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Chapter 79
Last Updated:
2024-12-30 13:30:57
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Claim by the Don Chapter 80
Adriano’s POVI like to think of myself as a somewhat patient man, but Melanie has been testing my patience for a while now and I was just about done with this shit.Whoever said patience was a virtue didn’t know what the fuck they were talking about.When she came down this morning, looking tired and sleep-deprived, I felt so guilty because I had kept her up till late and probably messed with her sleep schedule. I felt somewhat better when, Ralph reported to me that, Aria went to have lunch with her in the hospital. At least I was so sure she wasn't skipping her meals even though what I really wanted was to be with her.Then Ralph called in the evening and told me she was insisting on going to her apartment and I let her go because I was still making up for last night.However, my patience died the moment I came into the house and saw the shirt she was wearing.A proper glance at it and I immediately knew that the shir
Last Updated : 2024-12-30Claim by the Don Chapter 81
Melanie’s POVI didn’t expect such an intense reaction from, Adriano. In fact, I didn’t think there was even a cause to make a big deal but boy did he prove me wrong.Not only was he freaking mad, he also looked ready to take the shirt off me by himself. Thankfully, I was able to use the distraction caused by, Alice to escape him. If not for her, Adriano would have succeeded in stripping off my shirt in the middle of the living room.And the thing that shocked me the most was that, even though I was surprised and a lot confused by his intense reaction, I would have let him take the shirt off me. The only reasonable explanation I had for his behavior was jealousy.Adriano was jealous of a man he had never even met. Albeit, the man was my dad but it made me feel flutters in my belly and I smiled at the memory of it.Hopefully, now that he knew the shirt belonged to my father, he would let me wear it in peace.The sound of a knock on my door distracted me and I groaned.I honestly would
Last Updated : 2024-12-31Claim by the Don Chapter 82
Melanie’s POV I woke up feeling way more rested and energized than I felt yesterday. Adriano’s shirt was extremely comfortable to sleep in but no way was I admitting that to him, ever. I wasn’t the only one that noticed the difference. Hayley smiled at me when I got to the nurses’ station. “Someone looks good today,” she said. “Please don’t start,” I begged. “I didn’t do anything, Melanie. I was just pointing out the obvious,” she replied. "Yeah, I slept well. Are you happy now?" I asked. “Well… I guess you could say so,” she replied. Just then, Kelly walked up to us and my smile faded. “Good morning, guys,” she greeted in a chipper voice. “Good morning, Kelly,” I replied while Hayley rolled her eyes and ignored her. “Hayley, are you still mad about the other night?” Kelly asked. “But I already apolo
Last Updated : 2024-12-31Claim by the Don Chapter 83
Melanie’s POVI didn’t speak for fear that, Hayley might laugh and tell me she was joking all along. I allowed myself to process what she had said thinking I might have heard her wrong.“Say something, Melanie. Aren’t you excited?” Hayley asked.“I don’t know,” I whispered and she frowned.“You don’t know if you’re excited?”“No, I don’t know if what you said is real or you’re just trying to mess with me,” I said.“You think I would joke about a surgery as complicated as a Whipple!?”“I don’t know what to think, okay!” I replied. “I thought student nurses weren’t allowed to scrub in on surgeries.”"It's not a strict rule. Doctors choose interns for their surgical team all the time. How else do you expect to learn?"”This is really exciting,” I finally allowed myself to admit. “How did you find out?”She shrugged. “You know me, I have my ways and I never disclose my sources but en
Last Updated : 2024-12-31Claim by the Don Chapter 84
Melanie’s POV“I know this smile,” I said. “That’s your I have good news smile and I wonder what could have possibly put that smile on your face.”“Let’s go clock out first,” she said.“We both clocked out before heading to the changing room but, Hayley pulled me into the restroom first.“Jeez! You need to stop dragging me places like I’m a child, Hayley,” I said.“You’re right, I do have news!” Hayley said after checking the stalls to make sure they were empty.I sighed, of course, she would ignore what I said. Nobody could make Hayley do anything."Yeah, I figured as much when you couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear," I said. "What is it? Did the hot doctor ask you out on a date or something?"“Oh, that would be a dream but that’s not the news I have,” she replied.“Then what is it?” I asked and she frowned at me."I can't believe you forgot already," she said.“For
Last Updated : 2025-01-01Claim by the Don Chapter 85
Melanie’s POVI took a quick shower and went down to the kitchen where Alice was.“That looks better than any pizza I’ve ever had,” I said.“Americans don’t know how to make pizza,” she replied.“I believe you now.”Through dinner, I told her about the surgery opportunity and how many of the nurses believed I was the most likely choice.“That sounds very exciting,” she said.“It is more than exciting,” I said. “This would be my first surgery and it is a very complicated procedure.”“Anyone ever told you that you get this glint in your eyes when you’re talking about your job?” she asked and I shook my head."Now you know. Seeing you talk about your work reminds me of how I feel when I'm cooking or learning a new recipe," she said.“But you’ve never even seen me do my job,” I said.“I don’t need to. It’s all in the eyes. Someone who lights up this much talking about her jo
Last Updated : 2025-01-01Claim by the Don Chapter 86
Melanie’s POVI stared at Hayley without saying anything. Until now, I didn’t know how much I wanted to be a part of that procedure. Now that I knew I had been so close and yet still so far made me so freaking sad but I couldn’t be a sore loser.“Say something, Melanie because you’re beginning to scare me,” Hayley said.“I guess he changed the criteria for his choice,” I said. “Lydia would be very happy about this.”Hayley scoffed. "Of course, she would, but something about this doesn't feel right."“No, Hayley, we’re not going to do that,” I said, shaking my head at her.“Do what?”“We’re not going to be petty and come up with reasons why, Lydia doesn’t deserve this. That would be me being a sore loser and I’m not. Lydia deserves this as much as anyone else so let’s just be happy for her.”"I would be happy for her if she really earned it," Hayley replied.“Hayley…”"No, wait hear me out before you say anything else," she cut me off. "Dr. Danny didn't change the criteria he based hi
Last Updated : 2025-01-08Claim by the Don Chapter 87
Melanie’s POV“I didn’t see you the last few hours,” I said. “Where have you been?”"I was on the surgical floor," she answered, throwing me completely off-guard.“Surgical floor? What on earth were you doing up there?”“I told you I needed to get some answers,” she said.“So you went to the surgical floor to what, catch him in a crime?”She smiled. “Something like that.””That’s not funny. You need to let this go, Hayley.”“You won’t be saying the same thing once I tell you what I found out.”That had my attention. I could already tell she had some news but I was hoping it was just my imagination.“What did you learn?” I asked."First, let me just say that I called it from the beginning," Hayley said.“Called what?”“The fact that you really deserved to be in that surgery and were cheated out of the opportunity,” she answered.I sighed. I already resigned myself to the fact I missed out so no matter what she said, nothing was going to change.“Okay, now that you’re so sure that I got
Last Updated : 2025-01-08
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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
