Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 155

Luca sighed.

“Asher doesn’t know where you are.”

“What?” I asked taken off guard by his admission.

“I did this for his own good,” Luca said, brushing past the shock on my face. “He told me to take you to point A. I brought you to point C. That’s all you need to know.”

I stood frozen, unsure what to say. Confused, overwhelmed.

"So, I am going to remind you again, not to do anything stupid."

Then Luca did something I didn’t expect. He stepped forward, kissed my forehead gently, and said, “Let me say goodbye to my favourite little guy.”

And just like that, he left while I was still standing there, stunned.

I had been in a cage, controlled, and monitored. Now suddenly, Leon would go to school. That I could go outside, wherever I want. Get a job. Live like a normal person. And Asher wasn’t even here.

I wanted to run. The thought crept into my mind instantly. But then I remembered Christian.

There had to be people watching. They wouldn’t have made it this easy.

Was this freedom?

A test?

No. It couldn’t be. Not after what Alex did. Not after how serious it all was.

So what the hell was going on?

But then I thought about what Luca had said again.

This wasn’t the first time he’d mentioned it. It was the third, actually. The third time he made it clear that Asher had given him one set of instructions… and he had done something completely different.

Why?

Was Luca not loyal to Asher anymore?

Were they not on the same side?

The thought stirred something restless inside me. If Luca had disobeyed Asher before, more than once, what did that mean? Was he defecting? Acting on his own? Could he be… persuaded?

Could I make an accomplice out of him?

That idea made my stomach twist. But it was there now, planted in my mind like a stubborn weed.

He was unpredictable. One moment cold and detached, the next… handing me a lifeline, breaking rules. There was a bitterness in the way he talked about me and Asher as if something personal was stuck in his throat every time he mentioned us.

A grudge. That’s what it felt like.

He wasn’t just some messenger. He wasn’t just following orders. He had opinions. Emotions. And maybe… doubts.

So what was this?

Was it all part of some bigger plan?

Or was Luca someone who might be useful to me, when—I decided I couldn’t stay caged anymore?

I didn’t know.

But I needed to find out. Because for the first time in a long while, the door wasn't just locked. It was cracked.

The kind of place where front lawns stayed perfectly trimmed, bicycles leaned lazily against fences, and wind chimes whispered through the evening breeze. A place where people waved when you walked past, even if they didn’t know your name. Yet.

At first, I kept my head down. I didn’t want to get involved. I wasn’t sure how long I’d even be here. But over time, people started to notice, especially the woman next door.

For weeks, I saw her—watering the plants in the morning, unloading groceries with her little girl, or walking up the driveway in flats and a tote bag slung over her shoulder. The house next door was beautiful, and I’d always wondered who could afford something like that on a quiet street like ours.

Her name, I eventually found out, was Dana. And she lived next door. Still, I kept to myself. I didn’t know who was watching. Who was reporting back to Luca? Or to Asher. Or to someone else I didn’t even know existed. I couldn't afford to make friends. Not real ones.

I did see Dana at school often, sometimes near Leon’s class, sometimes chatting with other parents. She always had her daughter with her, and that only made it harder to figure her out. Was she just a parent? Or was she a teacher too?

Still, I never asked. I didn’t speak. Just a smile, a nod maybe, whenever our paths crossed.

That changed one afternoon during a parent-teacher activity at the school. It was one of those harmless, school-organized "community building" things where you decorate cupcakes and pretend not to be exhausted by motherhood. I stood awkwardly at the edge of the classroom, trying to be present for Leon while making sure not to stand out.

And there she was. Dana. Not just chatting anymore but at the front of the room. Helping organize the kids into groups, giving out instructions, calling them by name.

So she was a teacher.

Later, while the kids were frosting cupcakes and smearing sprinkles everywhere, we somehow ended up beside each other by the drinks table.

“You’re Ryan’s mom, right?” she asked, smiling.

I blinked. “Yeah… I mean—yes. I’m Ariana.”

She extended her hand. “Dana. I teach the lower-grade reading classes, so I work with Ryan sometimes. He’s got a lot of questions.”

I laughed lightly. “That sounds like him.”

It was awkward. Not bad, but cautious. I didn’t know how much to say. She seemed genuine, but that didn’t mean she was safe.