DAYS OF OUR LIVES SPOILERS: GABI HERNANDEZ’S SCHEME BACKFIRES—WILL SHE CHOOSE PHILIP KIRIAKIS OR REVENGE?

TL;DR: Gabi Hernandez’s corporate espionage plot against Philip Kiriakis is about to implode on Days of Our Lives. After Tony DiMera betrays her and Steve Johnson’s investigation uncovers a forged inheritance letter, Gabi faces an impossible choice—confess her scheme to the man she’s falling for or use the devastating secret to destroy him.

The game is up, and Gabi Hernandez is about to learn the hardest lesson of her scheming career: sometimes the person you’re using ends up being the person you can’t live without. Talk about inconvenient timing!

For weeks now, Gabi has been running a full-scale corporate espionage operation against the merged Titan-DiMera entity. Bugged pens in executive offices? Check. Secret alliance with Tony DiMera? Check. Seducing Philip Kiriakis to get closer to him while plotting his downfall? Double check. It was all going according to plan—ruthless, calculated, and very Gabi.

But here’s where things get messy. Somewhere between the passionate kisses and waking up in Philip’s bed, something shifted. Those fake feelings? They started feeling awfully real. And now Gabi’s stuck in a nightmare of her own making, holding information that could destroy the man she’s catching serious feelings for.

What Was Gabi’s Original Plan Against Philip?

Gabi formed a secret alliance with Tony DiMera with one clear goal: dismantle the Titan-DiMera merger and reclaim their respective family empires. Simple, right? Take down Philip and Xander Kiriakis, grab the power, restore Gabi Chic to its former glory, and ride off into the sunset as CEO.

The execution was textbook Gabi. She planted listening devices in Philip and Xander’s office during the week of September 8, successfully obtaining incriminating information that she immediately relayed to Tony. When the guys discovered the bug, paranoia set in—but they never suspected their charming new friend was behind it.

Then came the really devious part. Gabi hired Steve Johnson’s private investigation firm, Black Patch, to formally investigate the court case surrounding Philip’s inheritance from the late Victor Kiriakis. That disputed letter giving Philip his claim to Titan Industries? Gabi suspected something wasn’t right about it, and she wanted proof.

And let’s be real—she got exactly what she was looking for.

How Did Gabi and Philip’s Relationship Develop?

While Gabi was busy planting bugs and hiring investigators, she was also getting dangerously close to her target. What started as strategic “encouragement” and manufactured moments turned into something way more complicated.

The chemistry was undeniable. They shared private, passionate kisses that were worlds apart from the performative stunt kiss she gave Xander just to stir up drama. When a city-wide blackout trapped Gabi, Philip, and Brady Black together in an office on September 26, the prolonged, tense interaction only deepened their connection.

By early October, they were waking up in bed together. The intimacy was real. The feelings were real. And that’s precisely when Gabi’s master plan started feeling less like a triumph and more like a ticking time bomb strapped to her chest.

Here’s the thing about Gabi Hernandez—she’s got a history of using seduction as a weapon in her corporate battles. It’s her signature move. But Philip Kiriakis? He’s got an equally extensive history of being betrayed by women he trusts, especially in matters tied to family legacy and legitimacy. He lost his leg serving his country, discovered the kids he thought were his weren’t actually his, and spent his entire life chasing approval from his late father Victor.

This isn’t just any scheme. Gabi targeted Philip’s most profound vulnerability with surgical precision. And now she’s the one who got caught in the trap.

What Does Steve Johnson’s Investigation Reveal?

This is where everything goes nuclear. Steve Johnson and his team at Black Patch have been digging into the legitimacy of that letter from Victor Kiriakis—the one that gave Philip his inheritance and his seat at the head of Titan Industries.

And spoiler alert? The letter is a complete fraud.

According to the investigation, the letter was forged by Vivian Alamain to secure Philip’s inheritance and specifically disenfranchise his half-brother Xander. Philip’s entire claim to power—the validation he’s spent his whole life desperately seeking—is built on a lie. His position as a Kiriakis heir? Fraudulent. His legitimacy? Nonexistent.

When Gabi gets this information (and she will), she’ll be holding a weapon that can legally and reputationally annihilate Philip. One phone call, one conversation with the right people, and his entire world collapses. The inheritance? Gone. The company? Taken away. His standing in the Kiriakis family? Destroyed forever.

It’s exactly the kind of leverage she hired Steve to find. Mission accomplished, right?

Except now she’s in love with the guy she’s supposed to destroy.

How Does Tony DiMera Betray Gabi?

As if Gabi’s situation wasn’t complicated enough, her partner in crime is about to stab her in the back. Spoilers for the week of October 14 confirm that Tony DiMera will “pull the rug out from under Gabi,” revealing that he used her to get the proof he needed against Titan but has zero intention of honoring his promise to install her as CEO of DiMera.

She did all the dirty work. She took all the risks. She planted the bugs, hired the investigators, got close to Philip, and obtained the evidence. And Tony is going to swoop in, take all the credit, and leave her with nothing.

Talk about adding insult to injury! Gabi’s path to the DiMera CEO chair—the whole reason she started this scheme—is now completely blocked. Tony’s betrayal fundamentally alters her strategic position, leaving her isolated, furious, and holding only one valuable asset: the secret about Philip’s forged letter.

With her original goal now impossible and her corporate partner revealed as a snake, Gabi has to make a choice. And this time, it’s not about business—it’s about her heart.

What’s Gabi’s Impossible Dilemma?

Here’s where the storyline gets absolutely gut-wrenching. Gabi Hernandez is stuck between two equally terrible options, and there’s no clean way out.

Option One: Confess Everything to Philip

She could come clean about the entire scheme—the bugs, the investigation, her alliance with Tony, everything. She could hand him the information about the forged letter not as a weapon, but as proof that despite her terrible choices, she genuinely cares about him. She could beg for forgiveness and hope that Philip, who’s pulled plenty of shady moves himself (hello, faking his own death to frame Brady!), might understand.

The upside? If Philip forgives her, they could become a legitimate power couple. Two schemers who recognize themselves in each other, united against their common enemies. Given that Philip’s desperate need for genuine connection has driven most of his life decisions, he might actually see past her betrayal to the real feelings underneath.

The downside? He might view her as just another manipulator in a long line of women who’ve used him. His trauma from past betrayals could kick in hard, and he could declare all-out war. We’re talking personal and professional destruction on both sides.

Option Two: Destroy Philip First

She could take the information about the forged letter and go scorched earth. Expose him publicly, ruin his claim to Titan, strip away everything he’s built his identity on. It would be the ultimate revenge for Tony’s betrayal—she may not get DiMera, but she’d take down the Kiriakis empire in the process.

The upside? She’d win the corporate battle and prove she’s still a force to be reckoned with in Salem’s business world. Nobody would question her power again.

The downside? She’d lose Philip forever and have to live with the fact that she destroyed a man she genuinely loves. Plus, let’s be real—Philip would retaliate, and it would get ugly fast. We’re talking mutually assured destruction.

What’s Next for Gabi and Philip?

Could this mean we’re watching the birth of Salem’s next great supercouple? The signs are pointing in that direction, but it’s going to be a brutal road to get there.

Don’t be surprised if Gabi chooses to confess to Philip before Steve Johnson can expose the forgery publicly. Tony’s betrayal has left her with nothing but the truth and her relationship with Philip, which reframes him from a target into her only potential ally. She needs him now, and that vulnerability could be what pushes her to do the right thing.

Given Philip’s history—faking his own death, framing rivals, general scheming—he’s uniquely positioned to understand Gabi’s actions. He’s one of the few people in Salem who could legitimately get why she did what she did. That doesn’t mean forgiveness will come easy, though. Expect explosive confrontations, tears, accusations, and at least one dramatic storming-off before any reconciliation happens.

This storyline likely leads to one of two outcomes: either they become the morally ambiguous power couple we didn’t know we needed, or they destroy each other in spectacular fashion. And honestly? With the chemistry between Cherie Jimenez and John-Paul Lavoisier reportedly sizzling on-screen, the show would be smart to go the power couple route.

One wildcard to watch: Belle Black. Spoilers have already shown Philip getting flirty with his ex even while involved with Gabi, which suggests a classic love triangle could be forming. Belle represents safety and history, which might look pretty appealing once Philip learns about Gabi’s dangerous deception.

Another possibility fans are theorizing about? A pregnancy storyline. Nothing says “you’re stuck with me forever” like a baby, and it would force Gabi and Philip into a permanent connection regardless of how the corporate drama shakes out.

The real question isn’t whether Gabi’s scheme will be exposed—Steve Johnson’s investigation guarantees that. The question is whether she’ll have the courage to confess on her own terms, and whether Philip can look past the betrayal to see the woman who actually fell for him despite her best efforts not to.

One thing’s certain: when the truth finally comes out, the fallout is going to be absolutely explosive. These two volatile personalities colliding over corporate espionage, forged inheritance letters, and genuine feelings? That’s the kind of high-stakes drama Days of Our Lives does best.

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