Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 136: Chapter 136 I need to talk to you

Several minutes later, soft footsteps echoed down the staircase.

Cedric looked up instinctively.

Daisy had finally come downstairs.

The moment he saw her clearly, his expression subtly changed. Dark circles had formed beneath her beautiful eyes, making her already delicate face look even paler.

Her skin had lost its usual soft glow, and there was a fragility about her that made his chest tighten. Her hair was tied into a loose ponytail, and she looked exhausted, as though she hadn’t slept well all night.

His jaw tightened.

Meanwhile, he himself had showered, shaved, and changed into a white shirt and dark trousers. From the outside, he looked perfectly composed. Only the guilt hidden deep inside his blue eyes betrayed him.

Daisy didn’t even glance in his direction.

Instead, the moment her eyes landed on the breakfast spread covering the dining table, they brightened ever so slightly. Fresh fruit, warm pancakes, omelets, toast, fresh juice and porridge. Everything had been prepared beautifully. The steam rose from the warm dishes, carrying the scent of butter and honey through the air.

She hesitated for only a moment before quietly taking her seat.

Cedric watched silently.

Daisy folded her hands together for a brief second in silent gratitude before picking up her spoon. She ate slowly and politely. He noticed how she never once paused between bites. As though she had been hungry for a very long time.

His throat tightened. Every bite she took seemed to stab at the guilt inside him.

Several times he wanted to say something. To apologize. To ask if she was feeling alright. But every sentence died before reaching his lips. He didn’t know how to start. Didn’t know if he even had the right to ask.

The dining room remained wrapped in silence. The only sound was the quiet clink of cutlery against porcelain.

After nearly fifteen minutes, Daisy finished eating. She placed her spoon down neatly, picked up the napkin, and gently wiped the corners of her lips. Then she stood up.

Still, she didn’t look at Cedric. Not even once.

She quietly turned toward the staircase.

"Daisy."

His deep voice stopped her mid-step.

She froze.

Slowly, she turned around.

Cedric was already standing. Their eyes met across the long dining table.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Cedric broke the silence.

"...Be ready by ten o’clock." He paused. "Come to my room."

His tone was calm and almost impossible to read.

"I need to talk to you."

Before Daisy could even react, he turned and walked away. His footsteps gradually disappeared down the hallway.

Leaving Daisy standing alone in the dining room.

She blinked several times. Her brows slowly knitted together.

His room...? Why?

She looked in the direction he had disappeared, completely confused. Had she done something wrong again? Was he still angry about last night? Or did he want to talk about Alessio?

A strange uneasiness settled in her chest. Her heart quietly began beating faster as she wondered what exactly Cedric wanted from her now.

❀┈┈┈┈❀

Daisy quietly returned to her room.

The moment the door clicked shut behind her, the strength she had been holding onto seemed to disappear. She slowly sat down on the edge of her bed, hugging herself. The fabric of her dress felt thin against her arms and she suddenly felt cold.

Her eyes gradually filled with tears.

She kept replaying last night’s scene over and over. Cedric’s angry voice, his accusations, that scary fight and the way he had looked at her like she had betrayed him.

And Alessio.

He hadn’t done anything wrong. He had only taken her shopping because Grandpa James had asked him to. He had bought her dinner. Protected her. Helped her when she fell. Yet because of her, he had been accused of trying to steal another man’s wife.

Daisy lowered her head.

A tear rolled onto her cheeks. She quickly wiped it away.

I’m sorry...

She wished she could apologize to him. She didn’t even know how she would face him the next time they met. The thought alone filled her with shame.

She had dragged a genuinely kind person into the mess that was her marriage.

Just then, her phone vibrated softly on the bedside table.

Daisy blinked.

She quickly picked it up.

The screen lit up with a new message.

Alessio: Are you okay?

Only three words. Nothing more. Yet she could almost hear his calm voice behind them. The concern that she didn’t deserve.

Her vision blurred instantly. Fresh tears gathered in her eyes. She hugged the phone tightly against her chest.

He’s such a good man...

She thought about how he had stood in front of her, shielding her from Cedric’s anger. How he had checked on her when she fell. How he had looked at her with those green eyes, full of concern rather than judgment.

She wished she could tell him how grateful she was. But words felt too small. Too meaningless for everything he had done.

❀┈┈┈┈❀

At the very same moment, far away, Alessio stood alone in the basement of one of his private properties.

The concrete floor was stained dark with blood. A man lay unconscious nearby, breathing weakly after enduring hours of interrogation. Around them, several of Alessio’s men stood in complete silence. No one dared speak.

Alessio slowly removed his black leather gloves. There were faint bloodstains across his knuckles.

One of his men stepped forward cautiously.

"Boss... should we continue?"

Alessio didn’t answer immediately. His green eyes remained fixed on the phone in his hand.

For nearly half an hour, he had typed a message. Deleted it. Typed another. Deleted that too.

He had no reason to contact her. She was married. He should stay away. That was the logical choice.

Yet logic had lost to concern.

In the end, he had simply typed three words.

Are you okay?

Nothing more. Nothing less.

He stared at the screen. No reply yet. His thumb hovered over it for a brief moment before he quietly locked the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

"...Continue."

His voice returned to its usual cold calmness.

The men immediately nodded. "Yes, Boss."

Alessio stood silently, his expression unreadable as he watched the interrogation continue. The dim basement echoed with restrained groans and the occasional metallic scrape of a chair against the concrete floor.

He didn’t even blink.

One of his men stepped closer. "Boss, he’s still refusing to talk."

"Then make him."

"Yes, Boss."

The interrogation resumed.

Just then—

Ding.

A soft notification broke the heavy silence.