hayes right to our table.

She latched onto my arm.

“Hey, Sienna!”

Then she slung her arm around my husband’s shoulders like they were old drinking buddies.

“Luca, you’re literally the greatest guy ever. Having someone who actually gets me? I can’t even tell you what that means to me. And Sienna’s so gorgeous and sweet — she’s totally not the jealous type, right?”

I gave her my warmest smile.

Then I discreetly pulled up the file on my phone.

Project Purge.

I typed her name into the first line.

Apparently I’d been out of the game so long, people forgot who they were dealing with.

I’d built my reputation on seeing straight through every phony smile that crossed my path.

Now it was time to remind Luca what I was capable of.

…

“Sienna, seriously, don’t even worry about it. We’re literally just work friends.”

Ruby was drowning in my husband’s oversized gray hoodie, the sleeves swallowing her hands, the hem barely skimming her upper thighs. Her bare legs caught the light like she’d planned the whole thing.

Elena was smitten. She’d always wanted a sweet, doting daughter-in-law — not a woman who built her own empire and still hadn’t given the family an heir three years in.

And Ruby knew exactly how to play the part.

She cozied up to Elena, her voice bright and sugary.

“Mrs. Moretti, you look incredible. Honestly, you could totally pass as Luca’s sister.”

Elena practically glowed.

“Oh, sweetheart, you’re an absolute doll. Luca, take care of this one.”

Ruby took Luca’s glass like it already belonged to her and poured herself some water, then wedged herself right between us and pulled her knees to her chest, gazing up at him.

“Luca, I would’ve been so lost on that logistics account without you. You literally saved me today.”

Luca laughed and reached over to ruffle her hair.

“Such a flatterer. Here, try a strawberry.”

He picked up a plump strawberry and held it to her lips.

Ruby took it from his fingers, biting into it with a coy little smile.

“You’re so sweet. Honestly, you treat me better than my own blood.”

Cute. I picked up a strawberry and held it to Luca’s lips.

“Babe, you’re so busy feeding everyone else. Have some too.”

Luca opened his mouth on instinct.

While I was at it, I casually brushed his hand away from Ruby’s hair.

“Easy with the hair. She’s not twelve.”

Ruby’s smile cracked for a fraction of a second.

I didn’t even glance her way, just turned to Elena with a smile.

“Ruby’s adorable, she really is. But she’s still so young — she doesn’t quite know how things work in La Famiglia. If she’s going to be coming around, I’m happy to show her the ropes.”

Elena paused, then nodded with a smile.

“That’s thoughtful of you.”

Ruby bounced right back, her hand landing on my shoulder.

“Sienna, oh my God, your skin is amazing. You must get all the best treatments, right? I’m still drowning in student loans, so I’m stuck with whatever’s on sale at Sephora.”

Compliment on the surface. Underneath: bored trophy wife who blew Moretti money on her face.

And in the same breath, she cast herself as the sweet, simple girl who didn’t need any of that.

The whole routine? C+ at best.

Too much performance, not enough finesse.

Her eyes drifted back to Luca.

“Luca, seriously, you’re incredible. You take care of everything, so Sienna gets to sit there looking gorgeous. That’s the dream.”

And right on cue, Luca broke into that smug little grin men always get when their ego’s been stroked.

“Keep at it, and you’ll be treating yourself soon enough.”

After dinner, Luca walked Ruby out himself while I cleared the table.

Elena came up beside me and dropped her voice.

“Sienna, you know Luca — he’s got a soft spot a mile wide. That girl is all alone in the city, with no connections. Don’t read too much into it.”

I didn’t say a word.

After Elena left, I pulled out my phone.

Project Purge was still open on the screen.

Under the first entry, I typed her name.