All Chapters of MINE TO CLAIM : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The living room was bathed in the soft glow of the television screen as Rebecca Chen curled up against her husband’s side on their worn leather couch. David had picked some action movie from the early 2000s, something with car chases and explosions that required little thought after a long week of work. The familiar comfort of their Sunday evening routine felt perfect until Rebecca’s mind began to wander.“I still can’t believe it,” she said suddenly, reaching for the remote to lower the volume.David glanced down at her, his arm tightening around her shoulders. “Can’t believe what?”“Ava. At that charity event. With him.” Rebecca shifted to face her husband properly. “I mean, I saw the pictures online like everyone else, but seeing them together in person was something else entirely.”“Yeah, I have to admit I was pretty stunned when you told me.” David muted the television completely, giving her his full attention. “I kept thinking you had mixed up the names or something. Ava wi

The silk sheets were tangled around Ava’s bare legs, her body still humming from hours of Dario’s relentless attention. Every muscle ached in the most delicious way, marks from his mouth and hands decorating her skin like a map of their passion. She had lost count of how many times he had brought her to the edge and pulled her over, his name falling from her lips like a prayer.Dario moved carefully in the darkness, his movements practiced and silent. The digital clock on the nightstand read 12AM, its red glow the only light in the room. He had been watching Ava sleep for the past twenty minutes, memorizing the way her red hair spilled across the pillow, how peaceful she looked when the world couldn’t touch her.His body protested as he stood, muscles tight from their marathon of lovemaking. She had been insatiable tonight, clinging to him with a desperation he didn’t fully understand but had been helpless to resist. Every kiss had tasted of need, every touch had begged him to s

The elevator doors opened to the familiar hum of NovaSpire Tech’s main floor, and Leandro McCarthy stepped into a world he had been avoiding for months. The sleek glass and steel interior looked exactly the same, but something fundamental had shifted in the way he saw everything now. The motivational posters on the walls seemed naive. The open workspace design felt exposed and vulnerable.“Mr. McCarthy!” Helena from the reception desk was the first to spot him, her face lighting up with genuine relief. Within seconds, the news of his return rippled through the office like wildfire. Employees began emerging from cubicles and conference rooms, some cautiously optimistic, others openly excited to see their CEO back.“Leo, thank God you’re here,” called out Jake from the development team. “We have been drowning without you.”“Good to have you back, boss,” said Evelyn from accounting, though her smile faltered slightly when she got a closer look at his face.Leandro smiled in return

The glass towers of downtown Northshore stretched toward the gray October sky like crystal fingers, each one housing the kind of power brokers and decision makers who shaped the city’s destiny. Rohan Marquez stepped out of his black sedan in front of the Ashford legal group building, straightening his charcoal suit jacket as he surveyed the imposing structure.Twenty-seven floors of legal expertise, with Raymond Ashford’s firm occupying the top three. If you needed a lawyer in Northshore and money was no object, this was where you came. Dario had been using Ashford’s services for years, trusting the older man’s discretion and ruthless efficiency when it came to protecting Santos interests.Rohan pushed through the revolving door into the marble lobby, his footsteps echoing in the vast space. The receptionist at the front desk looked up with the kind of practiced smile that suggested she had seen her share of dangerous men in expensive suits.“Good morning. I’m here to see Mr. Ashfo

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed eleven times, its deep bronze notes echoing through the quiet penthouse. Dario didn’t look up from the stack of reports spread across his mahogany desk. Numbers, projections, territory maps, incident reports from three different cities. The Santos empire didn’t sleep, and neither, it seemed, did he.His home office was his sanctuary, all dark wood and leather-bound books, with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a commanding view of Northshore’s glittering skyline. Usually, the space brought him peace. Tonight, it felt like a war room. The shipping manifest from the Drosvane port needed his approval. The territorial dispute in Thavos required delicate handling. The vandalism in Velmora demanded swift retaliation. Each decision carried weight, rippling outward through an organization that touched every corner of the eastern seaboard.Dario rubbed his temples, feeling the familiar ache that had become his constant companion over the pas