Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 197

“Four?” she says, frowning. “Is Christian coming? It’s not his day.”

“No,” I say.

I don’t know if it’s the tone in my voice, but she stops what she’s doing, turns to look at me, eyes narrowing slightly.

“You cannot have invited Dana. You know that that is inviting trouble.”

“It’s not Dana.”

“Oh my God,” she groans. “How stupid do you think I am? All right, fine. Who is it then? And please don’t tell me you found another victim.”

“Another victim?” I repeat, feeling heat crawl up my neck. “What do you mean by another victim?”

“Another clueless man who doesn’t know who you belong to.”

I smile tightly as I respond, “Okay, well, just in case you were wondering... my copter is here. He is upstairs. So help me keep track of Leon so he doesn’t just bust into my bedroom. Put him away from now on, okay?” I snap at her, and then I turn and walk back up the stairs.

I don’t even know why I snapped at her. I mean, I do realise I am Asher’s, but not in the way she thinks.

In my heart, it has always been him. I could never stop thinking about him. I could never move from him. And I have just come to terms with it. But the way she wanted it, the way she framed it, I did not like that one bit.

I walk inside to find Asher sleeping on the bed. He looks so peaceful in his sleep. For a moment, I just stand there watching him, letting myself absorb the quiet—this rare stillness I rarely get to feel. I decide to let him be, to let him rest. But the moment I turn to walk away, I hear his voice, soft and low.

“Ariella.”

I stop and turn around. “Ah, you’re sleeping,” I whisper. “I should let you be.”

“Well,” he murmurs, already pushing the sheets aside, “as long as you’re here…”

Something in me tenses, nervous but drawn in, and I walk closer until I find myself getting into bed with him. He pulls me toward him naturally, like this is exactly where I belong. I snuggle into him, resting my head on his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin, listening to the steady, calming rhythm of his heartbeat.

“That was fast,” he says, his voice deep with sleep. “I thought you were going to be down there for hours.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify