Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 17: Chapter 17 Excitement

Next Day

Morning

The sunlight streamed through the windows of Ward 412, warm and golden. Daisy had woken up early, her heart fluttering with something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Excitement.

Cedric was coming to pick her up today. After three days of staying with Grandpa James, she was finally going home.

She packed her small bag carefully. The white dress she had worn on the first day was folded neatly at the bottom. The pink cashmere sweater she had bought at the mall was placed on top, still wrapped in its store tissue paper. Her journal was tucked into the side pocket, along with her favorite pen. The yellow scarf she had been knitting was nearly finished, and she wrapped it around her mother’s photograph for safekeeping.

She was ready.

"You are so excited to leave me?" James joked from his armchair, his old eyes twinkling with mischief.

Daisy’s eyes widened in horror. She dropped the small bag on the floor and rushed to his side, her hands flapping in front of her in frantic denial.

No no no no no.

She shook her head rapidly, her caramel hair bouncing around her shoulders. She pointed at him, then at her heart, then made a grabbing motion like she was holding something tight.

I love you. I do not want to leave you. That is not why I am excited.

James laughed, a warm wheezing sound that filled the room. "This old man is joking, child. I know you love me."

Daisy stopped her frantic gesturing. She put her hand on her chest and let out a silent breath of relief.

James reached out and patted her cheek gently. His old fingers were warm and soft.

"I am actually happy," he continued, his voice growing softer. "Seeing a good relationship between you and Cedric makes my heart full. That boy was always so cold, so distant. But you brought something out in him. I can see it. The way he looks at you. The way he holds your hand."

Daisy’s smile thinned. She looked down at her lap.

If only he knew. If only Grandpa knew that Cedric never looked at her. Never held her hand. Never stayed in the same room unless there were witnesses.

She just smiled and nodded.

James smiled back, his old eyes soft and warm. "That is my girl."

Margaret was sitting in the corner, folding laundry. She looked at Daisy, then at James, then back at Daisy.

Knock knock.

Daisy’s head snapped toward the door.

Her heart leaped.

He was here. Cedric was here. He came early.

Daisy scrambled off the chair, nearly tripping over her own feet. She grabbed her small bag from the floor, then dropped it again because she was too excited to hold anything.

She ran to the door. Her hand reached for the handle.

James and Margaret exchanged amused glances.

"Oh, look how excited she is," James said, chuckling. "She nearly fell twice."

Margaret nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Young love."

"She is like a little puppy waiting for her owner to come home."

"More like a kitten," Margaret laughed.

James laughed. "Either way, it is good to see her happy."

Daisy pulled the door open.

Her smile was wide. Her dark eyes were shining. Her cheeks were flushed pink. Her whole face was lit up with joy and love and hope.

She looked at the man standing in the doorway, and her face fell.

It was not Cedric.

It was Alessio Ricci.

Alessio stood in the doorway, tall and broad and cold, his frame blocking out the morning light behind him. His dark green eyes swept over her face, taking in everything. The smile that had just died. The light that had just dimmed. The hope that had just crumbled into dust.

What happened? his eyes seemed to ask. But he said nothing.

Daisy’s hands dropped to her sides. Her shoulders slumped. The excitement drained out of her like water from a broken cup, leaving her empty and foolish and embarrassed.

She had been so happy. So sure. And now she felt stupid.

"Oh, lover boy is here to take his princess?" James called out from his chair, his voice teasing. He could not see the doorway clearly from where he sat. "Come in, come in! Do not just stand there like a statue, boy!"

Daisy’s eyes widened. Her face turned bright red, the color spreading like wildfire across her cheeks and down her neck.

She shook her head frantically, her hands waving in front of her. She stepped aside so James could see who was actually at the door.

Not Cedric. It was Alessio.

James leaned forward in his chair, squinting at the doorway. His old eyes took a moment to focus. When he saw Alessio’s tall frame and cold green eyes, he blinked. Then he laughed, a loud wheezing sound that echoed through the room.

"Oh! It is you, boy!"

Alessio stepped inside, his movements smooth and deliberate. He nodded at James, a formal, almost military gesture. "Good morning."

James was still chuckling, his shoulders shaking. "I thought you were my grandson! Daisy here nearly knocked the door down trying to open it. Look at her face. She is bright red. Redder than those roses in the garden."

Daisy covered her cheeks with her hands. They were burning. She could feel the heat radiating from her skin.

She wanted to disappear into the floor. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She had never been so embarrassed in her life.

Alessio looked at her. At her red face. At her hands covering her cheeks. At the way she refused to meet his eyes, her gaze fixed on the floor like it held the secrets of the universe.

His cold expression did not change. But an unknown expression flickered in his green eyes.

"Her brother?" Alessio asked.

James waved his hand dismissively. "Oh no. She was expecting her husband. Cedric. Do you know him? I told you about him yesterday. My grandson is very handsome but not as handsome as you, if I am being honest."