Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 454

ARIELLA

No.

No, no... Don't panic. They're probably downstairs.

I hurried back to the kitchen. Everything was spotless; it looked as if dinner had been eaten. The dishes had already been washed, and when I looked inside, the refrigerator sat a neatly covered plate. Mine.

They had even saved my dinner. But... Where were they? I rushed outside. The night air hit my face as I looked everywhere. The front yard, the driveway, the backyard. Nothing. No guards, No Leon, No Mom.

I called out.

"Tommy!"

No answer.

"Hals!"

Nothing. I ran toward the security vehicle and knocked on the window. Silence. I pulled on the door handle. Locked. My breathing became uneven.

I ran back into the house and checked every room again. Every closet, every bathroom and every hallway. Nothing. It was as though they had simply... Vanished.

My hands were already shaking as I ran back upstairs to grab my phone. I called Asher immediately. It rang and rang and rang. No answer.

I called Luca. Nothing. Maria, Nothing. Then Tommy, no answer. Hals, Nothing. Every single call went unanswered. I stared at my phone, my heart pounding harder with every passing second. I felt like I was losing my mind.

What the hell was happening?

Did Asher come here?

Did he take Leon?

Did he pull the guards away?

No... That didn't make any sense. Not without telling me. Not after everything that had happened. Then... Where was everyone? And why did it feel like I was completely alone?

I dialled Asher again. Nothing Again. I tried him again and again but still Nothing. Straight to voicemail.

"No..." I whispered, shaking my head. "Come on, Asher. Pick up."

I called Luca again. Still nothing.

"Please..."

I tried Maria again. Nothing either. I looked down at my phone, willing it to ring. It didn't. My breathing became faster.

Think, Ariella. Think. There has to be an explanation. Maybe they all went somewhere. Maybe Leon wasn't feeling well, or maybe.... No.

If Leon had been sick, my mother would have woken me. She would never leave without telling me. Never. A cold chill ran down my spine. I hurried back into the kitchen.

"Mom!" I shouted louder this time.

"Leon!"

My own voice echoed through the empty house as Silence answered me. I grabbed my plate from the refrigerator and stared at it. It was still cold and Untouched.

She had made sure I had dinner waiting for me. She had expected me to wake up. So... Where had she gone?

My eyes wandered across the kitchen until they landed on the vase sitting in the middle of the table. The flowers, the ones Leon had picked for her.

She had already arranged them. She hadn't been planning on going anywhere. Not in the middle of the night. Unless... Unless she hadn't had a choice.

"No..." I stumbled backwards. "No, no, no..."

I ran toward the front door again. This time I didn't care about looking composed. I screamed.

"Tommy!"

"Hals!"

"Anybody!"

"Well... the house was on fire..... It's still on fire."

I froze.

"The house? .......What do you mean?"

"The Don's mansion. Someone set the house on fire."

I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Our home?" I whispered. "Is Asher okay? Is Maria okay?"

"They're fine," Luca answered quickly. "They took Asher to the hospital, but everyone else is okay. They detected the fire early, and everyone got out except Asher. He'd been drinking in his office and..."

My heart nearly stopped.

"Is he fine?" I cried. "Oh my God, don't tell me...."

"No," Luca interrupted immediately. "Relax. They're only taking him to the hospital to get checked out. He's going to be fine."

I closed my eyes and released the breath I'd been holding. My knees nearly gave out.

"Then... what does that have to do with Leon?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Did Asher tell them to take Leon? Did you? What happened? Where is my son?"

"When something like this happens to the Don, it's customary for everyone to regroup nearby," Luca explained. "I'm sure someone was supposed to stay behind."

"No." I shook my head frantically. "There's a car parked here, but there's no one inside. I haven't seen anyone. I've searched everywhere."

My voice cracked.

"There are no guards..... Where is my son?"

Everything suddenly began falling into place in my head. The fire, the empty house, the missing guards and the silence.... If someone had set the mansion on fire... And everyone had rushed there...

Then...