Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 20

Chapter 20

He didn’t look convinced, but he nodded anyway.

I exhaled and left the room, hesitantly making my way to the front door. My pulse pounded as I reached for the handle. I wasn’t ready for this.

I braced myself and pulled the door open. I sucked in a sharp breath.

Not Asher.

The man standing on the other side of the door smiled, his eyes glinting with something.

“Did you miss me, little Ari?”

Before I could react, he pulled me into a hug.

I stiffened, shock paralyzing me.

Had I missed him?

He pulled back slightly, tilting his head. “Where’s Leon? Can I see him?” I swallowed.

Luca.

What was he doing here? I never thought I’d see him again.

And why was he acting like we were friends Because we weren’t.

I could feel it. There was something else going on here. Something wasn’t right. I glanced behind him, looking past him for any sign of Asher, and then turned my eyes back to Luca.

“Where’s Asher?” I asked, my voice careful,

“Not here.”

I frowned, trying to make sense of it. “what are you doing here? Did he tell you to come and get me? Is he finally here?”

Luca chuckled, the sound light and dismissive. It only added to the strange feeling.

“Come on! Let’s go downstairs.” He waved his hand casually, “Hey, Leon, it’s your fun uncle.”

He reached down and took Leon’s hand. “Let’s go. We’re going shopping, and maybe we’ll stop at a playground so you can run around for a bit. And then we can buy some ice cream. Would you like that?”

“Yes, I’d like that. I would like that,” Leon said, clearly thrilled.

Despite my unease, I couldn’t deny that he deserved a moment of joy. So, I sighed and followed them.

When we stepped outside, We walked toward the cars parked in front of the house. That’s when I saw him—a young man standing off to the side, waiting.

Luca, noticing my attention, smiled and waved him over.

“Ariella, this is Mario.” He gestured toward the young man, then looked at me. “I know I told you I’d introduce you to him, so here he is. Mario, this is Miss Miachel”

I nodded at Mario, offering a polite but uncertain smile.

Luca didn’t wait for much more than that. He clapped his hands together, signalling the start of the day’s adventure. “Alright, let’s go. A whole day of fun awaits!”

After spending the day out shopping, eating, and taking Leon to the playground, we were finally back. Leon had been so excited throughout the day, laughing and running around like I hadn’t seen him do in a long time. He even fell asleep on the way back, his little body resting against me in the car.

Luca had been surprisingly good to him, and I noticed how Leon looked up at him with a twinkle in his eyes. I wouldn’t admit it, but I could see it-he wished he had a father.