Claimed By The Mafia Don (Ariella and Asher) novel Chapter 482

ARIELLA

Five Years Later.

Laughter filled the Romano estate. After the fire, we had rebuilt it into exactly what we wanted.... A new beginning.

Once upon a time, I had believed I would never have this. I believed I would never see Asher again. Leon would never know his father. Maybe the night I was kidnapped, I would have died twice. But here I was.

Children ran through the gardens beneath colourful balloons dancing in the warm summer breeze. Smiles, happiness, and laughter filled the air, contagious enough to make everyone smile.

But today wasn't about the Romano Empire. Today was about Leon, my first son. Today was Leon's twelfth birthday. I still couldn't believe he was twelve—my little boy. I could still remember him so tiny in my arms when he was born.

He darted across the garden with his two best friends chasing after him. Alessandro was the quiet one, the smart one, the one who didn't talk much, and the geek with the glasses who was far more interested in computers than in people. I'm so glad he's friends with Leon and Angelo, because they actually get him out of the house with all their shenanigans. If it wasn't for those two, I honestly think he'd spend every hour behind a screen.

I still don't understand how those three became friends. Angelo was sure going to be a heartbreaker. Ever since I had known him, he'd had a different girlfriend every semester of school. And if that wasn't bad enough, he proudly called himself the ladies' whisperer. And yes...He really was good at charming women.

The mothers adored him. The grandmothers adored him, and don't even get me started on the little girls whose hearts he was already breaking as if they were candy wrappers.

Then there was my little boy. The king of mayhem. Always dragging his friends into one adventure after another. But seeing him laugh... Seeing him make genuine friends... It made me so happy. Their friendship was still young and beautiful. There were no responsibilities yet. No betrayals and no expectations. Just children making memories. Exactly what Leon had always wanted.

I shouldn't really be surprised that he somehow managed to convince a shy, awkward boy like Alessandro to become one of his closest friends. Leon had always wanted everyone around him to feel included. He always wanted everyone to be happy.

And right now, those boys might one day become the people who either helped shape him or broke his trust. I prayed it would be the first.

Right behind them, however.....were two tiny little people who had somehow convinced everyone they were innocent. Let me tell you... They weren't. Not even close.

"Ludovico! Leonora!" I called.

The twins looked at me for exactly one second before bursting into giggles and running in the opposite direction. I couldn't help laughing. Ludovico and Leonora were absolutely obsessed with their big brother.

The moment they spotted Leon, they chased after him like little ducklings following their mother. Leon was at that age where he wanted to climb everything, race everyone, and try every dangerous thing imaginable. But somehow He was always making sure his little brother and sister were safe first.

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