Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 152

Luca drives. And drives. And drives.

At some point, I must have dozed off. When I blink back to consciousness, we’re parked in front of a building, not nearly as grand as the one I’d just left behind when Asher found me. It’s not terrible, but it’s older, and worn down. The kind of place where no one asks questions and everyone minds their business.

It reminds me too much of the apartment I lived in before Asher found me.

I rub my eyes and squint at the building. “Is this the place?” I ask groggily.

Luca doesn’t respond. He just mutters, “About time,” then swings his door open and steps out.

I guess that’s my cue.

I open my door and climb out, the stiff air greeting me. Luca’s already heading inside, so I follow, dragging my feet. We take the stairs, one flight, then another until we’re in a dim hallway. He stops at a door, unlocks it, and walks in like he owns the place.

Something feels… off. I hesitate, standing at the doorway, frowning.

But then I step inside. It’s cold. The space is small and functional at best. Cracked paint, dusty air, a faint scent of dampness that clings to old buildings. My arms instinctively wrap around my body. A chill, not just physical settles into my bones.

“Is this where we’re going to be staying?” I ask as Luca moves around, inspecting the windows, peeking into corners like he’s checking for traps.

He scoffs. “Yeah. What? Not up to your taste, princess?”

“What’s up with you?” I snap, annoyed by his mocking tone.

“Nothing,” he says, still half-distracted, rifling through a cabinet. “I’m just surprised at how relaxed you were in that little palace you called a cage. What did you call it again? Your ‘gilded cage’? You had it good. Paid for. Protected. Playing happy family.”

I clench my jaw. “Don’t talk to me like Asher picked me off the street.”

“But he did, didn’t he?” Luca tosses a glance my way, smirking. “You should’ve seen the dump you were living in before. Not so different from this place. Still, I bet you think this is beneath you.”

“I had a home. A family,” I fire back, stepping toward him, my voice rising with the heat in my chest.

“Still not as nice as that apartment you and your son were in, though,” he continues, unbothered. “Your father was just a low-level soldier. He couldn’t afford that kind of life for you. We both know that. So I don’t know why you’re playing stubborn now, little Ari.”

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