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Chapter 3.27
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2024-11-28 13:20:04Adriano’s POV
I watched Melanie bolt out of the kitchen like she couldn’t get away fast enough.But that wasn’t my biggest problem at the moment. I was currently nursing a very painful erection and it was all Melanie’s fault.She had to go wear those fucking short jeans and that top… damn, that top did fucking things to me. Putting her tits on display like that.I have intentionally stayed away from her these last few days mainly because I wasn't sure how I would feel seeing her after our last conversation.It turns out there was nothing to worry about. Any anger I thought I might feel the moment she tried to cave my head in with a frying pan.I smiled at the recent memory. Alice informed me when I got home that she was in the movie room and I may or may not have walked past that room to confirm.The screams I heard on the other side of the door confirmed that she was indeed watching a movie, a horror movie to
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Claim by the Don Chapter 3.28
Melanie’s POVI darted out of the house on Monday morning without even bothering to have breakfast, scared that Alice would somehow take one look at my face and figure out what I was up to all night.Many times throughout the night, I was tempted to touch myself but somehow, I was able to restrain myself. Sure it might have felt good in the moment but I knew myself and once that sexual haze passed, I was only going to kick myself for being too weak to resist the temptation.Unfortunately, that meant I didn’t get much sleep since I spent most of the night tossing and turning.I could see the question on Ralph’s face when I ran out of the house but as was his usual MO, he didn’t pry and it was times like these that made me grateful that Ralph was a quiet one, even though I suspected that we had developed some sort of silent kinship.I got to the hospital early enough to relieve the night shift and Hayley arrived while I was r
Last Updated : 2024-11-29Claim by the Don Chapter 3.29
Melanie’s POVGlad I had gotten my daily dose of, Luke, I clocked out and went to change out of my scrubs.On my way out I bumped into Hayley talking with a few other nurses but she broke from them when she spotted me.“Ready to leave?” she asked.I nodded."A couple of us are going to get drinks. I just want to unwind and shake off what happened today. Do you want to come?" I was surprised that Ralph hadn’t charged into the hospital to look for me already and I wasn’t ready to push his limits. At least,not until an escape opportunity presented itself. So I shook my head. “I think I’ll pass tonight. I doubt I’ll be good company.”“Are you sure? It’s just for an hour tops plus it’s an opportunity for you to change the narrative they have about you,” Hayley said.“I’m sure. I just want to get home and crawl into bed.”Then my stomach chose that moment to growl, reminding me that I hadn't h
Last Updated : 2024-11-29Claim by the Don Chapter 3.30
Melanie’s POVAfter my conversation with Alice, I decided to call it a night. Mostly because I was tired but there was also a part of me that wanted to get away from Alice’s questioning eye.Although, she let it go. The look she kept giving me told a different story. It was like she was telling me with her eyes, I’m watching you closely.I thought about foregoing a shower but I touched a lot of blood today and frankly, I was hoping a hot shower would wash away the events of today from my body and I would feel much lighter.I was right. The shower did make me feel better. I changed into the silk nightwear I've come to love and took a quick look at my phone.Smiling when I saw multiple missed calls from my parents. At least this time around, there weren’t multiple text messages from them compared to the last time.I contemplated calling them back but I knew my parents would only continue their assault on my phone tomorro
Last Updated : 2024-11-30Claim by the Don Chapter 3.31
Adriano’s POVI wasn’t one to hesitate.In my line of work, the slightest hesitation might very well be the difference between life and death. But here I was, hesitating to answer a single question.“I heard you had a rough day,” I finally said.“Yeah, I did. Is there anything else?”She not only sounded tired but looked at it as well. Her back was hunched and her eyes were already looking droopy which means…“Did I wake you?” I asked.She nodded slowly. Shit I shouldn’t have knocked, but I didn’t want a repeat of the pacing I did yesterday.“I just wanted to make sure you were, okay,” I said.“I’m sure, Alice already told you how I was or better still Ralph must have told you. There was no need to pay a personal visit,” she said.Thank God she was tired because she looked too good in the silk nightwear she had on and I wanted to thank and curse my shopper at the same t
Last Updated : 2024-11-30Claim by the Don Chapter 3.32
Melanie’s POV The next few days went by pretty smoothly and I felt like I was finally getting a handle on things at work again after the tragic accident. A good number of the victims were still in the ICU but their prognosis looked good so fingers crossed they make it out alive. The ICU has been a revolving door of visitors coming to check on their loved ones and I could see the hope along with the sadness in their eyes during every visit. Then there was having to talk to the visitors when they seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. At this rate, I might just get a psych degree because nurses had to do most of the grunt work while most of the appreciation went to the doctors. I watched Hayley walking out of a patient’s room with a frown on her face. "Is everything okay?" I asked when she got to the nurses' station. She shook her head. “No, my patient is still not getting better and to be honest I don’t think she would.” We knew this would happen. Our hero patient had b
Last Updated : 2024-11-30Claim by the Don Chapter 3.33
Melanie’s POVAfter the uncomfortable conversation with Nurse Betty, Lydia began giving me dirty looks.Not that I cared much what she did but I guessed, Nurse Betty must have ripped her a new one. Regardless of the fact that she favored Lydia, it was obvious she loved her job more and I felt a little satisfaction at the fact that Lydia was brought down a peg or two.Well, maybe Adriano wasn’t completely useless then.“Why’re you smiling like that?”“Hmm?”Hayley asked again, “You’re smiling as if you just remembered something funny. Care to share?”I shook my head. “It’s nothing important,” I said.“Speaking of something unimportant, have you seen the looks, Lydia has been giving you?” she asked.I nodded in response.“I wonder what crawled up her ass this time,” she murmured.Hayley didn’t know I had a conversation with Nurse Betty. Telling her that would only bring about a series of questions I didn’t have the answers to so I shrugged and said, “Who knows?”“I hope she pulls out th
Last Updated : 2024-12-07Claim by the Don Chapter 3.34
Melanie’s POVThanks to what Adriano termed my ‘tantrum’ I was able to have more freedom so the next time, Hayley invited me out for drinks, I readily accepted.However, when we walked out of the hospital, there was a little snag when Ralph wanted to drive me to the bar. Thankfully, I was able to convince him that it was better if I walked with my colleagues and he could just meet us there.The bar was called, Leo’s and it was only a couple blocks from the hospital. A great walking distance.“I’m glad you decided to join us tonight,” Hayley said after we placed an order for a round of beers.“Yeah, me too,” I replied.Luckily, the bar wasn't yet crowded and we were able to snag a table and join two tables together so that the seven of us could sit together.“For a while there I was sure you thought yourself better than us,” one of the other nurses, April said.“April!” Hayley chided.I he
Last Updated : 2024-12-07Claim by the Don Chapter 3.35
Melanie’s POV“That is so hot!” April exclaimed. “Why have you been hiding him from us?”I didn’t know I was obligated to report to them.“More like I’ve been monopolizing her time,” Adriano said. “I miss her when she’s not with me so we’ve been spending all our free time together.”“That’s understandable,” April said.Hayley, who had been quiet finally asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you do for a living, Adriano?”I turned to Adriano, practically begging him with my eyes not to say what he really did but to my surprise, he smiled at, Hayley.“I don’t mind, Hayley. I run a branch of our family business, the real estate and construction,” he answered.“So you’re like, old money?” Kelly asked.“Something like that,” he said.“What is the name of this family business?” Hayley asked."I'd rather not tell you everything about me on our first meeting. It'll take t
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Claim by the Don Chapter 147
Adriano’s POVSix months later…“Now that we’re done with the ceremony, can we go on a proper tour of New York like I was promised?” Danny asked.Roselyn hit him upside the head and said, “Don’t be insensitive. Today is your sister’s day.”“Ouch, Mom! That hurt,” he complained.“And you deserve it,” Melanie’s voice cut into the conversation.“There’s my favorite nurse!” Sam yelled.“Dad, tone it down,” she said.“Nonsense. I would shout it at the top of my lungs if I had to so you can know how proud I am of you,” he replied.She smiled at her father and went to hug him then she did the same with her mom and brother who all congratulated her before she stopped in front of me.“I always knew you were something else, little nurse,” I told her. “From the first day I set my eyes on you, I knew you were better than the rest of us.”“Stop it you’re going to make me cry,” she said.I opened my arms and she stepped into me for a hug.My girl was finally a registered nurse and today was her gra
Claim by the Don Chapter 146
Melanie’s POVThe ride back to the house was very quiet.Throughout the ride home, I couldn’t help but think that none of this would have happened if I just had a conversation with Adriano.He was the man I fell in love with and even though I left him, he didn’t hesitate before coming for me.I know he was very relieved in the heat of the moment but I couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen once the adrenaline wore off and he could think a bit more clearly.One thing I knew was that I was going to spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to him.Adriano was more honorable than people knew. I never thought I would be one of those women who would be pleased because her man killed people for her but as it turned out, I was one of those women.He pulled up to the house, which seemed to have more security guards on duty than normal and I knew it was all because of me.A few hours away, we were celebrating Christmas in bliss but I just had to go and ruin everything for every
Claim by the Don Chapter 145
Adriano’s POVThe warehouse was a hive of chaos, but I didn’t hear the shouting or the echoing footsteps behind me. All I saw was Melanie. She sat bound to a chair, her face pale, and her lip split, a streak of blood trailing down her chin. Alex Pushkin had a gun pressed to her temple. My blood ran cold. I raised my weapon, keeping my voice steady. “Let her go.” Behind me, my men spread out, weapons aimed and ready. They waited for my signal, but I couldn’t give it—not yet. One wrong move, one miscalculation, and Melanie could die. Pushkin laughed, a guttural sound that grated on my nerves. “You think you scare me? I’ve killed better men than you.” His hand twitched, and I saw the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. Good. He was scared, even if he didn’t want to admit it. Fear made people sloppy. I needed to buy time, distract him long enough for my men to position themselves. “Erica,” I said, shifting my focus to the woman who stood off to the side, smug and self-satisfie
Claim by the Don Chapter 144
Melanie’s POVI woke up to the biting chill of a dark, unfamiliar room, my head pounding as if it had been split in two. My wrists ached from the tight ropes binding them, and my ankles felt just as constricted."You’re awake," Erica drawled, her tone laced with mock concern. She folded her arms and leaned against the rusted frame of the door, watching me like a predator eyeing its prey. "How are you feeling, darling?" I didn't respond. My throat was dry, and my words caught somewhere between anger and fear. God, how could I have been foolish enough to let, Erica manipulate me? I should have known that she was up to no good when Alice told me that Adriano left her at the altar.I guess now I was paying the price for my foolishness."Cat, got your tongue?" she asked, smirking. "Or maybe it’s the shock of realizing you’ve been so incredibly stupid." Her words stung more than I cared to admit. I should have known better. Adriano had always been honest with me in his own way, even w
Claim by the Don Chapter 143
Adriano’s POVSomething was off.I didn’t know what but the moment I ended the call with Nik and sat down to work, something in my head kept nagging at me.At first, I thought it was the unusual silence in the house but I figured that was because everyone was probably asleep.I had expected Melanie to come find and chastize me for taking too long but since she didn’t, that meant that the day finally got to her and she succumbed to sleep.My girl was a rockstar tonight, and like I expected, she had my entire family eating from the palm of her hands throughout the dinner. I was sure they saw exactly what I did from the moment I set my eyes on her.By now Nik should be mobilizing the guys to infiltrate the last warehouse. He got intel that Pushkin finally moved all the girls to one place and he just got the location. I trusted Nik could handle this without me, after all, he had just singlehandedly negotiated a new deal with the Irish.Tonight I was going to end it sleeping next to the wo
Claim by the Don Chapter 142
Melanie’s POVThe cool night air felt like needles against my skin as I hurried down the street, my duffel bag slung over my shoulder. My legs felt like lead, but I pushed forward, every step putting more distance between me and the house that was once my prison but later became my home. The streets were quiet, the kind of silence that normally would have scared me, but tonight I welcomed it. I avoided the well-lit areas, sticking to the shadows, hoping none of Adriano's guards would see me. My pulse raced with every second, and my breath was uneven.I had no idea where I was going, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was getting away and I was lucky enough to have been able to avoid the guards. I guess the weeks of walking the grounds and studying their routine paid off.Luckily, a cab finally came into view at the corner of the street, its headlights a beacon of hope. I flagged it down, my arm trembling as I waved. The driver, an older man with kind eyes, rolled down the window.
Claim by the Don Chapter 141
Melanie’s POVThe first image made my heart stop.It was of a young girl who was barely a teenager. She was sitting on a dingy mattress in what looked like a warehouse, her eyes hollow, her body too thin. Behind her, a shadowy figure loomed a man I didn't recognize but I could bet my life on it that it was her oppressor.My throat tightened as I flipped to the next photograph and the next. Each one was worse than the last. Girls, so young they could barely be called women, trapped in squalor, their faces etched with fear.I couldn't breathe.At first, I thought, no, and hoped that this was evidence Adriano had gathered to shut down a trafficking ring. It had to be. He couldn't possibly be involved in this. He could kill a man but there was no way he was responsible for harming innocent girls.But then I saw it, rather I saw him. And there was no mistaking the fact that he was the one because I recognized Nik beside him.They were both holding onto girls and leading them to God knows w
Claim by the Don Chapter 140
Melanie’s POVWe rode home in comfortable silence. I was too full and happy from the good food and great company to say anything further.Plus, I couldn’t take my hands off the bracelet. It was just too beautiful. I’ve never owned anything as expensive as this and I was so scared to ask him how much it cost.We already exchanged gifts in the morning so I wasn’t expecting anything more from him.In a not-so-surprising turn of events, Alice was still awake by the time we got home.“For a moment I thought you both were going to spend the night there,” Alice said when we got into the living room."It's really late, Alice, and I'm sure you've had a long day. You should be sleeping," Adriano said.“I couldn’t sleep when I knew how important today was to Melanie. I was too anxious to know how it went,” she replied.“Well, you can rest easy now because it went very well,” I told her.Her face lit up with a smile and she gave me a quick hug, making me laugh.“I told you, you had nothing to wor
Claim by the Don Chapter 139
Melanie’s POVThe soft glow of candlelight and the twinkle of garlands wrapped around the staircase banister made the dining room feel almost magical. The air was thick with the aromas of roasted meats, spiced wine, and fresh-baked rolls, making my stomach grumble in anticipation. Platters of steaming food filled every inch of space. Roast beef surrounded by caramelized vegetables, golden potatoes dusted with rosemary, bowls of vibrant salads, and an assortment of bread rolls that looked fresh out of the oven. When we heard no movement on the steps, Zoey gave a sharp clap of her hands and called out to the men, her voice cutting through the hum of conversation. “Dinner is ready! Boys, come join us!” she said.I heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs as Adriano and the rest of the men made their way over. Adriano entered first, his presence commanding as always, but his warm smile was reserved for me alone. My heart gave a tiny flutter, and I smoothed my dress nervously. As
