Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 103

Chapter 103

That caught me off guard.

“Afraid for him?” he said

+25 Bonus

“Afraid for him?” I asked quietly.

He nodded, that faraway look in his eyes again. “I’m afraid he’ll do something he can’t take back. Something he’ll regret for the rest of his life. Not just regret… something that will end

him.”

He looked right at me, dead in the eye, like he was begging me to understand. Like he was handing me something dangerous and delicate, and trusting me not to drop it.

And I understood one thing clearly, my life was not just out of my hands. It was in danger.

My eyes drifted toward the room we’d turned into Leon’s study space. And suddenly, I wasn’t just afraid for myself anymore.

I had everything on the line.

“Do you think he would do something to Leon?”

I asked, my voice trembling.

“He can’t do something to Leon. Please, Luca… he can’t. He’s not guilty of anything. If Asher wants to hurt someone, it should be me. I should be the one paying for it. So if he wants to do anything, if someone has to take the punishment I’ll gladly take it. But please, he can’t touch Leon.”

Luca placed his hand gently over mine.

“I don’t know what’s going on in Asher’s head,” he said quietly. “But I do know he’s angry. And I’m scared of what he might do to unleash that anger, of what he thinks will satisfy him. His version of the ultimate revenge.”

I stared at him, my heart sinking.

h

“And to answer your question about where he is, Luca added, “like I said, I’ve been trying to keep him away from this house.”

I nodded slowly, my fingers twisting together anxiously. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” he said, standing up. “Don’t worry about it….. Anyway, I promised Asher I’d come here, check on things, maybe scare you a little…make sure you’re on your best behaviour and scared as hell before I left. So… I’m going now.”

“Okay,” I said with a nod. But just as he took a few steps toward the door, I called out, “Luca, wait.”

1/4

Chapter 103

+25 Bonus

He turned. “Yes, little Ari? What is it?”

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding. “What do I do?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“How do I keep his attention away from Leon?” I asked, the words rushing out. “I can’t have him hurting Leon. He can hurt me, I can take it but he can’t hurt Leon. Leon is his blood…”

“Stop,” Luca said sharply, raising a hand. “Don’t talk like that. I told you…there are devices in this room. I don’t want him to hear you saying that.”

He came back, pulled up a chair, and sat closer. He took my hand again and looked me straight in the eyes.

“Listen to me, Ariella,” he said, his voice low and serious. “I’m doing this to protect you. Asher is so angry right now. When he finds out the truth… when he realizes what really happened five years ago, I don’t think he’ll be able to handle it. And I don’t think I’ll be able to stop him. Honestly, I don’t think anyone could stop him.”

I stayed silent, my lips pressed together as panic churned inside.

“So stop talking about him having a relationship with Leon. That’s not going to happen. What you have to do is hide him. Protect Leon. Keep him far away from Asher. Make sure those two never meet. Trust me, Ariella. I’m doing this for your own good… because I like that little boy.”

He paused, his eyes heavy with something I couldn’t name.

“And I really don’t know how Asher’s going to react, honestly. He’s not the boy you fell in love with anymore…I know you want to believe he’s still the young man you fell in love with,” Luca said, voice gentle but firm.

“But it’s been years, Ariella. And in those years, things have happened. Changes happened. He had to grow up fast. He had to take his place and carry responsibilities you can’t imagine. He had to do things…”

He trailed off, eyes dropping to the table. “I won’t go into detail. It’s not my story to tell. And he probably doesn’t want me to tell you this. But ake my advice.”

“But he wouldn’t do that,” I interrupted, desperation bleeding into my voice. “To Leon? To me

maybe. Probably. But Leon? He’s just a child. He hasn’t done anything to him.”

Luca met my eyes. “Like I told you…I didn’t say he wouldn’t. I said it’s better we don’t find out.”

His stare lingered long enough to make my heart thud with a deeper kind of fear. I found myself nodding, quietly whispering,

“Okay.”

He stood, brushing imaginary dust from his pants. “I gotta get out of here. He was pretty

2/4

Chapter 103

+25 Bonus

upset the last time I took you guys out. He didn’t sign off on that, and I don’t want another argument with him. I’m gonna go.”

But before he could take another step, I stopped him. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

He turned slowly, eyes narrowing slightly.

“What question?”

I looked straight at him. “What do I do? Is there any way I can protect myself? Protect Leon? Is there anything I can do to change my situation? Anything to make this even slightly better?”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify