ANMELDEN"Since your dreams of going public are dead and bankruptcy is knocking at your door, allow me to present you with one final gift."I smiled and had Raffaele forward me the lawyer's email.It was a formal complaint."Five years ago, I funneled one million dollars into Gotti Group in exchange for a 60% stake. Five years later, your recorded profits have hit ten million dollars, yet you dared to demand a buy-back of my majority shares for a mere 350,000 dollars."Furthermore, I haven't received a single cent in dividends during this entire five-year tenure. So, I'll be suing you for property infringement and falsifying company accounts."Matteo slowly lifted his head and stared at me blankly, unable to say a word.I turned to Elena, whose face was covered in blood."As for you, you accused someone of stealing 350,000 dollars in company funds without a shred of evidence. Unfortunately for you, the person you slandered was me. Not only am I the Donna of the Caruso family, but I also
Alessandro's words and mine hit the room like a thunderbolt, shattering the heavy silence of the onlookers.Panic and helplessness washed over the crowd as they turned their eyes toward Matteo and Elena."T-That's impossible…"Matteo shook his head in disbelief. "She's an orphan! She invested her Madre's entire inheritance into our family just to stay in this house! How could she be the Donna of the Caruso family?""Exactly! Why would the high and mighty Donna spend every day watering flowers and polishing a piano? Quit joking!" Elena shrieked once more, though this time, it vibrated with an uncontrollable tremor.Alessandro turned to me, his brow furrowed. "Ms. Caruso, your Underboss was right. Five years ago, you should've taken over the Gotti family instead of showing them mercy. Even if they did care for the wisteria your Madre left behind, they're still a pack of fools.""It's fine," I replied, an elegant smile curling at my lips. "Fortunately, mistakes can be corrected."I
Everyone was stunned.They could only stare, utterly shell-shocked, as the effortlessly suave and aristocratic Alessandro bowed before me, a woman dressed in nothing but a plain T-shirt and denim jeans.Matteo forced his way between us at once."Mr. Vitale, I had no idea you and Valentina were so close. In that case, why don't we all sit down and talk business?"Alessandro frowned in displeasure. "Who is this uncouth imbecile interrupting us?"Matteo stiffened, but he quickly recovered with a smile. "Mr. Vitale, I'm Matteo Gotti, the head of Gotti Group. You may not know this, but Valentina is my business partner.""Business partner?" Alessandro repeated, casting a frosty glance over him. "An hour ago, I found out Ms. Caruso wouldn't be receiving me today. Then, somebody told me she was a janitor."Matteo shot Elena a vicious look. She was already trembling, her face drained of color."Mr. Vitale, this new hire made a foolish mistake. She's been too eager for a promotion and wa
Matteo froze.When he snapped back to himself, he pointed at me, cursing in fury, "You did this on purpose! You knew Mr. Vitale would cancel the order, didn't you? That's why you agreed to transfer your shares to me!"A second later, he shook his head and muttered to himself, "No, no, that makes no sense! She's just a pathetic loser who bled her mother's inheritance dry. How could she possibly predict what Mr. Vitale would do?"His words reminded me of something.On her very first day, Elena had asked why I wiped the piano and trimmed the wisteria so often. I told her it was because they were the only things Madre had left me.Maybe that was what made them believe I'd spent everything I had on Gotti Group, and why they felt so emboldened to abandon and frame me the moment they thought I no longer had any use.Since that was the case, it was high time they tasted what it felt like to be abandoned themselves."Now that we've established who owns what, I'll get back to my watering,
A week later, Matteo still hadn't received the shipping permit, and his anxiety was starting to show. Worse, he couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.He sat in his office, completely at his wits' end."Don't worry. It's probably just some minor delay. The permit should come through any day now. You can place the order first—Damn it! They hung up again."The permit wasn't the only thing that had disappeared. All those newly secured orders were gone, too.With no other choice, Matteo spent a fortune trying to win over the Capos of several small crews. After that, he finally managed to invite their Bosses to the company for a meeting, hoping to close a deal and clear out the inventory.However, the two guests were infuriated and stormed out less than half an hour after arriving, jabbing Matteo in the chest and roaring as they walked, "What the hell is that? A pigeon coop? You expect me to sit in there and talk business?""Sandwiches? What do you take me for, some guy in a priso
Realization dawned on me then.Everyone here knew I wasn't some useless, thieving janitor, but they simply didn't care. This wasn't a meeting to discuss rules and regulations either. It was a political trap set specifically for me.Elena wanted to force me out so she could take my place, while Matteo wanted my shares before Gotti Group went public, and the other members simply wanted a share of the spoils.If that was the case, I didn't mind playing along for their amusement."Fine. 350,000 dollars, sì? I'll pay."I pulled out a bank card. "This account holds every dividend Gotti Group has ever paid me. In five years, the company went from nothing to an arms dealer about to go public. The profits and dividends should be more than 350,000 dollars, shouldn't they?"Didn't Elena say I live on the pittance you give me? Then check it and see if I have ever spent a single cent from it!"The color drained from Matteo's face in an instant.A busybody snatched my card to run a check,







