Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 219

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ARIELLA

Luca was the one who killed the silence with a sharp snap.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Ariella?”

I jolted. I wasn’t expecting him to blow up like that. But after a deep breath, I looked at him head-on.

“Don’t look at me as if this is my fault. This is all your fault, Luca. It’s all your fault.” I answered.

He laughed, a bitter, dry laugh that made my skin crawl.

“Really? So now it’s my fault that you’re lying to Asher?”

I shook my head, steadying myself.

“I’m not the one lying to Asher. You’re the one who convinced me it was in my interest to lie to him. And now he knows the truth and hates me.”

Luca’s eyes narrowed. But I continued.

" If you’d let me tell him the truth from the start, none of this would have happened. If I had told Asher the truth the very first time, right when he found me....I could have prepared him. We could have handled this smoothly. I could have talked to Leon, helped him understand...."

But now? I felt like I had wronged them both—Leon and Asher, and here I was, on the other side of the line, feeling more alone than ever.

Luca looked at me again and laughed.

“What the hell are you talking about, Ariella? Have you gone crazy? Is that it?”

I frowned. “Really? So now you’re calling me crazy for lying to Asher?”

He shrugged, unimpressed.

“You know what? I’m not going to waste any more time talking to you.”

His voice grew cold.

“I’m going out there. I’m going to find Asher and bring him home. And just so you’re prepared,” he added, “I’m going to tell Asher the truth. I kept quiet because I thought I was protecting you. But apparently, you don’t need protection.”

I laughed then, a harsh, bitter laugh that caught me by surprise.

“Now you’re going to tell him the truth after he’s already found out on his own? Good job, Luca. Good job.”

I returned his own words from earlier, the sting hanging heavy in the room between us.

“You know what? Fine. Have it your way, Ariella. And just so you know, the hell that Asher is going to rain down on you is going to be worse than the first time.”

“You can do worse, Luca. Nothing worse. Even if he decides to kill me, I’m okay. I am ready for it. I am fine with that. As long as by now Leon knows who his dad is. If I die, I know Asher is going to take care of him. I don’t care. Let him kill me.”