Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 178

The room went dead silent.

No one moved. No one spoke.

It was like time had paused again, but this time it wasn’t fear or chaos, it was tension. The kind of tension that threatens to squeeze the life out of you. Everyone seemed to be weighing their next move, their next word, their next breath.

But Alan, battered and bloodied wasn’t backing down.

“Who the fuck are you?” he repeated, glaring at Luca. “I want to know who you are.”

“You have no right to know,” Maria cut in sharply before Luca could answer. She took a step forward. “This is not your house. Nobody here involves you. You came into this home, and you met me at the door. I told you everything was fine. You didn’t want to understand. You forced your way in, you caused a mess, and now....” She gestured toward Alan’s bruised face, “you got beat. Now leave.”

Dana’s eyes snapped toward Maria, narrowing, ready to challenge her. But then her gaze came back to me.

I swallowed, hard, already knowing what was coming before she even opened her mouth.

Dana took a slow breath.

“I would like to believe that you are my friend, Ariana,” she said softly. “And I would like to believe that Alan is kind of your friend too. We’ve all spent time together. We’ve hung out. Had meals. Laughed. You know us!”

She looked around the room like she was searching for logic, for clarity, for sanity.

“And this... this has happened in your house. In your bedroom.”

Her voice cracked.

“I’m your friend. At least I thought I was. But now? Just what the hell is going on here?” Her tone was raw, climbing with emotion. “What the fuck is going on here?”

She pointed back at her brother. “Look at him!”

I did. But I had already seen enough. The blood on his face. The bruises were darkening by the minute. The swelling.

“He came in here because he thought you were in danger,” Dana said, her voice almost trembling now. “Because he heard you scream. Because he wanted to help.”

She shook her head. “This is not fair.”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but she was still speaking, her voice now desperate and raw. “What if today was a mistake? What about tomorrow? What about the day after that? Do I just ignore your screams next time? Do we stay away because you’re ‘fine’?” She looked me straight in the eyes, and I could barely hold her gaze.

“Because believe me,” she continued, “if this is how it’s going to be, if my brother getting destroyed in your house is something you’re willing to justify or protect, then you and I... we’re no longer friends.”

Her voice broke. “Not like this. I wouldn’t do this to your brother.”

My throat closed. I bit my lip. “I didn’t do anything to Alan, Dana,” I whispered.

She shook her head. “That’s not the point.”

She was right. And that stung worse than anything.

“It was your screams that brought him here. I was scared when I heard them. I told him to stay back. I told him we should call the police. But he didn’t listen. He flashed. He ran into the fire without thinking because his first instinct was to protect you. Trying to save you and your son.”

She paused, her voice trembling again.

“I followed him, but I had Rosie to think about. I couldn’t just barge in. But this....” she motioned to Alan again, to the blood still drying on his skin, “how do I explain this to Rosie?”

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