Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 160: Chapter 160 Who the hell are you?

Meanwhile, Cedric was taken to an isolated location. The car stopped and he was dragged out. The moment the door opened, he was pushed inside. He stumbled forward and turned around immediately, his fists raised.

"What the hell is going on?"

The room was dim, lit only by a single overhead light. Several men stood around him, their faces hard and unreadable, covered with masks.

Cedric looked from one face to another, his eyes scanning for any sign of who had ordered this.

"Who are you people?"

Silence.

His anger rose. "Answer me!"

One of the men stepped forward. Cedric barely had time to react before a punch struck his face. His head snapped to the side and he staggered sideways.

"What the—"

Another blow followed. He tried to raise his arms to block but the men surrounded him, giving him almost no room.

"Stop!"

He raised his arms, trying to protect himself. "Who sent you?"

Nobody answered.

Another hit landed, this time to his ribs. Cedric grunted, doubling over slightly.

Cedric stumbled backward, breathing heavily. "Why are you doing this?"

Still nothing.

That silence frightened him more than an explanation would have. At least if someone told him what they wanted, he could understand the situation. But these men weren’t telling him anything. They were simply following orders, carrying out a task without explanation.

Cedric wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and looked around desperately.

"Who the hell are you?"

One of the men grabbed him again. Cedric struggled.

"Tell me who sent you! Do you want money? I have money! Let me go!"

The man said nothing.

The beating continued for several more moments. Fists connected with his face, his ribs, his arms. He tried to protect himself but there were too many of them.

Finally, the men stepped away.

Cedric lay on the cold floor, his breathing heavy and uneven. His chest rose and fell in ragged gasps, each inhale sending a sharp pain through his ribs. His clothes were disheveled, his shirt torn at the collar and his hair was a mess, dark strands sticking to his forehead where sweat had mixed with blood.

A thin line of blood trickled from his split lip down toward his chin, staining the collar of his shirt.

For several seconds, he simply lay there, trying to catch his breath. His body screamed in protest with every movement but his mind was already racing, already searching for answers.

Then he looked up.

His eyes were burning with anger and confusion.

"Who sent you?"

The men didn’t answer. They stood there, silent and unmoving, like statues.

Cedric’s jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists against the floor.

"I asked you a fucking question!"

Still nothing.

One of the men grabbed him before he could move and dragged him toward the exit. Cedric struggled but his body was already exhausted from the beating. His arms felt weak, his legs unsteady.

"Get your hands off me!"

The man ignored him.

A moment later, Cedric was thrown out into a narrow alley. The impact hit him hard as he landed on the rough ground, his body colliding with the hard pavement.

He groaned, pain shooting through his already battered body.

The door closed behind him with a heavy metallic sound.

Silence.

Cedric stayed there for several seconds, breathing heavily as pain spread through his body. His hand slowly moved toward his pocket. Nothing. He checked the other pocket. Nothing. His phone was gone.

His expression darkened immediately.

"My phone..."

He pushed one hand against the wall and tried to stand. The moment he put weight on his leg, a sharp pain shot through his body. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright despite the agony.

"Ah..."

He clenched his teeth and forced himself upright anyway. His whole body ached. His lip was bleeding, his face hurt and every movement reminded him of what had just happened but the pain only made his anger worse.

Whoever had done this had made a very serious mistake.

Cedric wiped the blood from his chin and stared into the darkness of the alley. The dim light from a distant streetlamp cast long shadows across the walls.

"I swear..." His voice was low and filled with hatred. "Whoever did this, I’m not letting you go."

His fists slowly clenched.

"I’ll find you."

He took a painful breath.

"And when I do, I’ll make you regret ever touching me."

Cedric’s mind immediately began searching for an explanation. Rivals. It had to be them. Someone from the business must have hired local thugs to send him a warning. Perhaps they had wanted to intimidate him without openly declaring war.

A bitter smile appeared on his face despite the pain.

"They picked the wrong person."

He would find out who was behind this. And once he did, he would make sure they understood exactly who they had chosen to provoke.

Cedric slowly pushed himself away from the wall and began walking toward the end of the alley, each step painful but determined. His body screamed in protest, but his fury pushed him forward.

He had no idea that the people who had attacked him weren’t acting on behalf of his business rivals at all.

Meanwhile, on the way home, Rafael couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

He sat comfortably in the back seat, one arm resting against the door as the city lights passed outside the window. Every time he remembered Cedric’s confused face and the way he had kept demanding to know who had sent them, another laugh escaped him.

"Who sent you?" Rafael repeated in an exaggerated voice, then shook his head, laughing again. "As if we’re going to tell you."

The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror but wisely said nothing.

Rafael leaned back, still wearing an amused smirk.

He had expected the evening to be boring after the spy incident but Cedric had certainly made it more entertaining. He hadn’t even needed to show his face and Cedric was probably somewhere right now trying to figure out which of his enemies had decided to send him a warning.

Rafael looked out of the window again.

"Poor guy," he muttered, although there wasn’t much sympathy in his voice.

He paused.

Then his lips curved again.

"Actually... no. Not poor guy."

Another chuckle escaped him.

By the time the car reached the mansion, Rafael was still wearing that satisfied expression. He stepped out, adjusted his jacket and walked inside as casually as if he had simply returned from an ordinary dinner.

The moment he entered the living room, he remembered Cedric again.

His shoulders shook with another laugh.

One of the servants nearby looked at him in confusion.

Rafael noticed the stare and immediately composed himself.

"What?"

The servant quickly shook his head.

"Nothing, sir."

"Good."

Rafael continued toward the stairs, but after a few steps he stopped.

The image came back to his mind again.

Cedric lying in that alley, furious, confused and completely unaware of who had been behind everything.

Rafael covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.

It didn’t work.

"Hahaha..."