Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 19: Chapter 19 Uncomfortable feelings

There was an unknown man sitting in the chair near the window. Tall, broad shouldered, with dark green eyes that watched them with an expression Cedric could not read.

Alessio did not move. His face revealed nothing. His lips were pressed into a thin line. But inside his chest, something was happening.

Something he could not name.

His heart felt blocked and heavy. Like someone had placed a stone on top of it and was pressing down, slowly, relentlessly. He did not understand it. He did not like it.

Cedric let go of Daisy. She stepped back, smiling. Cedric walked into the room, his eyes fixed on Alessio.

"Who is he, Grandpa?" Cedric asked, his voice polite but cold. He did not look at Daisy. He did not ask how she was. He did not thank her for staying with Grandpa. He just stared at the stranger in the chair.

James beamed, oblivious. "He is Alessio. He stays three wards away from me and came to keep me company. Nice young man. Very quiet. Very polite."

Cedric’s blue eyes narrowed slightly.

Three wards away. In the VVIP wing. That meant money, power and influence.

Cedric looked at Alessio thoughtfully, studying him the way he studied business rivals. His eyes moved over Alessio’s face, his build, and his posture. The way he sat, relaxed but alert. The way his hands rested on the armrests, large and capable.

Alessio looked back.

His dark green eyes swept over Cedric like a scanner. Reading him, analyzing him, and filing him away in a mental folder labeled threat or not threat.

Their eyes met. Neither of them blinked.

Daisy looked between the two men, confused. She did not understand why they were staring at each other like that.

She picked up her small bag from the floor and clutched it to her chest.

James, oblivious to the tension, clapped his hands together. "Cedric, sit down. Tell me about your trip. Daisy, get your husband something."

Daisy nodded quickly. She set down her bag and hurried toward the small kitchen, her footsteps light on the floor.

Cedric sat down in the chair next to James, his eyes still on Alessio.

"So, Alessio," Cedric said, his voice smooth as silk. "What brings you to this hospital?"

Alessio’s voice was flat. "Recovery."

"Recovery from what?"

"An accident."

Cedric’s eyes flickered to Alessio’s shoulder, then to his abdomen. He noticed the way Alessio held his arm slightly away from his body, the way his movements were careful and controlled, and the way his sweater draped over what was probably a bandage.

"Must have been some accident."

"It was."

Cedric smiled. It did not reach his eyes. "And you decided to keep my grandfather company? How generous."

Alessio’s expression did not change. "He is good company."

James laughed, delighted. "See? He likes me!"

Cedric’s smile tightened.

Daisy returned with a cup of tea. She handed it to Cedric carefully, her fingers brushing against his.

Cedric took the cup without looking at her.

"Thank you," he said automatically. He was used to being cared for by her. He expected it.

Daisy smiled anyway.

She sat down in her usual chair and picked up her knitting needles.

Click. Click. Click.

Alessio watched her.

She was pretending to knit. Her fingers were moving, but the yellow scarf was already finished. She was just moving her hands because she did not know what else to do, because sitting still made her nervous, because she needed to feel useful.

Cedric took a sip of tea. "Grandpa, are you ready to let Daisy go? I have work to do."

James nodded. "Yes, yes. Take her, but bring her back soon. I will miss her."

Cedric stood up. "Of course."

He did not look at Daisy. He did not offer to carry her bag. He did not hold out his hand for her. He just walked toward the door.

Daisy scrambled to her feet. She grabbed her small bag and followed him.

At the door, she paused and turned back.

She looked at Grandpa James and waved. He waved back, smiling, his old eyes crinkling with warmth. Then she looked at Margaret, who nodded at her gently, silently saying take care, dear.

Then, without meaning to, her eyes found Alessio.

He was already looking at her.

Their gazes locked across the room. His dark green eyes were unreadable and cold. She gave him a small smile.

Then she turned and walked out the door, following her husband down the hallway.

Alessio watched the door close behind her.

James sighed and leaned back in his armchair. "That girl. She is too good for him."

Margaret laughed. "She loves him so much. I can clearly see it in her eyes."

Alessio sat in silence, his eyes still on the door.

James turned to look at him. He studied him for a moment. Then his old eyes lit up with an idea.

"Let us exchange numbers," James said, reaching for his phone on the side table. "I will invite you to my birthday. It is next week. Small gathering. Just family and a few friends."

Alessio looked at the old man. "Your birthday?"

"Yes. I will be seventy eight. Probably my last one, if my heart has anything to say about it." James chuckled, but there was sadness underneath. "Daisy will be there. Cedric too. Margaret will make her famous chocolate cake. You should come."

Alessio hesitated.

His mind told him to say no. He did not attend parties. He did not celebrate birthdays. He did not make friends.

But his mouth said, "Alright."

James grinned. "Good. Give me your phone."

Alessio pulled out his phone and handed it to the old man.

James typed his number with trembling fingers, then handed it back. "There. Now you have my number, and I have yours. Do not be a stranger."

Alessio looked at the new contact in his phone: Grandpa James.

"I will not," Alessio said.

James smiled. "Good. Now go rest. You are still injured. Do not let that tough face fool me. I can see you are in pain."

Alessio stood up. He nodded at James, then at Margaret.