Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 432

ASHER

You really think after that little tantrum I'm going to drink tea made by that woman?

At this point, I wouldn't put poisoning above her.

"Come on," Luca insisted. "It's fine."

Then he grabbed Ariella's free hand. Actually grabbed it, and started pulling her toward the house. I immediately tightened my grip on her other hand and followed.

Mostly because I wasn't letting her walk into that house without me. Partly because I still didn't trust Luca. Not even a little bit.

I shot him another look. A questioning look, A What are you doing? look. But he refused to look at me. Instead, he focused entirely on Ariella.

"You know how mothers are," he said lightly.

No. No, I didn't. Mine had never cursed me out or spit on me. But I kept that thought to myself.

"My mother's the same," Luca continued with a laugh. "Every five minutes she's threatening to disown me."

Ariella didn't laugh, didn't smile, didn't react at all. And that worried me more than anything.

Because if Luca messed this up... If he somehow made this worse... I honestly didn't know what I was going to do. Yet.

When Mrs Costa came into the room carrying a tray with tea and little biscuits, she wore that smile, that creepy smile. Because of course she wasn't smiling from deep in her heart. But she put the tray down anyway.

I watched the whole thing suspiciously. At this point, I didn't even know what role Luca was playing anymore. He was acting as if he belonged here like this was a normal afternoon visit. Like he and Mrs Costa had been friends for years.... Weird.

He poured tea, passed around cups, offered cookies and sat down beside Mrs Costa while Ariella and I sat together on the opposite couch.

My hand never left Ariella's, not for a second. Luca was the only cheerful person in the room as he kept talking about the weather, talking about traffic and talking about absolutely nothing. Trying to lighten the mood, acting as if we were all one big happy family having tea together.

It was weird. Very weird. But at least Mrs Costa was only throwing disapproving looks at me and Ariella this time. She wasn't throwing insults and she wasn't saying anything deliberately cruel. For now, that alone felt like a victory.

The silence stretched. Then Ariella finally spoke.

"Mom."

Mrs Costa looked at her without responding.

"How have things been going?" Her voice was careful. Gentle. "How has living in this new place been?"

Mrs Costa didn't answer. Ariella swallowed and tried again.

"I remember this street, I think Aunt Cressida lives right down the street."

She tried putting a little warmth into the conversation. A little familiarity and A little normalcy.

Mrs Costa nodded once. Then added coldly,

"We had to move here after you burned down our house."

Straight to the point. Just like that. The entire room died again and I felt Ariella freeze beside me. I felt her hand tighten around mine and I immediately rubbed my thumb across her knuckles Trying to bring some warmth back into her.

Trying to tell her silently that I was here, that she wasn't alone. But Ariella was determined to do what she set out to do today. She took a deep breath and even lifted the tea to her lips. I almost smacked the cup out of her hand.

I still wasn't drinking and neither was her mother. If anything happened to her.....

Meanwhile, Luca was on his third cookie and second cup of tea. The traitor, he could die of the poison at this point.

"I'm sorry about that," Ariella said quietly. "It's been years since the fire....." Her voice trembled slightly. "I know a lot has happened since then."

She swallowed. "And I just wish the two of us could talk."

"You killed your father." Mrs Costa's answer came instantly. "There's nothing to talk about."

My eyes immediately moved to Luca. Luca's eyes immediately moved to Mrs Costa. And something happened then.... Something silent, some kind of communication between them. A look, A warning, A reminder. I didn't know what the hell it was, but I saw it. And, it was weird as hell.

Luca had a lot of explaining to do when we got out of here. If we got out of here. Because if this blew up in Ariella's face, I wasn't sure I'd let him explain anything.

"I'm just..." Mrs Costa sighed. For the first time, she looked tired. "It's a lot, Ariella."

She looked away.

"I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"Finish fixing my bathroom," Mrs Costa told him without even looking at him.

"Of course."

I nearly rolled my eyes. I shit you not.

"Asher." Luca turned toward me.

I didn't move. I really didn't want to let go of Ariella's hand. I didn't want to leave her here, alone. Not with this woman, not without me. I hated the idea. I hated all of it.

Ariella squeezed my hand.

"It's okay."

Her voice was soft.

"I'm fine."

I wasn't convinced. Not even a little.

"Come on," Luca said, already grabbing my shoulder.

God damn it. Slowly, reluctantly, I stood. It honestly felt like I was leaving half my soul sitting beside Ariella on that couch. But eventually I followed him down the hallway and up the stairs, toward Mrs Costa's bedroom.

I wasn't paying attention to anything around me. Not the furniture, not the pictures, not the decorations..... Nothing. Luca handed me tools when we got to the bathroom and asked me to hold things for him. He pointed at the pipes and talked about the bathroom.

I didn't hear a single word because my entire brain was downstairs with Ariella.

If I heard a raised voice.....

If I heard her cry.....

If I heard anything break.....

Hell, if it got too quiet.....

I was going downstairs and the entire house be damned with everyone in it. Because there wasn't a force on earth strong enough to keep me away from my wife if she needed me.