Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 398

ARIELLA

I could feel it in the tension of his body, in the way his eyes kept shifting toward the exits, the entrances, every moving piece in the room. Always alert. Always calculating. Always ready..... Making sure no one tried anything.

Still… I found myself listening to the speeches, to the cause behind all of this. And I liked it.... A lot more than I thought I would.

They were raising funds for building a private health centre...free. Accessible. Something meant for people who couldn’t afford the kind of care that was usually reserved for those with money and connections.

And I knew. I just knew the famiglia had a hand in this. I could feel it in the way things were being said, in the weight behind the promises.

And honestly? I thought it was a brilliant move. A win-win. No more slipping money under the table just to get basic treatment. No more quiet deals just to survive. This was Something real. Something that could actually help people.

"This is the famiglia's work, right?" I whispered

"I have plans of my own for the famiglia, ideas that had been sitting in the back of my mind for a long time." He responded, watching over everything.

"It's a great move. This is good. Really good."

“I know,” he answered quietly when someone passed by, eyes lingering a little too long on us. I leaned closer to Asher, lowering my voice. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Then, after a moment, I asked, “Where is Luca? Isn’t he supposed to be here?”

“He was,” Asher said. "He loves these kinds of things."

“He likes this kind of thing?” I asked, raising a brow, not really believing it.

“You’d be surprised.”

I gave him a look, unconvinced. That earned me what looked like the hint of a smile.

“You know how Luca is,” he added. “He likes the attention. Likes people trying to impress him. He’d make them uncomfortable… bring them down a notch. He enjoys it, if he were here he would be getting a kick out of everyone trying to kiss his ass.”

I nodded slowly. Yeah, that sounded like Luca.

“So where is he then?” I asked.

“I’m here,” he said. "Where do you think he would be right now?"

It took me a second. Then it clicked.

“Oh.”

Leon. Of course.

“He stayed behind to take care of Leon,” I responded.

Asher nodded. “This is a big night. I needed someone I could trust with our son.”

There was something in his tone when he said it. Something deeper.

“He’s the best man I have,” he added quietly. “The one I trust more than anyone.” And then, “And I wouldn’t leave the other piece of our family with just anyone.”

That did something to me. It hit straight through.

Because suddenly, I wasn’t thinking about the ball anymore. I wasn’t thinking about the people, the whispers, the power.... I was thinking about the two of us at home. About his arms, His hands, His mouth and every part of him focused on me. Only me.

And I smiled. Because if that was the consequence, I was more than willing to pay for it.

His hand didn’t leave my thigh immediately. If anything, it tightened for just a second longer, like he was reminding me exactly what I had just started. Then, just as quickly, he released me.

Control, always control. But I saw it and felt it. The way his jaw flexed slightly, the way his gaze shifted away for a moment before returning to the room like nothing had happened. As if he hadn’t just promised me something dangerously hot.

I let out a quiet breath, forcing myself to turn my attention back to the ball, to the people moving around us, to the conversations still happening as if nothing had changed. But everything had, for me, at least.

Because now every second felt longer. Every minute stretched. I found myself aware of him in a completely different way, the heat of his body close to mine, the brush of his arm whenever someone tried to approach, the way he subtly repositioned us so no one stood too close.

Always aware.

Always watching.

Always keeping me exactly where he wanted me.

“You’re distracted,” he murmured under his breath, not even looking at me this time.

“I wonder why,” I replied lightly.

That earned me the smallest smirk.... But it didn’t last.

A man approached us, older, polished, carrying himself like someone used to power. Asher shifted instantly. The warmth and the teasing between us disappeared, replaced by something colder, sharper.