Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 186: Chapter 186 I have to do this today

Daisy watched from nearby, quietly observing the lively gathering.

The house had become considerably more crowded now with conversations overlapping throughout the living room and staff moving around with trays of drinks and appetizers.

Then, not long afterward, another pair of familiar figures entered.

Rafael and Alessio.

The moment Grandpa James noticed them, his entire expression changed.

His eyes practically lit up.

"My boy!"

He smiled broadly, his earlier pretend annoyance completely forgotten.

Alessio approached him with a warm small smile.

"Happy birthday, Grandpa."

His deep voice carried easily through the surrounding conversations.

James immediately looked down at the beautifully wrapped gift box in Alessio’s hands.

His curiosity appeared instantly.

"Ohhh!"

His eyes widened like a child who had just been shown a mysterious present.

"What’s inside?"

Alessio chuckled, was deep and surprisingly sound melodious.

"You’ll find out later, Grandpa," Alessio replied. "You have to enjoy your party first."

James frowned playfully.

"But I want to know now."

Alessio smiled.

"That’s exactly why you have to wait."

Before James could argue further, one of the staff members approached and carefully took the gifts from Alessio and Rafael, placing them with the other presents.

James then looked between the two brothers.

He studied them for a few seconds before pointing toward Rafael.

"He’s your younger brother, right?"

Alessio nodded.

"Yes."

James looked between them again.

"You both look almost the same."

Rafael immediately reacted.

"Not the same, Grandpa!"

James raised an eyebrow, amused by how quickly he had protested.

Rafael stepped slightly closer to the two of them and began pointing out their differences with complete seriousness.

"Look carefully. Our eye shades are different."

He pointed toward his own eyes.

"And I have tattoos. He doesn’t."

Then he gestured toward his hair.

"My hair is lighter than his too. His is much darker."

James looked at them carefully again.

Alessio simply stood there with an amused expression, allowing his younger brother to make his case.

James finally nodded thoughtfully.

"Well..."

He looked from Rafael to Alessio once more.

"Indeed."

Rafael smiled triumphantly.

"See? I told you."

James laughed.

"You two may have your differences, but there’s no mistaking that you’re brothers."

Alessio glanced at Rafael.

Rafael glanced back at him.

For a brief moment, the two brothers simply looked at each other before both turned away, each pretending to be far more interested in the celebration than the other.

Cedric, however, had been watching them.

The moment he saw how warmly Grandpa James welcomed the Ricci brothers, unpleasant feelings settled inside him. His expression slowly hardened, and the warmth that had been there moments earlier disappeared completely.

For some reason, he felt irritated with his grandfather too.

If Grandpa James had not met alessio, none of this would have happened. Daisy wouldn’t have met Alessio, and this man wouldn’t have entered her life.

Cedric’s jaw tightened at the thought.

Then his gaze shifted.

Alessio was looking toward the other side of the room.

Daisy was there, standing near a few members of the staff and quietly discussing something with them through gestures. She seemed completely unaware that she was being watched.

Alessio’s attention, however, remained on her.

His eyes followed her naturally.

There was no obvious expression on his face, nothing that could immediately expose what he was thinking, but Cedric noticed it.

He knew that look.

He was a man himself.

He understood perfectly well how another man looked at a woman when she had caught his attention.

Cedric’s face became even colder.

So that’s what this is.

His fingers curled slightly at his side.

The realization irritated him far more than he wanted to admit.

He couldn’t understand why.

He had spent so long telling Daisy that he loved Jessica. He had even accused Daisy of trying to attract him whenever she did something thoughtful.

So why did seeing another man look at her like that bother him?

Cedric pushed the thought away.

He wasn’t going to stand there and watch it happen.

He forced a polite smile onto his face and walked toward Alessio.

"Hey."

Alessio finally turned his attention away from Daisy.

Cedric extended his hand.

Alessio looked at it for a brief second before taking it.

Their hands met.

Cedric’s grip was considerably tighter than necessary.

Alessio’s green eyes immediately sharpened.

He didn’t react outwardly but he understood the message behind the handshake.

Cedric was testing him.

Alessio slowly tightened his own grip in response, his expression remaining perfectly calm.

"Good to see you," Cedric said through his forced smile.

Alessio’s lips curved faintly.

"Likewise."

Neither man released the handshake immediately.

Their smiles looked perfectly polite from the outside.

But their eyes told an entirely different story.

Meanwhile, Rafael stood a little away from the others, a faint, almost mischievous smirk resting on his face as he watched the tension quietly building between Cedric and Alessio.

He glanced toward Grandpa James, who was happily greeting another guest.

I’m sorry, Grandpa James, Rafael thought, his smirk fading for only a moment. But I have to do this today.

There simply wasn’t a better opportunity.

Rafael slowly shifted his gaze toward Cedric.

Then his eyes moved toward Jessica.

His expression became firm.

For my big brother, I can do anything.

He knew perfectly well that this wasn’t the right day to create trouble. It was James’s birthday and the old man deserved nothing but happiness. Rafael genuinely respected him, which was why a small part of him felt guilty about what he was planning.

But when it came to Alessio, Rafael’s loyalty was absolute.

Call me inconsiderate for ruining such an important day if you want. I can accept that.

His eyes briefly moved toward Alessio.

But my brother’s happiness comes first.

He knew Alessio would probably hate the way he was handling things. His older brother was too controlled, too Private and far too stubborn to openly admit what he felt. If Rafael waited for Alessio to make the first move, he suspected they would all be old and grey before anything happened.

So today, he had decided to stop waiting.