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Chapter 64
Last Updated:
2024-12-22 13:00:51
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Claim by the Don Chapter 65
Adriano’s POVThe last thing I wanted was to go searching for an adult male by this time of the night.I’d had a long day and after my briefing with, Nik, I wanted to take a shower and crawl into bed.But no, that fucker had to go wander off. Ralph left him alone for a few minutes to go get the car from where he parked it earlier so he could drive, Mateo home but when he got back in the room where he had been sown up, Mateo was nowhere to be found.“Go tell the guys outside to search the grounds,” I told Nik. “He might have wandered outside but I’ll check the house just in case.”Nik nodded. "You got it, boss."We went separate ways and I started my search from the empty guest rooms, maybe he was looking for a place to sleep and stumble into one of them, but he wasn’t in any one.I even went to the gym and movie room, but still, I came up empty. That was when I took my search downstairs and started he
Last Updated : 2024-12-23Claim by the Don Chapter 66
Adriano’s POVAfter Melanie left the kitchen, I opened the low-level drawers. I kept a few knives and other tools in there in case it came in handy to, Alice not that she'd ever had any need to use them because she was protected.But the knowledge that she had the tools to protect herself if it ever comes to that allowed her to rest easy and it wasn't a big deal for me to do it for her. Plus, she was great with knives so I pity anyone who makes the gross mistake of underestimating her.Luckily, the drawer had what I needed. I took the secateurs from the drawer and slipped it into my pocket. I won't be able to sleep if I didn't exact retribution. Maybe this would be a warning to anyone who didn't get the message earlier.I left the house and walked towards the driveway where Ralph and Nik were standing watching over Mateo with identical glares on their faces, clearly pissed that he'd sent them on an unnecessary search.Mateo
Last Updated : 2024-12-23Claim by the Don Chapter 67
Melanie’s POVIf someone had told me that I was going to spend most of my night stitching up a man with a stab wound, I would have laughed in their faces.And it would have been more unbelievable if the person had added that the same person I stitched up would try to harass me.I’d been living here for weeks and even though, Adriano and I had tethered on the edge of our attraction towards each other, he had never done anything inappropriate to me or even made me uncomfortable.I didn't communicate much with the ground guards in the house but I assumed they'd be like, Ralph. Grumpy, quiet, and focused on their jobs. The last thing I expected was for Mateo to come on to me considering I didn't think he was dumb enough to have been oblivious to my conversation with, Adriano in the medical room which would have given him a pretty good guess on the dynamics of my relationship with, Adriano.The look on, Adriano's face when
Last Updated : 2024-12-24Claim by the Don Chapter 68
Melanie's POV"Hello…. I'm right here," I said, infuriated that they were ignoring me.“We know exactly where you are, little nurse,” Adriano replied.“Then stop talking as if I'm invincible!” I yelled.“No need to yell, dear. We're just looking out for you,” Alice said.“I'm quite capable of taking care of myself,” I replied.“That's why you're trying to skip breakfast?” Adriano asked.“I don't need a lecture from you and neither do you control what I eat,” I huffed.He ignored me and turned to, Alice. “Like I said, she doesn't leave this house unless she's eaten breakfast.”Alice nodded in response, and then he turned to me.“Have a good day, little nurse,” he said. “I'll see you when I get back.”Then he grabbed his suit jacket and walked out of the house while I struggled not to throw the vase on the table at his incredibly fine ass.Alice's chuckling drew m
Last Updated : 2024-12-24Claim by the Don Chapter 69
Melanie’s POV“You didn’t get enough sleep, huh?” she asked.“It’s not what you think,” I said."Oh, it sounds like you were busy with your hot, Italian boyfriend which ended up with you being sleep-deprived," she said. "Now it makes sense why your eyes look so huge."I sighed. When was I going to learn to keep my damn mouth shut?"Okay, I am sleep-deprived and it has something to do with, Adriano but I promise it's not what you think," I repeated. "You need to get your mind out of the gutter."“Girl, my mind lives in the gutter and it’s beyond saving so don’t even bother,” Hayley said. “Now tell me, does Adriano look as bad as you do or is it just you?”“Hayley!”"What?! I'm just trying to find out to what degree he tired you out last night. On a scale of one to ten, with one being not at all and ten being out of this world, which is it."I shook my head. “I don’t know why I even bother
Last Updated : 2024-12-25Claim by the Don Chapter 70
Melanie’s POVIt didn’t come as a surprise that, Hayley was right.When Aria called and I asked her if it would be possible for us to meet in the hospital instead, her response was, "I didn't expect anything else."I also informed her that we were going to have company and she was totally fine with it. Now, Hayley and I were seated at a table at the cafeteria, five minutes into our lunch hour.“Do you think she’s still coming?” Hayley asked. “She’s five minutes late.”I waved her off. “She’s probably stuck in traffic,” I said. “You know how it gets during rush hour.”Hayley sighed. “Okay, I’ll wait five more minutes and if she doesn’t show, I’m getting something to eat and you look like you need another cup of coffee.”That would be correct. Although the breakfast and coffee helped a lot, I found myself getting tired when I wasn’t even halfway into my shift for the day. Then I had another cup of coffee bef
Last Updated : 2024-12-25Claim by the Don Chapter 71
Melanie’s POV“Yep, I have a crush on a hot doctor,” Hayley answered.“I like talking about boys that aren’t related to me,” Aria said, “Tell me more.”"You're the one that always brings up your brother in our conversations," I argued. I had to defend myself.“That’s because you get all pouty and quiet if you’re not talking about him,” Aria replied.“Uh…huh, that’s why she’s letting him keep her up all night,” Hayley said and Aria turned her head so fast I thought she was going to snap it.“What did you say?”“I mean look at Melanie, she has sunken eyes and has been slow all day. I can only think of one thing that’ll have a person looking like that in the morning and it has a happy ending,” Hayley explained.I watched, Aria's shoulders relaxed in relief that I hadn't told, Hayley exactly what went down last night but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she would think I told Hayley
Last Updated : 2024-12-26Claim by the Don Chapter 72
Melanie’s POVI knew Hayley was going to have a lot to say when I got back to the nurses’ station on the ICU floor and I was right.“Damn girl, that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” she said.“I’m glad you had fun,” I said.“That being said, if you don’t marry him, I will.”“Hayley!”"What!? I'm not being funny. I mean look at his sister. Any woman who is able to raise a girl child with so much wealth and turned out to be so pleasant is the kind of family you want to marry into."“Can you please stop talking about my marriage when I’m not even engaged to the man?” “With the way it’s going, it’s only a matter of time before he pops the question,” she said. “Has he introduced you to the rest of his family?”I shook my head. Aria was the only one I’ve met and I hoped it remained so. The thought of meeting his family was quite scary.I was already lying to enough people as it
Last Updated : 2024-12-26
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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
