Underboss Denied Surgery Funds, Don Regretted Everything

The day I married Dante Moretti, I became the youngest Donna in New York. He took the Family seal from me and put the Family's ledgers and vault keys in the hands of his Underboss Valentina. She was his second-in-command and his lover. Even as Donna, I needed her signature before I could spend a dollar of the Family's money. Then Beatrice Moretti, Dante's mother and the former Donna, was attacked outside a church. The secret clinic demanded half a million dollars in cash before they would operate. I couldn't reach Dante, so I had to go to Valentina for access to the emergency vault. She sat behind Dante's desk, painting her nails. "You want money? Kneel, kiss my instep, and submit a request form." I did as I was told. Because my mother-in-law was lying on that operating table, and she was the only person who had ever treated me like a daughter. Valentina deliberately spilled coffee on the form and tore it to pieces. Not long after, the church bells tolled for the dead. And Dante, with his arm around Valentina, asked, "It's your mother who died. Why should we pay for her?" Chapter 1 After the wedding, Dante handed the Family ledgers and control of the emergency vault to Valentina, his lover. Every expense—from arms purchases to medical bills for Family members—had to go through her. Even I, the Donna, needed Valentina's approval. Then Beatrice, Dante's mother and the former Donna, was ambushed outside a church. Dante was locked in a closed-door meeting with the Five Families. So I went to the office and asked Valentina to release the emergency funds. She sat there painting her nails. "You need money? Fine. Submit a request." Valentina never missed a chance to use the authority Dante had given her to humiliate someone. But Beatrice was still waiting for surgery. I had no time to argue, so I quickly wrote down the amount, the reason for the withdrawal, and the payment deadline. Valentina rejected the request without even glancing at it. "That's it?" she asked. "You're asking for half a million dollars, not fifty bucks. Denied." "Her aorta is still bleeding. The clinic gave us ninety minutes." My voice was already shaking. "Release the money first. I'll finish the paperwork when I get back." Valentina lowered her eyes and carefully touched up one of her nails. "Rules are rules. Anything over one hundred thousand dollars requires a full two-page request. The patient's identity, clinic address, transport route, and guarantor must all be included. You want to save her? Rewrite it." I was about to argue when another message from the clinic lit up my screen. "Patient's blood pressure is still dropping. Please confirm whether you can cover the helicopter fee." I swallowed my retort and reached for a new form. But Valentina snatched the form off the desk before I could start. "Dante had this desk shipped from Germany just for me. You have no right to use it. Write on the floor on your knees or leave." I stood there, frozen. Three years ago, I had saved three of the Family's docks with a single truce agreement. The old Don had once said I was a better negotiator than even the Consigliere. But after the wedding, Dante kicked me out of the council. And now I wasn't even allowed to touch his lover's desk. Outside the door, several Family members had gathered to watch, eager to see if their Donna would humble herself before the Don's lover. I clenched the diagnosis report in my fist. Every second Valentina wasted brought Beatrice closer to death. Kneeling on the cold marble floor, I wrote the second request. The people in the hallway no longer bothered to hide the contempt in their stares. Their whispers drifted into the office. "That's our Donna?" "Don Dante never lets her attend the council. Valentina's the one who's always at his side." I finished the last line, checked it twice to make sure I had included every detail Valentina demanded, and handed it over. Valentina set down her nail polish but made no move to take the form. "You've been a housewife for so long; all you know how to do is ask for money. You don't know the first thing about how the Family operates." I frowned and pushed the form closer. "Please approve it. Now." She picked up her espresso and poured it over the paper. The ink ran instantly, smearing the words beyond recognition. I snatched the paper back and wiped at the coffee with my sleeve, but it was too late. Valentina leaned back in the chair, her expression unchanged. "Before making a request, you should at least knock. I was talking to an accounting assistant, and you walked straight in and came up to my desk. You startled me." "The person lying in that clinic means everything to Dante." I stared at her. "I don't have time for these games." Valentina gave a cold laugh. "Beatrice is supposed to be in Sicily. If you want the money to save your mother, at least come up with a better lie. "This is the Moretti Family's money, not your personal bank account. Next time, knock before you come in and show me some respect. If I don't like your attitude, you don't get my signature." More than an hour had already passed. If Valentina delayed much longer, Beatrice would miss her last chance for surgery. I swallowed my anger, knelt on the floor, and began filling out the third request. When I finished, I held out the completed request to her. "Underboss, I request your approval of this application." Valentina was touching up her lipstick in a compact mirror. "How much time did you say she had left? What's wrong? You're not in such a hurry anymore. Or are you finally starting to understand why following protocol matters?" I got to my feet, stepped outside, and knocked three times on the office door. Then I walked back in and placed the form in front of her. "I've done everything you asked. Now give me the money!" "I heard you." She waved me off impatiently. "You're always finding new ways to make trouble for me." Valentina finally picked up the paper. She examined every line at an agonizing pace, as though the document were a treaty that would decide the fate of the entire Family. Ten minutes later, she set the paper down and picked up the secure phone on the desk. Chapter 2 At last, the money seemed within reach. Then, without warning, Valentina hung up the secure phone, grabbed the request, and ripped it in half. The torn pieces fluttered to the floor, and the entire office went silent. I stared at them, stunned. "What are you doing?" "Saving you time." She waved one half of the page at me. "The address is off by one letter. If you can't even get the clinic's address right, why should I give you the money?" I argued, "Fixing it would take seconds. But Beatrice is running out of time." Valentina tore the remaining half into pieces. "If you can't even fill out a simple form, that woman's life clearly can't mean that much to you. For all I know, you're just trying to scam Dante out of half a million dollars. "I guess a woman who spends all day living off her husband will do anything for a little extra cash." Anger burned through me, but I forced myself to keep it under control. "If it had been your wife's mother on that operating table, would you really waste time arguing over a spelling mistake?" "Shut your mouth." Valentina's face hardened instantly. "I'm only enforcing the rules, and you dare drag my mother into this? "Well, now I'm not approving a cent. You brought my mother into this, so whatever happens to yours is on you." The young assistant beside her finally worked up the courage to speak. "Underboss, the clinic has called several times. Why don't we release the money first and finish the paperwork afterward?" "Who gave you permission to speak?" Valentina snapped. "You're just a trainee. What makes you think you have the right to question my decisions?" The girl's face went white. "Don't bother coming in tomorrow," Valentina said. "Turn in your keycard and leave." I stepped in front of the girl. "All she said was that a human life matters more than paperwork. You can't fire her just for speaking up." Valentina looked me up and down and laughed. "You live off your husband and aren't even allowed in the council, yet you think you can tell me how to run this place? "Dante put me in charge of the vault. I'm the one calling the shots here. As for your mother, she got ambushed. That's her bad luck. It has nothing to do with me." She pressed the intercom and ordered the guards downstairs to come up and escort me out. "You're not getting the money. Get out!" I clenched my fists and looked her dead in the eye. "Valentina, if Dante finds out that his mother lost her last chance at surgery because you deliberately held up the money, he'll never forgive you." She crossed her legs, utterly unbothered. "Oh? Now you're threatening me? "Without my signature, you won't get a single dollar. If you think Dante will take your side, go find him. Have him come here and tell me himself. Then I'll release the money." I'd called Dante countless times before coming here, but every call went straight to voicemail. By the time I managed to reach him, Beatrice might already be dead. I was about to bypass Dante and contact my father-in-law when steady footsteps sounded in the hallway. The cruelty vanished from Valentina's face. She immediately stood, smoothed her skirt, and softened her voice. I turned around. Dante stood in the doorway. After being unreachable all afternoon, he had finally returned from his meeting, raindrops still clinging to his black coat. The moment I saw him, my clenched fists finally relaxed. Tears sprang to my eyes. He was back. There was still time to save Beatrice. Chapter 3 I hurried over to Dante. "Mom is in the clinic. She's bleeding internally, and they need five hundred thousand dollars before they'll operate." Beatrice once said that I could call her "Mom" if I wanted to. She truly treated me like her own daughter, and I grew accustomed to calling her "Mom." I pointed at the shredded paper on the floor. "I've been here for two hours. I've filled out three requests, but Valentina still refuses to release the money. We have less than thirty minutes left. Dante, tell her to open the vault. We need to get to the clinic now." Valentina immediately moved to his side and rested her fingers lightly on his arm. Her eyes were already red, as if she were the one who had been wronged. "Don, you're finally back. I didn't know what to do. "The Donna barged in. She demanded money without following any of the procedures you put in place. She even interfered when I tried to discipline a trainee for overstepping. I did nothing but follow your rules, yet she blamed me for everything. "Maybe you should take back the vault keys. Otherwise, people might start thinking I'm abusing the authority you gave me." Dante looked at the shredded papers scattered across the floor, and his expression darkened. But instead of asking me what had happened, he reached for Valentina's hand. "I understand. You did nothing wrong. You're the one who was treated unfairly. I'll make it up to you tonight." His thumb brushed the back of her hand. This wasn't a Don reassuring his Underboss. It was a man comforting his lover. Only then did he look at me. "Are you done making a scene?" Tears clung to my lashes. To save his mother, I had swallowed my pride, humbled myself, and even kissed Valentina's instep. Yet after hearing what had happened, Dante's first instinct was to comfort Valentina. "I'm not making a scene. Mom is dying." "I heard you." He cut me off coldly. "But the Family isn't your personal bank. I put Valentina in charge of the books and the vault because you don't know how to manage the finances. You let your emotions get in the way of the rules. "Now that Valentina has everything running properly, instead of appreciating it, you come barging into the office and make trouble. Negotiating one successful truce three years ago doesn't mean you know how to manage the money. If I make an exception for you today, every capo will be at my door tomorrow demanding the same treatment." I glanced at the time. Twenty-three minutes remained. I couldn't waste another second arguing with him. I bit my lip, found a new form and wrote the request a fourth time. This time, I included every detail Valentina had demanded and checked every word for mistakes. Once, half a page in my handwriting had been enough to broker a truce between two warring Families. Now I was being forced to prove to my husband's lover that his own mother deserved to live. When I finished, I handed the request to Valentina. "No typos. Nothing missing. Please approve it." She deliberately made me wait before taking it. Then she skimmed the first two lines and dropped it back on the desk. "The reason for the withdrawal isn't detailed enough, and the guarantor doesn't meet the requirements. Denied." I stared at her. "I'm the guarantor. I'm the Donna of the Moretti Family." "A Donna without the seal can't authorize a five-hundred-thousand-dollar withdrawal." Valentina tapped the paper with her ruby-ringed finger. "I decide what gets approved here. If I say it's not enough, it's not enough. "You want money? Then rewrite it and give me a proper explanation. Until you do, you won't get a cent." I turned to Dante, hoping he would at least read the request himself. He didn't even take the paper. "The vault is Valentina's responsibility. If she says you need to rewrite it, then rewrite it." Whatever hope I still had left in Dante died at that moment. Chapter 4 My phone kept buzzing in my palm. Messages from the clinic kept coming. "Patient is still bleeding internally. If payment is not confirmed within ten minutes, the operating room will be reassigned to the next patient." "Vital signs are deteriorating. Payment must be authorized immediately." Each message felt like another second ticking away. I remembered my first Sunday dinner at the Moretti house. No one wanted to sit beside me. Beatrice was the one who pulled out the chair next to her and told me to sit down. Later, when I was injured and running a fever, she brought hot soup to my room every day because I could barely eat. When Dante removed me from the council, Beatrice reminded me that he could take away my seal, but he could never take away my judgment. She was the only person in the Family who had ever treated me like one of their own, not just the woman Dante had married. Now she was lying on an operating table, running out of time while her son stood by and did nothing. The thought nearly crushed me. Family rules, request forms, procedures. I was done with all of it. Valentina was casually scrolling through her phone. I rushed forward and reached for it. "Give it to me. I'll contact the accountant myself." I caught her off guard, and my fingers brushed her wrist. She immediately jerked back, her face twisting with anger, and slapped me across the face. The sharp crack echoed through the office. My cheek burned, my right ear rang, and I tasted blood. I stumbled back two steps, tears springing to my eyes. Dante didn't stop her. Instead, he shoved me away. "Have you lost your mind? You came here demanding money, and now you put your hands on the Underboss? Do you even remember who you are?" I caught the edge of the desk to keep from falling. "I remember. You're the one who's forgotten that someone is dying while you stand here defending her." Dante regarded me with nothing but impatience. "Kneel down. Apologize to Valentina, kiss her instep, and swear your loyalty. Otherwise, you won't see a cent today." I stared at the man I had shared a bed with for three years. With his lover standing beside him, he looked like a complete stranger to me. My right cheek still throbbed, but it was nothing compared to what I felt inside. Valentina folded her arms and looked down at me expectantly. The hallway outside was already crowded with Family guards and finance staff. No one dared intervene. They simply watched, waiting to see whether the Moretti Donna would actually humble herself before her husband's lover. "Is the Donna really going to humble herself before the Underboss?" "She'll do anything for money." I glanced at the clock. Nine minutes left. If I didn't get the money now, Beatrice would lose her last chance. So, in front of everyone, I sank to my knees. Whispers broke out around me. Just then, a sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen, as if something inside were being ripped open. I had only learned that morning that I was pregnant. I wasn't even ten weeks along. But for Beatrice, I clenched my teeth and forced myself to endure the pain. With one hand pressed to my belly, I lowered my head and kissed Valentina's instep. "I'm sorry. I swear my loyalty to you," I said. "Can you approve it now?" Valentina pulled a one-dollar bill from her wallet and tossed it at my feet. "Take it. Consider it a tip for the performance." Her words hurt more than the slap ever could. The bill lay beside Valentina's shoe. I had thrown away every last bit of my pride, all to save the woman who had treated me like a daughter. Dante looked down at me without a trace of sympathy. "If this is how your mother raised you, she's getting what she deserves. "Take that dollar and light a candle for her at church. And stop using her life as an excuse to take money from the Family." I froze. And suddenly, everything made sense. He thought it was my mother in the clinic. That was why he hadn't listened to a word I'd said, why he'd let Valentina waste precious time and humiliate me again and again. All this time, Dante had believed the woman dying in that clinic was my mother, not his. I slowly got to my feet and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth. "Dante, you're going to regret what you did today." I had nothing more to say to him. I turned and headed for the door. Behind me, the secure phone suddenly rang. The clinic's number flashed across the screen. Dante answered and put the call on speaker. The doctor's urgent voice filled the room. "Don Moretti, we didn't receive authorization for your mother's surgery in time. She missed the final window for treatment." A brief silence followed. "I'm sorry. Your mother just passed away."