All Chapters of After They’re Gone: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Gabriele didn’t bother to explain further. Instead, he turned, pulled out a document from the safe behind him, and placed it directly in front of me.I looked down, and in that instant, my fingers stiffened. Ports under the Smith family’s control, shipping routes, financial pipelines—even the timeline for the marriage alliance, internal sabotage, and eventual divorce—were all written in detail.It wasn’t just a plan. It was the Carlos family’s most confidential operation blueprint. And now, it was lying right in front of me like something ordinary.Gabriele looked at me, his voice low and steady. “The marriage alliance is the lowest-cost way to swallow the Smith family whole. Within six months, I’ll get their ledger and cut off their shipping routes. When it’s over, I’ll divorce her immediately.”He took my hand and added, “Faye, I won’t abandon you. The position of Donna will only ever belong to you.”I stared at the document, suddenly unable to say a single word because I knew h

I rushed forward and pushed Kate away.“What gives you the right to touch my son?”I checked his face over in panic. Only when I realized it was red wine, not blood, did I finally manage to breathe again. Seconds later, a sudden commotion broke out behind me. I turned around to see that Kate had fallen beside shattered glass and broken plates, her wrist cut by a sharp piece of porcelain. Yet, I knew I hadn't pushed her nearly hard enough to cause a fall like that.The banquet hall doors suddenly flung open, and Gabriele strode in. The first thing he saw was Stefano, drenched in red wine. In that instant, his expression changed sharply, and he instinctively moved toward Stefano. However, before he could take another step, someone beside Kate cried out, “Don Carlos, Miss Smith is injured!”Gabriele froze mid-step. Then, he turned and walked straight toward Kate instead.“Who did this?” he asked.Immediately, people around made mocking statements. “All the kid had to do was se

From that night onward, Gabriele’s actions accelerated noticeably. What had once been a relatively gentle form of probing turned far more direct. He began frequently accompanying Kate to formal dinners, attending meetings with the Smith family elders, and overseeing so-called “post-marriage partnership” discussions.Kate, however, took it all as proof of his deep affection and thought nothing more of it. So, after dinners, she would lean into his arms and casually complain about which members of the Smith family were too greedy.When trying on jewelry, she would half-brag, half-tease about the most profitable shipping routes her father controlled. Even late at night, when she was in a good mood from his coaxing, she would voluntarily mention details about the Smith family’s accounts and private warehouses. She spoke without much thought, but Gabriele memorized every single word without missing a detail.At the same time, reports about Stefano and me were constantly delivered to his

As soon as Gabriele said that, the car doors opened one after another. A line of guards in black suits stepped out and, in an instant, surrounded the entrance of the villa. Dante frowned, instinctively pulling Stefano behind him.My expression darkened.“Gabriele, what are you doing?”Gabriele didn’t answer. He simply stared at Dante. His gaze was so cold that it felt like he might have someone drag Dante away in the next second. Stefano suddenly stepped forward, raising both hands as he stood in front of Dante.“He’s my psychologist. What are you going to do to him?”Gabriele’s body stiffened. It was as if he hadn’t expected Stefano to speak to him in such a distant, guarded tone.After a few seconds, he repeated, “Psychologist?”Stefano didn’t respond. He just stood in front of me, his small fists clenched tightly, his eyes slowly turning red.Sensing something was wrong, Dante leaned toward me and said something in a low voice. Then, he bent down, picked Stefano up, and wa