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Home / The Don Who Couldn’t Keep Me / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of The Don Who Couldn’t Keep Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

12 Chapters

Chapter 1

When the Valeri Family's personnel office called, I was busy packing up my things in the annex of Valeri Estate."Ms. Carter, your request to leave the family has been approved by Don Valeri, but he didn't realize it was you. Do you want me to let him know?"I paused for a moment, then replied softly, "No, it's fine. Leave it be."The person on the line pressed on, "Ms. Carter—Elena, you've been his secretary for four years, and you're his most trusted personal assistant. Maybe you should think this over."I laughed softly. "My father isn't well, so I need to return to Chicago for an arranged marriage. Don't worry, I'll hand everything over properly when I leave in a month."After hanging up, memories flooded back.Eight years ago, I got into New York University and became best friends with Luna Valeri, which was how I met her older brother, Cesare Valeri.After graduation, Luna went abroad to study. I sent my resume to the Valeri Family and became Cesare's secretary, just to se

Chapter 2

On Monday, I arrived at the estate on time and handled my duties before going to inform Cesare that the negotiation with the Barbosa Group was about to begin.Through the slightly open door, I saw Sofia curled up in his arms, feeding him half-eaten Sicilian cookies.Cesare swallowed with a smile and even kissed her fingers. "I stood in line for three hours to get the dessert you kept talking about."Sofia pouted, trying to keep him from leaving for the meeting. Cesare didn't hesitate. "We'll postpone the negotiation by two hours."I couldn't help but remind him, "The heads of the Barbosa Group are waiting in the underground conference room. This concerns the Family's trade routes, and it's very important.""You're such a nagging secretary with no sense at all!" Sofia complained. Cesare's expression turned icy as he tapped out his cigar. "I said the meeting's postponed. No deal is more important than Sofia!"My chest tightened. I quietly closed the door and turned away.When I

Chapter 3

Sofia strutted up to me, her eyes full of disdain. "The banquet's decent, but there's no carpet in the hall. My dress got dirty. Hold it for me and make up for your mistake."I lowered my head. "There's a carpet backstage. I'll have someone lay it out immediately." Her expression darkened. "How dare you refuse me?" Just then, Cesare arrived. When he saw her displeasure, he immediately stepped forward to ask what was wrong.Sofia pouted, then whined that I had refused to lift her dress and must be holding a grudge against her.Cesare scooped her into his arms and looked upset. "Lifting a dress is part of your job. Can't handle such a small task?"The guests around us started whispering too, saying I didn't know my place.I swallowed my embarrassment and bent down to lift the hem of her dress.Sofia wandered through the banquet with Cesare, up and down the halls. The pearls on her dress dug painfully into my arm, but I gritted my teeth and endured it.But she still wasn't sati

Chapter 4

I stayed in the hospital for a few days. Cesare never came to see me and only had his assistant send messages telling me to rest and fully recover before returning to work. Meanwhile, the family chat was flooded with updates about him and Sofia.He had rented a private Sicilian island to celebrate her birthday, with fireworks lasting three days. He brought her to the Family Council and gave her the heirloom ring. He even bought land to build a private ski resort, naming it after her.I read every update without a flicker of emotion.Once discharged, I returned to work as usual, meticulous and focused. Whenever something involved Cesare, I delegated it to other assistants. I did everything I could to avoid direct contact with him.After a quiet week, he suddenly called and asked me to deliver encrypted files.Once the delivery was complete and I was about to leave, he called me back. "I'm heading to a meeting with the Family. Sofia doesn't like eating alone. Stay and keep her com

Chapter 5

In my final days in New York, I stayed at the Family's hospital to recover. During rounds, the nurses couldn't help but gossip about the VIP floor upstairs."Don Valeri rented the entire floor and even hired a retired Sicilian professor to take care of his girlfriend," one whispered."I saw him personally taking good care of her, buying her jewelry, staying by her side all night. He's completely spoiling her."I listened quietly, fingers brushing my chest. Nothing stirred there, only a slight slowing of my heartbeat. It seemed my heart's wounds were finally starting to heal.On the day I was discharged, Luna was supposed to pick me up. However, the Family's affairs kept her tied up. I reassured her briefly and returned to the estate alone.It was my last day of work, and I went through the proper procedures to finalize my resignation.As I hoisted my suitcase to leave, I ran straight into Sofia at the estate gates.She was carrying a cup of coffee and deliberately bumped into me

Chapter 6

When I sent my farewell message, Cesare had just stepped out of the shower and was drying his hair.Sofia got to his phone first. Her eyes flickered with disdain when she saw my message, and she deleted it without a second thought. She had known about us the moment she returned, and in her mind, my feelings were nothing but one-sided.After erasing my message, she spotted an encrypted email from a business partner and deleted that too. Cesare came over and wrapped his arms around her, asking what it was. She lied, saying it was a spam message, then clung to him and let herself get lost in his warmth again.The next day was a weekend. Cesare had no family business scheduled, yet the shrill ring of his phone broke his patience. He answered, and the panicked voice of his underboss, Adam Morino, filled the line."Don Valeri, the Barbosa Group sent an encrypted email yesterday, and they're here today to discuss territory divisions. They're waiting for you now."Cesare froze. "What emai

Chapter 7

When Cesare returned to the estate, a few of the secretaries immediately surrounded him, handing over stacks of documents. "Don Valeri, here are the recent financial reports," one said. "This is the list of Families withdrawing from cooperation," another added. "And here's the update on the maids. A batch of senior staff are leaving."He flipped through the papers, headache building with every page. He slammed them onto the desk and roared, "I've been gone for just a few days, and the Family is already falling apart? You didn't even try to hold onto our business partners?"The room fell silent. After a long pause, one secretary spoke up timidly, "Don Valeri, Ms. Carter usually handles these tasks."He instinctively wanted to call her name, then froze, remembering I was gone. His face darkened further. "If she can do it, why can't any of you?"No one dared answer. Everyone knew that for four years, I had run everything flawlessly, keeping the Family in perfect order. No one co

Chapter 8

"Cesare...?" Sofia covered her face, her eyes wide with disbelief.His gaze was icy, utterly devoid of the tenderness he had once shown her. Any trace of leniency was gone. He felt nothing but revulsion for the woman in front of him. If it weren't for her, he never would have lost me."Why is it always Elena!" Sofia cried, completely losing control. "She's just a secretary! Some nobody! I knew the first day I got back that she had feelings for you. It's better she's gone! You said I'm the only one you love! What does that even mean now?"Cesare didn't answer. Once he faced his own feelings, he didn't even have the energy to argue with Sofia.But Sofia had been spoiled. The more he ignored her, the angrier she got at me. She grabbed the cup and decorations from the desk, smashing them one after another on the floor. "You're in love with her! You want her back!" she shrieked, almost unhinged.Cesare looked at her and finally understood. How had he been so blind? He had hurt me

Chapter 9

Early the next morning, Cesare drove back to the estate.The moment he reached the gates, he saw Sofia on her knees in the dirt, held down by two bodyguards. Her hair was a mess, her face streaked with tears, and she was still cursing me under her breath."Elena is a piece of trash. She's the reason I ended up like this."Members of the Family passing by slowed to stare, whispering to one another.A few maids who had always been close to me finally lost their patience."Ms. Costa, you're out of line. Ms. Carter worked here for four years and never did anything wrong. You were the one bullying her.""Exactly. Elena never fought back because she has a good temper, yet you kept pushing her."Sofia was stunned speechless. When she spotted Cesare approaching, she scrambled across the gravel and clung to his leg like a lifeline."Cesare, look at them. They're all ganging up on me for Elena. Fire them. Fire all of them."Cesare kicked her away. His eyes were ice-cold. "I told you to

Chapter 10

On the plane, Cesare ran through the moment he would see me over and over in his mind, rehearsing countless apologies. He had even prepared a redesigned Family crest necklace, planning to propose.When the plane landed, he went straight to the address Luna had given him, heading for the coffee shop tucked away in Chicago's Little Italy.When he pushed open the door, the bell chimed softly.Then, he looked up and saw me instantly.A single month had changed me.I was no longer the woman who wore fitted office suits and moved carefully around him. I sat in the corner in loose, comfortable clothes, my hair gathered in a simple knot that revealed the delicate curve of my neck. I had a faint smile on my lips, and my gaze was calm and composed.Cesare's heart skipped a beat, and he held back the urge to run to me and pull me into his arms. He walked over slowly, his voice tense and unsure."It's been a while, Elena."I looked up at him, expression calm and unreadable, and simply nodd

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