Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 272

And there she was. Dinara stood at the end of the hall, framed by the broken door, her face pale but her eyes like steel. The gun in her hand didn’t tremble, not even a little. Smoke curled from the barrel, drifting between us.

“You,” I hissed, my voice low and ragged.

“Yes, it’s me. Are you surprised?” she said. She was getting into the moment now, growing more confident with every word.

“ I left you in the room. What are you doing here? I am trying to save you,” I said. Playing dumb.

She scoffed. “Save me? Leave Dominic alone. Get away from him.”

But I didn’t move. I kept staring at her. “What are you doing, Dinara? What do you think you’re doing?”

“What do I have to do, Asher. Today, Everything ends for you. It is time for the new Don to rise. And that Don is not you. It’s Dominic Romano. Your era has ended, Asher.”

I smiled sadly. “So you’re going to kill me. Is that it? And then what? You think anyone is going to agree to be led by you?”

“They will have no choice! Look,” she said, motioning towards the dead bodies around us. “We were attacked. You ran to save me. You got shot. You’re dead. Dominic takes the reins. He is the second in command, the only Romano left. Hence..... Hence. No one will question anything. Dominic is going to swear that he’s going to take revenge for you. And then, ta-da! Game is over.”

“Dominic,” I said, turning my attention towards him. “Are you in on this with her?”

“Get yourself off me,” he said, pulling himself up from the ground. “You’ve always looked down on me. You always thought you were better than me. But, like Dinera said, your era is over. It is now time for the new don to rise. And for the new Roman Empire to show itself in the world.”

“Is her pussy really that much?” I asked with a smile.

“You think you’re invincible, Asher. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re ending you.”

“Come on, Dinara,” I said, my voice low but cutting. “Stop lying to the poor guy. Just tell Dominic the truth. This isn’t about love. This isn’t about him being the Don.....although that would make everything better, right?”

I tilted my head, eyes narrowing. “Although I’m curious… what are people going to think? That what? I'm going to die, and then you're going to get married to my younger brother?” I let the question marks hang in the air, one after another, sharp as knives.

“And you,” I said, turning toward Dominic. “The way that you believe this is really about you, about love. Have you ever thought about how she had never thought about killing me before? But when her brother died, she was so infected with rage that she suddenly wanted to kill me. Haven’t you wondered why?”

“Stop talking," Dinara snapped. "Get on your knees right now,”