Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 226

ARIELLA

Alan takes a step closer, his eyes darting around the room as if checking we’re truly alone. His hands are clenched slightly at his sides, and there’s a hardness in his jaw I haven’t seen before.

“I… I don’t have much time,” he says, his voice low, urgent. “Something’s happening, Ariella...”

I freeze. My heart jumps. “What do you mean? What’s happening?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady, but it trembles just slightly.

He shakes his head quickly, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t explain everything here. Too many eyes, too many ears. But I know he’s planning something… and you’re in danger.”

I take a step back, gripping the edge of a chair for support. My mind races. “Danger? What kind of danger? Is Dana...”

“No!” he interrupts sharply, holding up a hand. “Not her. You. You and Leon. This is serious, Ariella.”

I swallow hard, trying to absorb his words. My chest tightens. “Okay… okay. What do I do?”

Alan’s gaze softens just slightly, but the tension doesn’t leave him. “You can't stop it alone. I can help you. But you have to trust me. Completely. No doubts, no hesitation.”

I stare at him, my mind spinning. Trust him? After everything? After Luca, after Asher… after all of it? My hands tremble slightly as I realize I have no other choice either.

“I… I don’t know if I can,” I whisper, my voice breaking.

Alan steps closer, his tone firm but careful. “You can. You have to. For Leon. For yourself. And I won’t let anyone touch either of you.”

I look into his eyes, searching for certainty, for a plan, for hope. And somehow, in that moment, I feel a small spark of both fear and relief.

“Okay,” I say finally, my voice barely above a whisper. “Okay… I’ll trust you.”

He nods, a flash of relief crossing his face before it hardens again. “Good. But we need to move fast. There’s no time to waste.”

I realized that I have no choice but to trust him. But I’m a little uncoordinated. I don’t know what to do. So I just keep moving inside the room, not doing anything productive with myself.

“What are you doing?” His voice snaps me back into reality.

“Ah… what?” I ask, startled.

“Go upstairs. Pack your bag. Pack Leon’s bag. Let’s go.”

“I have to tell Maria... we have to go with her.”

“No,” he snaps, cutting me off sharply. “No, Maria.."

" But we can’t leave her..... And what is this danger?” I ask, my mind racing. “Wait…" I see, my mind now starts to put things together.

"What’s the danger? What’s going on? Why don’t you tell me? How do you know about it?”

“Just go upstairs and pack this bag,” he says urgently. “We don’t have a lot of time. I’m going to explain everything to you later.”

Someone grabs my arm, pulling me back. His hand goes over my mouth to shut me up, but my screams don’t stop. They tear out of me, muffled, desperate, full of panic, full of fear, full of horror.

I can’t stop. I can’t stop. I scream and scream and scream, even as the world around me fades, and all I can see is him, lying there, helpless, and bleeding.

Someone’s voice whispers in my ear, sharp and urgent, probably the one holding my mouth.

“Stop screaming. Just stop.”

But I can’t. It’s like my body has a mind of its own. I can’t control my voice, can’t control my limbs, can’t control my head. I can’t stop the scream, and it keeps ripping out of me, wild and desperate.

Another voice cuts through the chaos, louder this time.

“Make her stop!”

And then another one, almost frantic

“What do you want me to do?"

"I’ll do it!”

I can’t understand whose here or what they want. I can’t process what they’re saying. My ears are ringing, my head spinning. My vision blurs.

And then suddenly, without warning, everything goes black.