Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 100: Chapter 100 Friends...?

Alessio closed his eyes for a brief second, gathering his thoughts.

"...That’s not what I meant."

His voice was noticeably gentler than before.

Daisy looked at him uncertainly, her eyes still glassy. She clutched the shopping bag a little tighter, her knuckles white.

"I wasn’t annoyed," he explained. "I was just... saying you don’t need to thank me for every little thing."

She blinked, processing his words. Her grip on the bag loosened slightly.

He sighed quietly, searching for words he wasn’t used to saying. He had never been good at this, at comforting people, at explaining himself.

"...If someone helps you, it’s normal. You don’t have to keep bowing and apologizing."

His green eyes met hers.

"Just... accept it."

Daisy stared at him for a long moment.

Then, a small smile slowly bloomed across her face. It was soft and genuine, lighting up her eyes. The tension in her shoulders finally melted away and she looked like she was breathing for the first time.

This time, instead of bowing again, she simply nodded.

Alessio felt an odd sense of relief.

Good.

At least she didn’t thank me again.

A silence settled between them.

Neither of them spoke. The office, usually so cold and formal, somehow felt strangely peaceful. The soft afternoon light streamed through the window, casting warm golden patterns across the floor.

Daisy stood awkwardly, her hands clasped in front of her, her rosy-pink dress catching the light.

Alessio stood by his desk, his green eyes fixed on her.

After a minute, he quietly cleared his throat.

"You should go," he said, breaking the silence. "Your team has probably noticed you’re gone."

Daisy nodded. She looked at the shopping bag in her hands, the one containing her folded clothes and stained jacket. She had been holding it the whole time, her fingers wrapped around the handles.

She walked toward the office door.

Before she could reach it...

"Wait."

She turned around.

Alessio’s brows were slightly furrowed. His expression was calm, but there was something in his eyes, something that looked almost like concern.

"You can’t carry that bag into the laboratory."

Daisy blinked. She looked down at the bag, then back at him.

"It’ll only attract unnecessary attention," he explained. "And besides, it’s not allowed. Personal items aren’t permitted in the workstations."

He walked toward her with his usual long, graceful strides, stopping only an arm’s length away. He was tall, and when he stood close like this, Daisy had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes. His presence was overwhelming, warm and solid, blocking out everything else.

Without waiting for her answer, he gently took the shopping bag from her hands. His fingers brushed against hers, light and brief.

"You can leave it here."

He placed it neatly beside his desk, near the corner where no one would notice it.

"I’ll keep it in my office."

Daisy looked hesitant. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the strap before reluctantly letting go. She felt a little uneasy leaving her things behind but she trusted him. She didn’t know why, but she did.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, Alessio looked down at her.

"No one can enter this office without my permission."

His voice remained calm and steady.

"Except Rafael."

A brief pause.

"But Rafael is away on a business trip."

He had sent him away on purpose, but he didn’t mention that.

"So your belongings will be safe."

Daisy’s lips parted slightly. "Oh..."

Relief slowly spread across her face, softening the tension in her shoulders. She nodded, a small, grateful smile appearing on her lips.

Just as she was about to bow again...

Alessio sighed softly, already knowing what was coming.

"No need to thank me, Daisy."

She froze.

His eyes met hers.

Then, without thinking, the words slipped out naturally.

"...We’re friends, aren’t we?"

The moment the sentence left his mouth, Alessio froze.

His own words echoed in his mind.

Friends...?

He wasn’t even sure when that had happened. He had never called anyone outside his family a friend so casually before. He had never let anyone close enough to deserve that word.

For a brief second, he almost wanted to take the words back.

But when he looked at Daisy, at the way she was staring at him with wide, bright eyes...

He couldn’t.

A smile slowly blossomed across her face. It was warm, genuine, and so bright that it reached her eyes. The kind of smile that made everything else fade away.

She nodded happily.

Yes...

She placed a hand lightly over her heart before pointing gently toward him.

Friends.

The simple gesture made something inside Alessio unexpectedly soften. His heart felt warm, unfamiliar but not unwelcome.

He gave the smallest nod.

"...Good."

Daisy’s smile widened just a little more.

This time, she didn’t bow and apologize.

She simply walked out of the office with a lightness in her steps that hadn’t been there before.

❀┈┈┈┈❀

As the door quietly closed behind her, Alessio remained standing where he was.

His gaze drifted to the shopping bag resting beside his desk. He looked at it for a long moment, at the folded clothes, at his jacket peeking out from the top.

Then, almost unconsciously, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

So small that even he didn’t realize it was there.

He touched the spot on his chest where her gesture had landed.

Friends.

He had never thought the word would feel this good.

❀┈┈┈┈❀

By the time Daisy returned to the laboratory, nearly twenty minutes had passed.

The familiar scent of chemicals and the soft sound of equipment welcomed her back, but she couldn’t shake the lingering embarrassment from earlier.

She walked toward her workstation, her head slightly lowered, hoping no one would notice her absence.

But Ace had already noticed.

The moment she stepped inside, he looked up from his workstation. His brows drew together, concern flickering in his eyes.

"Why are you late?" he asked, his voice carrying worry rather than anger. He had noticed she had been gone longer than a usual lunch break, and she never disappeared without telling anyone.

Daisy immediately lowered her head apologetically, her cheeks already warming.

As Ace walked closer, he suddenly noticed something that made him pause.

"...You changed your clothes?"

His eyes briefly moved over the soft rosy-pink dress before returning to her face. It was a completely different outfit from what she had been wearing earlier. He remembered the cream blouse and beige skirt. This was new. And it suited her but that wasn’t the point.