Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 175

“Shit!” Maria cursed under her breath.

Our eyes locked, panic mirrored in both our faces. We didn’t need to say anything. We both knew. Luca was here. Alan was downstairs. Both angry. Both protective. And if they ended up face-to-face? That would be a disaster. No—a bloodbath.

“That lover boy from next door, isn’t it?” Luca asked, his voice a venomous drawl, that same bone-deep, unsettling tone that chilled me.

“Nothing is going on between us,” I blurted out, hoping that maybe my denial would de-escalate him. “I swear.... Nothing.”

“Nothing is going on between the two of you?” he repeated, mocking me. “Then tell me.... can you hear him right now? Can you hear how hard he’s banging on that fucking door?”

His voice was pure spite, his smirk stretching wider. He was enjoying this.

“You know what?” Luca said, stepping forward, fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. “I was really angry when I got those pictures. Really fucking angry when I got the report. Yesterday.”

My eyes shot up to meet his. Yesterday?

He nodded, like he read my mind. “Yes. As soon as it happened. While you were out there,” he waved a hand toward the floor, toward the pictures “living your little fantasy, making out with Mr. Good Guy on the street, I was getting pictures. Live. Probably while his goddamn tongue was still in your mouth.”

I swallowed, the truth landing like rocks in my chest.

“You probably don’t know this,” he continued, his voice low and furious, “but there’s a fucking war going on back home. An actual war. And I.... I am Asher’s right-hand man. I left all that to come here and deal with this fucking high school drama.”

His voice cracked, his fury barely restrained.

“Because I knew,” he hissed, “if Asher had gotten those pictures first? If he was the one who saw that report—this wouldn’t be a conversation. This would be a massacre.”

I stood there, shaking. Maria was frozen behind him, her face pale, helpless.

“I mean... Ariana,” Luca roared suddenly, his voice tearing through the room like a gunshot. “What the fuck?!”

He pointed toward the photos still scattered across the floor again, shaking with rage.

“What the fuck were you thinking?!”

I opened my mouth, but no words came.

“After everything you’ve been through… after everything he went through to get you here,” Luca barked, “Asher wanted you under surveillance. Locked up. In one of our safe houses. No phones. No visitors. Nothing.”

He stepped closer, towering now, eyes blazing. “He wanted you buried in a vault, Ariana. You wouldn’t have had the freedom to breathe without him knowing.”

And then he said the one thing that knocked the air out of my lungs.

“And because I didn’t want you to hate him,” he said bitterly, “because I thought, maybe.... maybe you and Asher could still have something real… I went against his orders. I fought to bring you here. To give you some kind of freedom. To show you that he wasn’t just a cage.”

His voice cracked again, trembling this time. “And you do this?”

He pointed to the floor again. “You fucking do this?”

"I… Look, nothing happened. I can explain. It’s not what you’re thinking. Look, if I can just...”

But of course, Alan was still at the front door. Only now, it wasn’t knocking. It sounded like he was trying to beat it down.

Just great. When they were done, there wouldn’t be a bedroom door or a front door left in one piece.

“Fuck,” Maria cursed under her breath again as she crouched down, hurriedly collecting the scattered photos from the floor.

I stood there, frozen. Staring at Luca. He was staring back at me, but now it wasn’t just anger. It was something worse, disappointment. He shook his head slowly, lips pressed into a grim line.

“ what the fuck Ariella? What is wrong with you?” he asked, voice lower now but still sharp enough to cut bone. “You knew we were watching you. Christian is here watching over you..... Did you do this on purpose to get Asher's attention, Is that it?”

“I thought…” I mumbled. “I thought it was just security. Just protection.... I didn't know...”

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