Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 222

ARIELLA

I started shaking my head, about to answer, but she pressed on, almost rushing her words.

“It’s because he’s afraid. Afraid of what Asher might do. That Asher might bring the whole famiglia into trouble. And if Asher decides to be with you and Leon, I don’t think his wife will take that lightly. And the Russians? They won’t either. This might mean war.”

She shook her head again, looking at me as if I held all the answers, all the secrets.

“You can’t do that. Asher can’t do that. And I suppose Luca can’t either,” she said, stopping herself mid-thought. Her eyes darkened with pain. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but a lot of people have lost their lives because of war with them.”

Her voice cracked as she continued, “I lost my parents in that war with the Russians. They weren’t aiming for my mom, but she was with my dad in that car when it exploded.”

She took a deep breath, fighting back tears. “And Asher’s marriage to Dina…”

She gave me a look, one full of a mix of sorrow and resolve. “I’m sorry, Ariella, but Asher’s marriage to Dinara Volkov has been very prosperous for us. Not just during the war, but even now. Because of that, we’ve been able to focus on business. Our territory has expanded. You can’t....no one can go back to war.”

Her voice softened, but the weight of her words hung heavy in the air. “I know you love Asher. I know you and Asher are probably madly in love, and that Leon is your son. And I get that you want to be a family. But you cannot, you simply cannot put people’s souls... people’s fathers, people’s brothers, lives in danger.”

She spoke as if trying to convert me, hoping I’d see things her way. It was clear this topic was tender for her, the way she talked about her parents, the way her voice cracked.

I hadn’t even known she had lost her parents, or that they were taken from her, murdered or assassinated, I didn’t even know who they were.... There were so many things I didn’t know about Maria.

I realized I had to put that aside for now, because Luca’s words were still ringing in my head: He knows Leon’s real dad. Leon is not Asher’s son. He has evidence.

Where had he come to that conclusion? What the hell was he talking about? And worst of all, he said he was going to tell Asher the truth.

The silence between us was a crushing weight pressing down on my shoulders. I couldn’t move past Lucas’s words, those chilling words he had spoken to me. I was supposed to be the only one who knew the truth about Leon’s father. And that truth was clear: his dad was... Asher. It had always been Asher. The only man I had ever been with.

So why had Lucas said otherwise?

I glanced at Maria, searching for answers in her eyes, and she looked back at me, equally uncertain. Then my mind spiraled into everything she’d told me about Lucas, about how he put the famiglia first, no matter the cost.

Is that it? I wondered. Is that what Lucas was doing?

Was he planting seeds of doubt inside me, forcing me to question my own reality, my own life? And what next? Was he planning to plant those same doubts inside Asher’s mind, too? Just to make sure the three of us.... Asher, Leon, and I would never be a real family. To keep the family from breaking apart or clashing.

Is that it? Was Lucas trying to manipulate me, to twist my perception and force me to accept his version of the truth, not mine?

I bit my lip, not ready to tell Maria what Luca had said to me. She didn’t know about Luca’s threats, about the weight those words carried. I couldn’t bring myself to share it, though. And then the unsettling thought hit me, I didn’t really know her. I was surrounded by people I didn’t know.

What if she were on Luca’s side? What if he had put her here to spy on me?

“Luca was the one who gave you this job, right?” I asked her cautiously.

She hesitated, as if unsure where I was going. “Yeah,” she answered, voice low.

“Are you spying on me?” I pressed.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

I took a deep breath. “Did Luca put you in this house to watch me? To report on me?”

“Ariella,” she said softly, “look. I know things are messed up right now. And yes, I was brought here by Luca. I was chosen because he trusted me, because he trusted I wouldn’t tell a soul. Maybe I have been spying without realizing it, if he asks me how you’re doing, or how things are, I tell him. I thought he was just concerned, looking out for you. But beyond that, I don’t know anything. I don’t know what’s going on between you three. I swear, I don’t.”

I shook my head slowly. That answer wasn’t reassuring. It wasn’t enough. I couldn’t trust her either.