Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 420

ASHER

Leon narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"You promise."

I stared at him, then I looked at Sia. Then back at him.

"You've become smart."

Leon grinned proudly.

"I know."

I sighed dramatically.

"Terrible news."

Leon laughed loudly before hugging me again.

"Where is mommy?" He asked

"Mommy is asleep in her room"

"Again? But it's so early."

I patted his head softly with a forced smile.

"Do me a favour, okay?"

"Okay."

"When mom wakes up, can you cheer her up until I get back?"

"You got it," Leon responded with a high-five and a huge grin.

I chuckled softly and shook my head.

“Protecting your mother is a very important job.”

Leon straightened proudly.

“I know that too.”

Of course he did. That boy thought he was already a full-grown man half the time. Sia laughed softly from where she sat at the desk watching the two of us.

“He takes his duties very seriously,” she said warmly.

“I can see that.”

Leon crossed his arms.

“Mom smiles more when I’m around.”

And somehow that sentence hit me directly in the chest because he was right. Ariella did smile more around Leon. Even during the darkest moments. Even yesterday after everything with her mother. Leon could still pull light out of her.

I crouched slightly in front of him and fixed the collar of his shirt.

“Take care of her for me.”

“I will,” he promised seriously. Then his expression shifted. “Are you sad too?”

That caught me off guard. I looked at him for a second before answering.

“A little.”

Leon studied my face carefully like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Then he stepped forward and hugged me again, without saying a word. I closed my eyes briefly and held him tighter.

God. These two were going to ruin me completely.

When he finally pulled away, he smiled up at me. “Don’t worry,” he whispered dramatically. “I’ll protect both of you.”

I laughed quietly despite myself.

“Good. Because apparently I’m surrounded by emotional people.”

“Dad,” Leon gasped. “You’re emotional too.”

Sia burst out laughing behind him. I pointed at her immediately.

“You stay out of this.”

She lifted both hands innocently, still laughing while Leon looked entirely too pleased with himself. For the first time since the cemetery, I smiled without forcing it too.

*

Minutes later, I was walking into Luca’s office.

“And I hate to think they would come after the most precious thing in my life right now.”

Luca looked straight at me and nodded slowly. He understood exactly who I meant.

Ariella.

Leon.

My family.

“What about the others?” I asked. “Bastian? Yuri?Alex Volkov Senior? What do we have on them?”

“We’re still watching them,” Luca responded. “Alex hasn't made an appearance in public, but we both know he’s sick right now. who knows what commands he’s still giving behind the scenes?”

I nodded slowly. "Bastian?"

Luca continued, “Bastian has been busy perfecting his bad boy image. Public appearances with different models all day of the week, getting drunk and found in weird positions in public. The usual.”

“And what of his brother, Yuri Volkov?”

Luca’s expression shifted slightly.

“I have to say... he’s also been mysteriously silent.”

That made me look up immediately.

“Too silent,” Luca added. “It makes me uneasy.”

And honestly? It made me fucking uneasy too. Because from the moment I met Yuri, he had never struck me as someone patient. He was impulsive and Aggressive. The kind of man who liked throwing his weight around immediately. Not someone who sat back quietly while planning something huge for months.

“You think he’s involved too?” Luca asked carefully.

I leaned back slowly, my fingers tapping against the armrest of the chair.

“I think all the Volkovs are suspects right now,” I said coldly, “until I know something different.”

I leaned back deeper into the chair, my fingers tapping slowly against the armrest as Luca watched me carefully from across the desk.

“You think all of them are connected? The Volkovs working together?” Luca asked carefully.

“I think,” I said slowly, “that too many people suddenly decided to become quiet at the same time.”

And that was exactly the problem.