His Intern Called Him “Bro”— Too Bad I Wrote the Pick-Me Girl Manual! Chapter 02

His Intern Called Him “Bro”— Too Bad I Wrote the Pick-Me Girl Manual! Chapter 02

Before walking out the door, Elena had added, “That girl seems harmless enough, really. She probably just… doesn’t know where our lines are,” as if that settled it.

I stood at the kitchen island, staring at her name on my screen, before finally locking my phone.

By the time I poured myself a glass of Cabernet, Luca was back.

He was on the couch, jaw tight, staring at his phone.

The second he saw me, he shoved his phone in my face.

“Sienna, what the hell was that with Ruby tonight?”

On the screen was Ruby’s latest Instagram post.

The photo showed the two of them at the front door, Luca’s hand still resting on her head like she was his golden retriever.

[Crashed dinner at Luca’s tonight lol! Honestly, it feels so good to have someone looking out for me! I hope Sienna isn’t mad — I seriously see him as a brother and nothing else]

Six likes already. Three comments from the crew.

“She’s twenty-two and she just moved here. What’s so wrong with inviting her to dinner? Did you really have to embarrass her like that?”

I kept my voice even.

“She was wearing your hoodie.”

“She spilled Chianti on herself, so I gave her a hoodie. God, are you really going to be this petty?”

“You fed her a strawberry?”

“She was holding the plate right there. I handed her one piece. Jesus, when did you turn into this? You’re paranoid. You’re controlling. You see every woman who breathes near me as a threat.”

Each word got louder than the last, dripping with self-righteousness.

I should’ve seen this coming.

Luca always had a hero complex — the kind of man who needed to be someone’s protector, someone’s lifeline.

I used to think that was kindness.

Now I could see it for what it was — textbook white-knight syndrome.

And Ruby had the pick-me girl playbook memorized. A guy like Luca never stood a chance.

“She’s just a sweet kid who looks up to you, and you’ve already got her pegged as some homewrecker. You think every woman who talks to me wants to sleep with me? That’s insane, Sienna. You need professional help.”

The hostility on his face should’ve felt foreign. It didn’t.

Men like him were built to fall for women like her.

Brotherly affection? Please. It was a con job in a cute little costume.

“Luca, do you honestly believe she sees you as a brother?”

“Your hoodie on her body. Your glass in her hand. Your fingers feeding her a strawberry. Then the photo goes up for the whole world to see. Every single move was designed to blur the line and make you feel like her hero.”

“This is Pick-Me 101 — the oldest play in the book. Honestly, you could use some reading. Want to borrow my playbook? I’d be happy to walk you through it.”

Luca shot to his feet. “That’s bullshit. You’re the one who needs help.”

I didn’t have the energy to keep going. I turned and walked to the bedroom.

His voice chased me down the hall, louder now.

“Sienna, don’t you walk away from me. Get back here and finish this.”

…

The next morning, Luca didn’t say a word to me, didn’t touch his breakfast, and slammed the door on his way out to the office.

Honestly? Pathetic.

I got up, did my makeup, and headed to the studio like any other day.

I’d barely sat down when my phone buzzed.

A text from Luca.

“Apologize to Ruby. By noon.”

A screenshot of Ruby’s message was attached.

[Luca, I’m so, so sorry. This is all my fault. I never meant to cause trouble between you two. I promise I’ll be more careful from now on. Please go make up with Sienna, okay? I feel awful]

Oh, perfect.

Sensible, wounded, and self-sacrificing?

And me? Oh, wow — the jealous, controlling monster.

I saved the screenshot and dropped it into the [Syndicate Wives: Damage Control] group chat.

I’d started it with a few of the other syndicate wives.

Over time we’d pulled in lawyers, HR people, media contacts, fixers — the whole roster. We shared cases, swapped intel, and tore apart every cookie-cutter innocent act that landed in our laps.

“Step one: guilt-trip the wife and stir up conflict. The oldest trick in the book.”

Half an hour later, Elena called. I could hear the accusation before she even started.

“Sienna, Ruby already apologized all on her own. Let it go. Luca’s under enough stress running the family business as it is, and as his wife, you should know better than to act like this. Honestly, going after a girl her age? How does that look?”

I cut her off.

“Elena, he blew up at me over an intern who deliberately crossed the line — and then he told me to apologize to her. That’s not being generous. That’s enabling.”

Elena scoffed.

“You’re just too much, Sienna. Luca’s out there dealing with Moretti business all day, and this is what he comes home to? Who wouldn’t crack?”

I didn’t argue.

Some minds weren’t worth the breath it took to change them.

Better to save my energy for what came next.