They Mocked the “Obese Girl” for Hiring a Fake Boyfriend — Until They Learned Who the Mysterious Man Really Was
They Mocked the “Obese Girl” for Hiring a Fake Boyfriend — Until They Discovered He Was the Ruthless Mafia King
Chapter 1: The $200 Lie That Changed Everything
Linda Jenkins had spent most of her life learning how to disappear.
At twenty-eight years old, she understood exactly how people saw her.
Too big.
Too noticeable.
Too different.
.
.
.
At 280 pounds, Linda had become an expert at making herself smaller despite her size. She avoided crowded places. She chose chairs carefully. She wore oversized sweaters even during summer because she hated the feeling of strangers looking at her body.
The world had a way of reminding women like Linda that they were not supposed to take up space.
And tonight was supposed to be the worst reminder of all.
Her younger sister Savannah was getting married at the luxurious Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago.
A beautiful wedding.
A room full of wealthy guests.
A place where Linda knew she would be judged before she even walked through the doors.
Because sitting among those guests would be Samuel Carter.
Her ex-boyfriend.
The man who had destroyed her confidence three years earlier.
Samuel had not broken up with her kindly.
He hadn’t sat down and explained that feelings changed.
Instead, he left a gym membership brochure, a box of diet shakes, and a handwritten note on her kitchen counter.
“I need someone who cares about themselves.”
Those six words stayed with her.
Even years later.
She knew exactly what would happen at the wedding.
Her mother would look at her with disappointment.
Her relatives would whisper.
Samuel would stand beside his new girlfriend, a beautiful fitness instructor, and silently prove that he had upgraded.
Linda stared at herself in the mirror.
The burgundy dress she had ordered specifically for the wedding actually looked beautiful.
But she couldn’t see that.
All she saw were the parts of herself she had spent years hating.
“I can’t do this alone.”
The words escaped quietly.
That was why, two days earlier, Linda had done something desperate.
She posted an advertisement online.
“Need a fake boyfriend for four hours. Must attend a wedding, wear a suit, pretend we are happy. Payment: $200.”
She expected strange responses.
Maybe creepy messages.
Maybe nobody at all.
But one person answered.
And now she was sitting inside a small diner outside Chicago, holding two hundred dollars in cash and waiting.
The bell above the door rang.
Linda looked up.
And immediately forgot how to breathe.
The man walking inside looked nothing like the struggling actor she expected.
He was tall.
At least six feet three.
Broad shoulders.
Dark hair.
A face that looked like it belonged on a movie poster.
He wore a navy three-piece suit that looked impossibly expensive.
Linda immediately assumed it was borrowed.
Maybe rented.
Maybe fake.
Because someone like him couldn’t possibly be here for her.
The man scanned the diner.
Then his eyes stopped on Linda.
He walked toward her.
Slowly.
Confidently.
Like someone who was used to controlling every room he entered.
He sat across from her.
“You’re Linda?”
She nodded.
“You’re the $200 guy?”
For a moment, the man’s serious expression changed.
Then he smiled.
A dangerous, charming smile.
“I can be.”
Linda pushed the money toward him.
“Here’s the deal. My family thinks I’m a disappointment. My ex will be there. I just need someone to make them believe I’m not completely alone.”
The man’s eyes studied her.
Not her weight.
Not her appearance.
Her.
“I need you to hold my hand. Smile. Maybe dance with me.”
She looked down.
“And pretend I’m someone worth choosing.”
Something changed in the man’s expression.
Because he understood something.
This woman wasn’t looking for a fake boyfriend.
She was looking for someone to make her feel visible.
The man’s real name was not Daniel, like he planned to introduce himself.
It was Nicholas Russo.
The head of the Chicago underground.
A man feared across the country.
A man who controlled millions.
A man who had walked into that diner to meet an informant.
But when he saw Linda sitting alone, desperately trying to convince herself she deserved kindness, something unexpected happened.
He wanted to help her.
“Keep your money,” Nicholas said.
Linda looked confused.
“What?”
“Pay me when the night is over.”
She hesitated.
“Okay.”
“Nicholas.”
“Linda.”
Their hands touched briefly.
And neither of them realized that a fake relationship was about to become the most dangerous truth of their lives.
Chapter 2: The Fake Boyfriend Who Stole Everyone’s Attention
At exactly seven o’clock, Linda stepped outside her apartment.
She was nervous.
Terrified, actually.
She adjusted her dress repeatedly.
She almost canceled.
Then a black luxury car stopped in front of her building.
Linda froze.
The door opened.
Nicholas stepped out.
This time, he wasn’t wearing the navy suit from the diner.
He wore a black tuxedo.
Perfectly tailored.
Completely intimidating.
Linda suddenly felt self-conscious.
“I know,” she whispered.
Nicholas looked at her.
“What?”
“It’s too much fabric.”
For a second, he didn’t understand.
Then he realized.
She was talking about her body.
Her dress.
Her size.
His expression softened.
He walked closer.
Very gently, he took her hands away from her stomach.
“Don’t hide.”
Linda looked at him.
“You look beautiful.”
She almost laughed.
Because she expected pity.
Not admiration.
But Nicholas wasn’t pretending.
That scared her more.
At the Drake Hotel, everyone noticed them immediately.
The whispers started.
People looked at Linda.
Then they looked at Nicholas.
The confusion on their faces was obvious.
How did a woman like Linda end up with a man like him?
Then Linda’s mother approached.
Her expression changed instantly.
“Linda?”
She looked at Nicholas.
Then back at her daughter.
“This is Nicholas.”
“My boyfriend.”
Her mother’s mouth opened slightly.
“Boyfriend?”
Before she could continue, another voice interrupted.
“Well, well, well.”
Linda froze.
Samuel.
Her ex.
He walked toward them with his new girlfriend.
The same confident smile.
The same arrogance.
He looked Linda up and down.
“I didn’t expect you to actually come.”
Then he glanced at Nicholas.
Interesting.
“Linda, did you hire someone?”
The room became quiet.
Linda felt the old humiliation returning.
But before she could respond, Nicholas stepped forward.
He didn’t raise his voice.
He didn’t need to.
“And you are?”
Samuel straightened.
“Samuel Carter. Morgan Stanley.”
Nicholas nodded.
“A junior vice president.”
Samuel’s smile disappeared.
“How do you know that?”
Nicholas adjusted his cuff.
“I know many things.”
Then he stepped closer.
“You know, Samuel, a man who spends his time insulting a woman’s appearance usually does it because he has nothing impressive about himself.”
Nobody spoke.
Nicholas continued.
“If you ever speak to Linda like that again, you won’t have to worry about your career.”
Samuel swallowed.
Because suddenly he understood.
This wasn’t just some handsome stranger.
This was someone dangerous.
Linda stared at Nicholas.
She had never had anyone defend her like that.
Not once.
Chapter 3: The Night The Fake Boyfriend Revealed His True Identity
For a few hours, Linda forgot everything.
She danced.
She laughed.
She actually enjoyed herself.
Nicholas didn’t treat her like a temporary date.
He didn’t keep distance.
He held her like she mattered.
“You are shaking,” Nicholas whispered.
“I’m waiting to wake up.”
“Why?”
“Because men like you don’t look at women like me.”
Nicholas looked at her seriously.
“Men like me spend our lives surrounded by fake people.”
He touched her hand.
“You are the most real person I’ve met.”
Linda’s heart raced.
But the moment was interrupted.
The ballroom doors opened.
Two men walked inside.
Wrong clothes.
Wrong attitude.
Wrong energy.
Nicholas noticed immediately.
His entire personality changed.
The charming fake boyfriend disappeared.
The dangerous man returned.
“Linda.”
His voice became serious.
“Do not let go of my hand.”
“What?”
“We’re leaving.”
They moved through the crowd calmly.
Then the first gunshot came.
Chaos exploded.
Nicholas pulled Linda away.
He moved like someone trained for war.
He protected her.
Not because she was useful.
Because he cared.
When they escaped into the alley, Linda finally understood.
The man she hired for $200 was not an actor.
He was something much bigger.
Nicholas pulled a weapon from inside his jacket.
Linda stared.
“You have a gun?”
He looked at her.
“You have questions.”
The answer was obvious.
Later, inside the armored car, Linda finally asked.
“Who are you?”
Nicholas looked ahead.
“I am the head of the Chicago syndicate.”
Silence.
Linda stared.
“The mafia?”
He nodded.
She covered her face.
“I hired a mafia boss as my fake boyfriend.”
For the first time that night, Nicholas laughed.
But then Linda’s expression changed.
“You used me.”
The car stopped.
Nicholas turned.
“No.”
“I was convenient.”
“No.”
His voice became intense.
“I needed a cover. But I never used you as a shield.”
He looked directly at her.
“You think I would let anyone hurt you?”
Linda looked away.
Because she wanted to believe him.
Chapter 4: The Woman Behind The Mask
Nicholas took Linda to his private penthouse.
She expected fear.
Instead, she felt safe.
Which made no sense.
A mafia boss should not feel safer than the outside world.
But he did.
Because Nicholas saw her differently.
He didn’t see the woman who needed to be fixed.
He saw someone strong.
“You hate yourself too much.”
Linda looked at him.
“You don’t know me.”
“I know enough.”
He stepped closer.
“I know you walked into a room full of people who judged you and still stood tall.”
“I know you had the courage to ask a stranger for help.”
“I know you spent years believing you weren’t enough.”
His voice softened.
“But you were always enough.”
Linda looked down.
“I don’t look like the women around you.”
Nicholas shook his head.
“Good.”
She looked surprised.
“I don’t want someone who looks like everyone else.”
He smiled.
“I want someone real.”
Slowly, Linda realized something.
She had spent years trying to become someone people would accept.
Nicholas was the first person who made her believe she already deserved acceptance.
The fake relationship started becoming something neither of them expected.
Something real.
Chapter 5: Everyone Learned Who The Fake Girlfriend Really Was
Six months later, Chicago saw Linda Jenkins differently.
The woman who once entered a wedding terrified of judgment now walked through rooms with confidence.
She no longer hid her body.
She no longer apologized for existing.
Because she finally understood her value.
One day, Linda returned to Samuel’s office.
This time, she wasn’t the embarrassed woman from the wedding.
She walked in wearing a custom emerald coat.
Two security guards followed behind her.
Samuel looked up.
And immediately went pale.
“Linda.”
She smiled.
“Hello, Samuel.”
He looked nervous.
“What do you want?”
“Nothing.”
She adjusted the ring on her finger.
A ring Nicholas had given her.
“My fiancé wanted me to deliver a message.”
Samuel froze.
“Your fiancé?”
Linda smiled.
“Yes.”
Then she leaned closer.
“He recently acquired a major stake in this company.”
Samuel’s face lost all color.
Because he finally understood.
The woman he mocked.
The woman he abandoned.
Was now standing beside the most powerful man in Chicago.
Later that evening, Linda sat beside Nicholas in the back of the black armored car.
She looked at the dashboard.
Inside a glass frame were two old, crumpled hundred-dollar bills.
The same money she had offered him that night in the diner.
“The best $200 I ever spent,” she whispered.
Nicholas smiled.
“No.”
He looked at her.
“The best investment I ever made.”
Because everyone thought Linda hired a fake boyfriend.
Everyone thought Nicholas Russo was just a handsome stranger playing a role.
They were wrong.
The woman everyone underestimated found the one man powerful enough to see her.
And the ruthless mafia king discovered that the greatest treasure he ever found was not money.
It was the woman who believed he was worth saving before she even knew his name.