Home / I Ditched the Don After Nineteen No‑Shows / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of I Ditched the Don After Nineteen No‑Shows : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

During the territory handover, the Council of Elders sat around the meeting table.One of the elders, Marcello Ricci—also a conservative—slid a glass full of whisky toward me. He said coldly, "Ms. Carta, as per Seeves City's tradition, you shall be held accountable for anything that goes wrong, as you're the guarantor for the toll fees required for the legitimized shipping routes."Today, you will drink these three glasses of whisky on behalf of Don Moretti to seal your oath. Only then will we consider the transfer of cargo rights at the docks complete."The gun wound on my chest from five years ago throbbed. The doctor had warned me time and again that the bullet had grazed one of my lungs and that I shouldn't drink liquor under any circumstances.I turned to Adriano Moretti, who was sitting at the head of the table. He wasn't looking at me. With his head lowered, he was wiping residual gunpowder off Viviana Levante's hand with his handkerchief.He instructed, "Since Mr. Ricci is

Chapter 2

Edoardo Norcia, our senior Consigliere, took off his glasses as he studied the item laid before him. It was a seal that represented the authority of a Famiglia's Consigliere.Edoardo sized me up. He asked, "Does Adriano know that you wish to step down as the Consigliere and withdraw from the Famiglia's affairs?""Edoardo, I've submitted a formal request to step down to the Council of Elders in my own name. I don't need his approval."Edoardo sighed heavily as he traced the obsidian seal with his finger."For the past seven years, you've been by his side, fighting your way out of the slums in Borwyn. You've managed the 12 districts' financial accounts and enforced order throughout our territory all this while."Back then, he swore before the Council of Elders that he'd marry no one but you. No one in the entire Neother City dared to disrespect you. Now that we're one step away from cleaning up the Famiglia's image, are you really going to let others enjoy the fruits of your labor?"

Chapter 3

I emptied the lowest drawer of the safe, clearing out my personal seals and identification documents.The study door swung open. Adriano strode in, reeking of gunpowder and bitter almond.He looked exhausted, and his tie was crooked. He stopped in his tracks when he saw me standing next to the paper shredder."Something came up in the southern district last night. I stayed at the safehouse the entire night until everything was settled. That's why I didn't come back."It was the first time in six months that he'd explained why he hadn't come home without me asking.Many years back, someone had tried to assassinate Adriano by poisoning him with bitter almonds. Since then, he had found sweet-smelling cigars and scents repulsive.For the past seven years, I'd been using an unscented hand lotion instead of my usual one. Yet now, he didn't even realize he reeked of Viviana's gun oil scent.I unplugged the paper shredder and placed the brown document file on the desk, betraying no hint

Chapter 4

My phone vibrated in my handbag. Carolina Rino's name lit up the screen.She ran Southern Morfhugen's most extensive smuggling route and was my best friend from back when we struggled to survive in Borwyn.As soon as I answered the call, her furious voice boomed through the speaker."Has Adriano gone nuts? He's totally disrespecting you! Word from the Famiglia says he and that brat, Viviana, are flaunting their affection for each other at the underground auction!"You two swore your loyalty to each other. How dare he put the tiara befitting the Donna on someone else? Besides, I remember today's the day you—"She paused abruptly.I was momentarily dazed. Carolina was right. Seven years ago today, Adriano and I had made our way out of the Borwyn slums alive after he had taken three bullets for me. Covered in blood, he dropped to one knee and proposed to me.But ever since Viviana joined the Famiglia, all her endless "emergencies" had ruined our wedding plans year after year. I'd g

Chapter 5

Carolina had clearly never imagined that I, the woman who'd been regarded as the Donna of the Moretti Famiglia, had never actually been Adriano's wife.Just then, I received a photo. In it, Viviana leaned back on a couch in the VIP lounge, wearing a ruby tiara with a gold-plated Beretta at her waist. Then I received a voice message. Her sickly sweet voice rang through the speaker."Donna, Don Moretti said that this gun and tiara are more suitable for someone young and ambitious."Oh, right. He just remembered tomorrow's your 19th wedding. He sent his men to get you a necklace from a jewelry store around the corner as an apology. I do hope you won't find it lacking." I casually closed the chatbox and deleted the entire conversation.Adriano might think tomorrow would be our 19th wedding ceremony. But to me, tomorrow would be the day I buried our pathetic seven-year relationship.The rain on the eve of our wedding day stopped only at dawn.The bedroom door swung open. Adriano w

Chapter 6

Third-Person POVAdriano, who never went near the sea, was on the first speedboat, tightly gripping the railing. However, he could only watch as the ship Emma was on entered international waters, which were off-limits to them.Along the borders, two international maritime patrol vessels had turned on their signal lights. Their naval guns were trained on the fleet of speedboats in case they crossed the border.Later, Carolina sent Emma an encrypted video of everything that had happened by the coastline.On the deck of the first speedboat, Adriano was completely drenched by the freezing seawater.As memories of his traumatic experience at the Gulf of Passimo five years ago resurfaced, his face drained of color, and his stomach churned painfully. Leaning over the railing, he vomited repeatedly.Still, no matter how his fingers trembled, his bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the ship disappearing into the distance. He pulled out his gun and pressed the muzzle against the helmsman's te

Chapter 7

In the study, Adriano was seated at the desk, his right hand bandaged. He was racking his brain trying to break through the dynamic firewall Emma had used to safeguard their accounts.Now that she was no longer around to coordinate and allocate the funds, the Capos of the 12 districts were arguing incessantly over the phone, each scrambling to cover their own financial shortfalls. Just then, someone opened the study door.Viviana walked in, looking frustrated. She was wearing the ruby tiara and the wedding ring she'd taken from Emma.She still thought Emma was throwing a tantrum and had run off to one of their villas in the suburbs.Tossing a messy stack of customs declaration forms on Adriano's desk, she complained, "Don Moretti, the Donna is just too petty. I'm only borrowing her ring for a while. Did she have to complicate Morfhugen Docks No. 3's accounts just to give me a hard time?"The senior Capos pretend to obey me but aren't actually executing my orders. Hurry up and give

Chapter 8

Emma's POVI left behind the endless gunfights and betrayals of mafia life in Neother City. My seven years of experience in international financial management secured me a position as lead independent partner for Corsini Shipping Alliance.The autumn sun shone brightly in Passimo. Lorenzo Corsini, the young heir of the Corsini Famiglia, came onto the balcony.He handed me a warm glass of honey-lemon water and gently reminded me to take care of my old wound as the sea breeze turned chilly.We'd just finished discussing the agreement for three tax-free shipping routes across the Matrian Sea and were heading to City Hall to attend a dinner. Just then, the screech of tires reached us as a car braked urgently outside the wrought iron gate.I turned around to see Adriano bolting out of a mud-covered off-road vehicle.To cross the Posumes Ocean and Matrian Sea, which he dreaded, he'd endured more than a fortnight of psychological distress caused by his trauma associated with the sea.H

Chapter 9

Third-Person POVThe typhoon lasted for three whole days. Waves several meters high crashed on the shore. Heavy rain poured down like a waterfall outside the estate, which was right next to the shore.Adriano didn't go to a hotel. He remained standing outside the gate in the billowing wind.The pounding waves kept triggering his trauma. Several times, he fell to his knees in the mud due to a high fever and severe tinnitus, throwing up everything in his stomach. Still, he kept holding onto the items in his arms.…Emma's POVOn the evening of the fourth day, I headed for the port warehouse to meet an old-school influential figure in the shipping industry. We were about to negotiate a territory handover for the last time.The other party feared the Corsini Famiglia's influence. Although he was courteous on the surface, he'd drugged my glass of wine with neurotoxins and had a sniper on standby on the second floor of the warehouse.Just as I picked up my drink, trying to test his l

Chapter 10

Lorenzo called an ambulance. It took Adriano, unconscious from the injury, to a community hospital monitored by the police. That would also stop him from coming near the Corsini residence anymore.A month later, winter descended upon the Matrian Sea, bringing with it a spell of warmth. Corsini Shipping Alliance held its annual board meeting in Passimo City Hall.I went on stage and signed the legitimate shipping agreement spanning Eusbore and Astania in my capacity as the alliance's lead independent partner.A thunderous round of applause arose as Eusborian family representatives rose to their feet and raised their glasses to me.I would no longer have to drink whiskey in a damp dock warehouse while enduring pain from my old injury for anyone's sake. I wouldn't be left alone on the streets during a blizzard for the sake of an outsider either.As I walked out of City Hall, Lorenzo draped a woolen shawl over my shoulders and handed me a copy of Neother City's morning papers."We've

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