Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 144: Chapter 144 We’ll find her

"They think they can play with me?" A cold laugh escaped his lips. It was hollow, without any trace of humor. "I’ll show them exactly who Alessio Ricci is."

His voice became lower and dangerously calm.

"I’ll burn every one of their rabbit holes to the ground. I’ll make sure none of them has a place left to hide."

Mateo swallowed. He had rarely seen his eldest brother this furious. Usually, Alessio was calm, cold and patient. He planned everything carefully, never letting his emotions get the better of him.

But there was one exception, their missing sister.

Anything related to her destroyed every bit of composure Alessio had.

Nearly thirteen years had passed. They still hadn’t found her. Every few months, someone would appear claiming to know where she was. Some wanted money. Others wanted protection. A few simply wanted the attention that came with dealing with the powerful Ricci family.

Most of them lied. Alessio knew that. He always verified the information before believing it.

But he could never ignore it. Because what if, just once, someone was telling the truth? He couldn’t afford to miss that chance. Not even once.

"Bro..." Mateo spoke carefully, his voice gentle. "The man has already admitted he lied. He only wanted money."

"I know." Alessio’s voice was frighteningly quiet. "I knew he lied from the start."

"Then..." Mateo hesitated. "Why are you still this angry?"

Alessio slowly turned his head toward the window. His reflection stared back at him, cold and distant.

"When someone lies to me... I deal with it."

His eyes darkened.

"But when someone lies about my sister..."

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"...they’re playing with the one thing I can never stay rational about."

Silence filled the car again.

Mateo looked at his brother quietly. He understood more than anyone. Every false lead, every fake witness, every empty promise left Alessio carrying the same crushing disappointment all over again. Yet every single time, he still chose to investigate. Because if he ignored one lead and that one happened to be real, he knew he would never forgive himself.

Mateo sighed softly.

He placed a reassuring hand on Alessio’s shoulder.

"We’ll find her. One day."

Alessio didn’t answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed outside the window.

After several seconds, he finally spoke.

"...We have to."

Mateo felt a sting of guilt. While he was living his carefree life, his brother was living a life full of responsibility and protecting everyone around him.

Mateo looked at his brother’s tired face and silently promised himself that one day, he would also help his brother share the responsibility.

❀┈┈┈┈❀

By the time Rafael reached the family estate, several black cars were already parked outside.

He stepped out quickly and headed straight inside, his footsteps echoing through the grand foyer. The mansion, usually alive with the sounds of staff moving about, was unusually quiet. Even the staff walked more carefully than usual, speaking in hushed voices, their eyes downcast.

Everyone knew what had happened.

Whenever the search for their missing sister reached another dead end, the entire house became like this. Heavy and suffocating.

Rafael climbed the stairs two at a time, his long legs covering the distance quickly. He pushed open the study door without knocking.

Alessio was standing by the large window with his back facing the room. His silhouette was framed against the pale afternoon light, tall and rigid. His suit jacket had already been thrown onto the sofa and the sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up to his forearms, revealing the tense muscles beneath.

One hand rested against the window while the other loosened his tie impatiently. He didn’t even turn around.

"I said I don’t want to see anyone."

"It’s me."

Hearing Rafael’s voice, Alessio finally looked over his shoulder. His green eyes were cold and tired, shadowed with exhaustion. The usual sharpness in his gaze was dulled by stress and anger.

The moment Rafael saw his face, his expression softened. Without saying a word, he walked over and wrapped his older brother in a tight hug. His arms closed around Alessio’s shoulders, pulling him close.

"It’s okay, bro." Rafael patted Alessio’s back slowly. "Don’t carry everything by yourself. We’ll find her. We always keep looking."

For a few seconds, Alessio simply stood there, stiffly. Then, slowly, he relaxed. He quietly returned the hug, his arms coming up to grip Rafael’s shoulders.

"...I’m fine."

Rafael rolled his eyes. "You’ve been saying that for years."

He was about to pull away when he suddenly frowned. Something felt wrong. Alessio’s body felt unusually warm and hot.

Rafael blinked. Thinking he had imagined it, he immediately broke the hug and placed the back of his hand against Alessio’s forehead.

The moment he touched him, his eyes widened.

"...What the hell?"

He pressed his palm against Alessio’s forehead again to make sure. There was no mistake. He was burning up.

"Bro..." Rafael stared at him. "You have a fever."

Alessio frowned slightly and brushed his hand away. "It’s nothing."

"It’s definitely not ’nothing’!" Rafael looked at him in disbelief. "You’re practically on fire!"

"It’s just stress."

"I don’t care if it’s stress or a curse." Rafael grabbed his arm. "You’re going to bed. Now."

❀┈┈┈┈❀

Twenty minutes later, the family doctor arrived at the mansion carrying his medical bag.

Rafael immediately led him upstairs.

"Doctor, please do something. He has a high fever."

The elderly doctor nodded calmly, his expression professional and reassuring.

"I’ll take a look."

They entered the room together. Alessio was still sitting on the sofa, one elbow resting on the armrest, looking as though nothing was wrong with him. His posture was relaxed, his expression unreadable. If it weren’t for the slight flush on his cheeks, no one would have guessed he was sick.

The doctor smiled politely.

"Mr. Ricci. I’m just going to check your temperature."

Alessio didn’t even look at him.

"I’m fine."

Rafael pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, you’re not."

The doctor stepped closer with a thermometer. "If you’ll just allow me—"

"No."

The room fell silent. The doctor blinked.

"...Excuse me?"

"I said no."