All Chapters of MINE TO CLAIM : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

The news reached Dario while he was reviewing security footage from the waterfront. A meeting had been called - not by him, but by members of his own organization. An emergency session to discuss “leadership concerns” in the Santos empire.“Sir,” Alan reported, his voice tight with controlled anger. “When we reached the dock, we found Carissa. She was shot three times in the back, but she was still breathing. We got her to the hospital.”“Will she survive?”“The doctors aren’t sure. She lost a lot of blood, but she’s fighting.”Dario nodded, processing the information. His stepsister had been shot by her own mother, left to die on a concrete pier. Even by the standards of his world, Cecile’s brutality was shocking.“And Ava?”“No trace. They were gone by the time we arrived. But sir, there’s something else. The meeting—-”“I know about the meeting.” Dario straightened his tie with steady hands. “Let them have their say. Sometimes you learn more by listening than by talking.”The confe

The cell was barely ten feet square, with concrete walls that wept moisture and a single fluorescent bulb that flickered every few minutes. Ava sat with her back against the cold wall, her parents on either side of her, all three of them trying to find comfort on the thin mattress that served as their only furniture.Owen’s breathing was labored, each inhale seeming to cause him pain. The bruises on his face had darkened overnight, and Ava could see him favoring his left side where she suspected he had broken ribs.“I need to tell you both something,” Owen said finally, his voice rough from his swollen throat. “About who I used to be. About why we’re here.”Cara reached for his uninjured hand. “Owen, you don’t have to—”“Yes, I do. You deserve to know the truth, both of you. All of it.”For the next hour, Owen told them everything. About Eduardo Vega, the man he had been in Selvarra thirty years ago. About Cecile, his partner in crime and in bed. About the night he had left her blee

Rebecca Chen finished updating her last patient chart and glanced at the clock on the wall of the cardiac unit break room. Three-thirty. Her shift had officially ended, but she had stayed late to catch up on paperwork and avoid the usual afternoon traffic.She pulled out her phone and scrolled through her messages, hoping to see something from Ava. Nothing. Just like there had been nothing for the past week.It wasn’t like Ava to go silent for this long. They had been friends since college, had maintained regular contact even through their busiest residency rotations. Even when Ava had started dating that Santos man and her life had become more complicated, she had never disappeared completely.Rebecca hit the call button beside Ava’s name, listening to it ring once before going to voicemail. The same cheerful message she had been hearing for days.“Hi, you have reached Ava. I can’t come to the phone right now, but leave a message and I will get back to you soon.”“Ava, it’s me agai

The command center buzzed with quiet activity as dozens of masked operatives worked at their stations. Monitor screens displayed feeds from across Northshore, tracking everything from police movements to financial transactions. The Shadow organization had spent decades building this network, and now it was finally paying dividends.At the center of it all stood the leader, still wearing his black mask despite being surrounded by his most trusted subordinates. He studied the main display screen, which showed a map of the city marked with various colored pins representing their operations.“Status report,” he said without turning around. Dexter, his second-in-command, stepped forward with a tablet in his hands. “Our contacts inside the Santos organization report continued unrest. Three more lieutenants have questioned Dario’s legitimacy since yesterday.”“And his response?”“Nothing. Complete silence. He hasn’t called any meetings, issued any statements, or made any moves to reassert

Rebecca moved methodically through the cardiac unit, her clipboard in hand as she reviewed the morning’s patient files. Mrs. Rowen in room 301 was responding well to her new medication regimen - blood pressure down, swelling in her ankles reduced. She made a note to continue the current dosage for another week. Mr. Thompson’s post-operative recovery was ahead of schedule. His surgical sites were healing cleanly, and his cardiac function tests showed steady improvement. Rebecca updated his file with the latest lab results and scheduled him for discharge evaluation in three days.The Westley’s case required more attention. The elderly gentleman had been admitted with chest pains that turned out to be anxiety-related, but his underlying cardiac condition needed monitoring. Rebecca noted the psychiatrist’s recommendation for anti-anxiety medication and coordinated with Dr. Michael about adjusting his heart medications accordingly.After completing the file updates, she began her weekly