Chapter 237

Sebastian held her close, gently pressing her head against his chest while stroking her back. Abigail had cried herself out, and visiting hours were over.

As they left the funeral home, they ran into Gabriel and the others.

Abigail walked past them without a glance, but Gabriel stepped forward, blocking her path. “Abby, I know we were wrong before. I realize asking for your help now won’t move you, but for Dad’s sake, please save the company.”

“Sure,” Abigail said, her red-rimmed eyes filled with disgust. “Hand over all your shares and get out of Gibson Group. Then you can fend for yourselves.”

Gabriel bit his tongue.

“If you really want to repent and admit your mistakes, do as I say. Otherwise, what happens to the company is none of my concern.” Abigail stepped around them and walked away.

They had once pushed her to the edge. Now they couldn’t blame her for showing no mercy.

Stephen was the first to speak up. “I’m willing to give up my shares. I did promise Grandpa that from the beginning.”

Warren cut in immediately, “Let me remind Ms. Gibson of something. Between Gibson Group’s previous debts and the compensation claims from clients after the scandal broke, we’re looking at 150 million dollars in total debt.

“If you hand over your shares now, you walk away debt-free. But maybe you should focus on surrendering your personal assets first–that’s what really matters.”

The room fell silent. Even Stephen had nothing to say.

A fallen giant was still a giant. No matter how badly Gibson Group was doing, these shareholders would always live better than ordinary office workers.

They had other assets after all – luxury cars, gold, expensive watches, investments in other ventures.

But if they gave those up while keeping their Gibson Group shares, they’d become debtors. That crushing debt would suffocate them.

Warren truly was a businessman through and through – sharper than the devil himself.

Right now, Gibson Group was a hot potato. No company would shell out over hundreds of millions of dollars to acquire it anytime soon.

“Of course, you don’t have to hand anything over,” Warren said, his eyes narrowing as he smiled. “Your illegal activities from back then are already under investigation.

“Once you’re dragged to court, I’ll have plenty of ways to get everything you own. I invested in Gibson Group without knowing its shareholders were criminals. My losses? I’ll be taking double from each of you.”

Warren’s smile never wavered. In business circles, they called him the smiling devil. He could bankrupt someone over a casual conversation, leaving them millions of dollars in debt before they even realized what happened.

Gabriel’s face darkened as understanding dawned. “Tell me the truth. When you partnered with my dad, you were targeting us from the start, weren’t you?”

Warren raised an eyebrow, his tone deceptively light. “Of course. At Seb’s birthday party, Daniella and Christian ruined his mood. As his best friend, naturally I had to settle the score.”

“Daniella crying at his party? Bad luck, don’t you think?” James chimed in with a matching smile.

Their casual words had just destroyed every escape route the Gibson family had left.

Gabriel turned to look at Abigail. She sat there listening to everything with a blank expression. The fact that they were scheming to strip the Gibsons of their wealth didn’t seem to move her at all. A chill ran down his spine.

Bianca’s eyes were red and swollen, her lips trembling as she looked at Abigail, desperate to plead for mercy.

But Warren’s smile vanished abruptly. “The Gibson family’s constant kneeling and begging routine needs to stop. Don’t pull this act in front of Seb anymore, or you’ll die even more miserably.”

He continued, “No one’s going to be moved by your sudden remorse. Stop trying to play the victim. You have three days to think it over.”

Warren turned to Abigail. “Come on, Abby. Let’s go.”

Sebastian walked past Gabriel and the others, his eyes filled with contempt, as if he were looking at insects beneath his feet.

Gabriel’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees. Every harsh moment with Abigail flashed through his mind like a movie reel – the slaps, the cruelty, the constant harshness. The images crashed together, making his chest feel like it might explode from the pain.

Not a single memory was warm or worth cherishing.

He clutched his chest, his face contorted in agony.

“Dad!” Stephen rushed to support him, sensing something was terribly wrong.

Gabriel fell to the ground, watching as Abigail walked away, surrounded by Sebastian and the others, getting farther and farther away.

Even now, even like this, she wouldn’t look back.

Gabriel had lived his entire life with arrogance, never believing he could be wrong. But at this moment, he finally understood exactly where he had failed.

The last glimmer of light faded from his eyes. Gabriel lost consciousness.