Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 467

ARIELLA

Heavy silence settled over the office. No one spoke. The only sound was the ticking of the clock on the wall and the distant rumble of engines outside.

Bastian took another slow sip of his whiskey before setting the glass down.

"So..." He looked between Matteo and Luca. "Let's settle this before our guest arrives."

He leaned back comfortably.

"My end of the bargain is simple." He pointed towards me. "You wanted Ariella."

His finger shifted towards Leon.

"You wanted the heir."

Then he looked at Matteo.

"And you also wanted Asher."

Matteo nodded once.

"I do. I want him alive."

Bastian raised an eyebrow.

"For how long?"

A cold smile crossed Matteo's face.

"Long enough to make him understand everything he's about to lose..... I want him to feel it. Like all those years that I've stayed in my position, where he made me feel small and invisible."

My stomach clenched. Matteo turned towards me again.

"I've waited years for this. Always trying to find a loophole. Always trying to find a way in, looking for leverage against him." He shook his head. "You have no idea how many nights I've imagined watching my nephew brought to his knees."

He smiled.

"And thanks to you..." His gaze dropped to Leon. "...I finally can."

I pulled Leon a little closer against my chest.

"You're monstrous."

Matteo laughed.

"No. We are Romano."

His gaze drifted towards Luca.

"And some of us simply got tired of watching one spoiled boy inherit things he had no idea how they were built."

He sighed.

"Asher thinks it was easy taking control of this city. Easy making our name, that he could just sweep in and get all the credit."

Luca remained silent; his face betrayed nothing.

Bastian spread his arms.

"So... Once Asher arrives... We end this. It's the end of him... and the beginning of our partnership."

He looked towards Matteo.

"You get your revenge."

Then he looked at Luca.

"You get your throne. Finally, a kingdom for yourself. And I get mine."

My eyes wandered to him.

"What do you get?"

The room grew quiet. For a moment, Bastian simply stared at me. Then he smiled.

"I get to erase the Romano name."

He walked towards the window and looked out over the warehouse.

"For years... My family bled while the Romanos prospered. My father buried his children."

He fell silent for a moment before continuing.

"My brother died. My sister died." He slowly turned back to face me. "And every road..." He pointed straight at me. "...led back to Asher. So tonight... I'm ending his bloodline."

Every ounce of warmth left my body. I tightened my grip around Leon until I was afraid I'd hurt him.

"No." The word barely came out.

Bastian smiled.

"Yes."

Before anyone could say another word... The sharp crack of gunfire echoed through the warehouse.

Bang! Then another. Bang! Bang! Bang!

The office fell silent. Everyone looked toward the door. Another burst of gunfire erupted outside, followed by men shouting. A loud, hurried knock echoed against the office door.

Without waiting for permission, one of Bastian's men shoved the door open and stumbled inside. He was breathing hard.

"Boss!"

Bastian frowned.

"What is it?"

"What now?" Bastian snapped.

"They've breached the west entrance! They're cutting through everyone! They're heading this way!"

Matteo's face drained of colour.

"How many men did Asher bring?"

The soldier swallowed.

"I... I don't think it's just the Romano soldiers."

"What?"

"There are... there are Russians shooting at us too."

The room froze. Bastian frowned.

"What Russians?"

"I don't know. They're shooting at everyone. They're killing our men... and the men the Romanos came with."

For the first time since I'd met him, real confusion crossed Bastian's face.

"Are they one of us?" he demanded. "Do they belong to the Volkovs?"

"I don't know," the man replied, breathing hard. "I can't tell."

Matteo turned sharply toward Bastian.

"This wasn't part of your plan?"

"It wasn't." Bastian's voice was hard. "Do you think I want my men killed? Do you think I want the men you came with killed?"

Luca slowly lifted his head.

"So," he said quietly, "we've got a third player?"

No one answered. Everyone seemed trapped inside their own thoughts. As for me, I was confused. At first, I'd hoped it was Asher; I'd hoped Asher had come to save me. But then... They said they were Russians.

Bastian was Russian. Why would Russians be attacking him? Why would his own people be shooting at him? None of it made any sense. Outside, the gunfire only grew louder.

Closer. Much closer. The warehouse shook as another burst of automatic gunfire echoed through the building. Men shouted, Someone screamed. Then came another explosion somewhere outside.

"What do we do?" Matteo asked.

Bastian didn't hesitate.

"We've got to get out of here."

He pointed toward Leon and me.

"Get them. They're too valuable right now. Until we have Asher... until we find out what's going on... they don't leave our sight."