Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 331

ARIELLA

After getting dressed, I glanced once toward the bathroom door. The water was still running. For a brief second, I considered walking in, wrapping my arms around him again, just to reassure myself he was still here.

But I didn’t. If I started doing that every time fear crept in, I would never let him leave the room. So instead, I stepped out and quietly closed the bedroom door behind me.

As I started walking downstairs, I could already hear Leon's voice from the dining room, loud, energetic, and completely unaffected. Children were really a gift from God. He couldn't feel the tension. He couldn't see the change. His life went on as if nothing had happened.

But sometimes, when I watched him seriously thinking, I wondered if he had questions, if he buried everything inside for our sake.

I should probably talk to him later, I decided.

By the time I walked into the dining room, Leon was already at the table, swinging his legs rapidly. Maria sat beside him, trying and failing to keep up with his endless questions.

The moment he saw me, his face lit up.

“Mommy, your herr. Where is daddy? He's coming, right?”

I smiled, walking toward him, brushing my fingers through his hair and placing a soft kiss on his head.

“Yes, he's just getting ready.”

“Good,” he said seriously, “because he really needs to stop sleeping as he does. He promised me running this morning, and he can't fail me again.”

I smiled as I took a seat beside him, knowing that once Asher came down, he would sit at the head of the table.

Maria placed a cup of tea in front of me.

“You should eat something,” she said gently.

“Thank you,” I replied.

Soon, a maid came in with my breakfast and set it in front of me.

My eyes drifted toward the window. Outside, I could see two guards near the garden entrance, speaking quietly into their radios. Another stood near the far gate. Even from here, I could sense the difference in the house now, the alertness, the tension, the shift.

This was no longer just a home. It was becoming a fortress. And we were living inside it.

It wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't what I expected. But I knew it was for our safety, so I couldn't really complain.

Leon kept talking, but I wasn't really there at the table anymore. My mind had already wandered to tonight—to Asher, the meeting, the risks, the unknown.

Footsteps approached. Before I even looked up, I already knew it was him.

“Daddy!” Leon shouted.

Asher stepped into the dining room, dressed perfectly in his sharp suit, tailored to fit him just right. He looked exactly like the mafia boss he was....composed, controlled, the man in power, the man who meant business. When his eyes briefly met mine, something softer passed between us.

Leon jumped off his chair and ran straight toward his father, immediately bombarding him with questions.

“Did you sleep too much? I waited for you to wake me up and you weren't there. We didn't go running today. What's gonna happen now? Did you go running? Did you forget about me?”

Asher chuckled, lifting him easily into his arms.

“You will go to school.”

“Yay!” Leon said instantly.

"But....." Asher continued. “Just not now. We have a small security issue, so I'm going to find someone to come home and tutor you so you're up to speed before you go back to school. Is that okay?”

I hesitated for a second, watching Leon’s face carefully, afraid he might protest. School wasn’t just school for him; it was friends, noise, and normal life.

Leon frowned slightly, thinking.

“At home?” he asked.

“Yes,” Asher answered calmly, reaching for his coffee. “Just for a little while.”

Leon looked between the two of us, clearly trying to measure how serious this was.

“But… will I still see my friends?”

My heart tightened. I leaned forward, resting my hand over his.

“You will make new ones,” I said softly.

“ Everyone at school will want to get close to you, son. Trust me, Making friend is the easy part, finding loyal friends is the hard part. This is only temporary. Things are just a little… busy right now.”

He studied his father's face for a moment longer, and as he watched him, I realised he wasn’t as unaware about what was going on as I had thought earlier.