Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 365

ARIELLA

I froze.

It wasn’t inappropriate. It wasn’t… that. But it was.... Familiar. Too familiar.

Asher laughed, reaching up to ruffle her hair, messing it up playfully as someone would do with a younger sibling.

“Hey, stranger,” he said.

Leon stood beside them, smiling brightly, clearly loving the moment.

Sia pulled back just enough to look up at Asher, laughing.

“You have got to stop doing that,” she said. But she didn’t immediately let go.

And that was when something settled in my chest. Something small. Sudden and Unfamiliar.

I had never been in this position before. I had had a crush on Asher for years....since school, since church. I had watched him from a distance, admired him quietly and crushed hard. But he had never been like this towards me or anyone then.

He didn’t do this. He didn’t show affection publicly. You would hear things, rumours, stories of him with other girls circling the school, but you never saw anything. No hand-holding. No hugs. Nothing.

Asher had always been cold, distant, and Untouchable. And he didn’t have sisters either, so I had never seen this softer side of him before with anyone else.

So this..... This was new. And I didn’t like how it made me feel. Because for the first time.... I realised I might be a little jealous. Just a little.

Enough to make me want to walk over there and pull her hands off him.

“Hey, little Ari.” The voice came suddenly, right next to my ear.

I flinched. Turning quickly, I found Luca standing behind me. I hadn’t even noticed him come in.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, my reaction drawing attention from the others for a second.

Thankfully, Sia had already stepped away from Asher. I turned back to Luca, narrowing my eyes slightly.

“You scared me.”

“Sorry,” he said, though he didn’t look sorry at all.

Then he leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.

“Your husband banned me from calling you little Ari,” he said with a grin. “So I figured I should do it while he’s not listening.”

I couldn’t help it as I laughed.

“You’re crazy.”

He shrugged lightly.

“So,” he said, his tone playful, “can we have a secret? I get to call you that… when he’s not around?”

I shook my head, still smiling. But my eyes, almost unconsciously, flicked back to Asher, Sia, and Leon. Watching them.

“So, what did I miss? It's been a long time." Luca said.

"You were here like the day before.” I responded“Oh, was that yesterday?” I replied, pretending to think.

Luca laughed softly and ruffled my hair, in the same careless way Asher did with Sia. And of course, I pulled his hand off my head, giving him a look.

“I’ll tell Asher about this.”

He only laughed harder. “Come on, we promised this was just going to be our secret.”

Then his gaze shifted to Maria And something in him changed. I noticed it immediately. When he was talking to me, he was easy, relaxed… the Luca I knew. But the moment his attention landed on Maria, that version of him disappeared. His expression settled, his posture stiffened just slightly, like something unspoken had taken over.

She caught up quickly, walking beside me as we headed toward the kitchen. I hesitated for a moment.

I probably should have kept it to myself. But it was bothering me.

“Was it weird just now?” I asked.

“Weird how?” Maria asked, immediately alert.

“Asher and Sia.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The way she just stood up and went to him… closely… and hugging him, I guess.”

Maria’s lips curved into a smile.

“What are you smiling about?”

“It’s just like the way William told us they kind of grew up together. And as you’ve seen, Asher sees her as his sister. I’m sure Sia thinks the same.”

“Yeah… you’re probably right,” I replied.

She looked at me more closely. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

“I’m not,” I said quickly, shrugging. “I mean, when I talked to both of them, they didn’t seem like they knew each other that much. That’s all.”

Maria just kept smiling.

“They grew up together,” she said. “I’m sure they don’t know each other’s sexual positions, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

She laughed, and I lightly hit her arm as we walked into the dining room.