Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 31: Chapter 31 Thrown out

Daisy could feel Jenna’s gaze on her, burning into her, judging her.

"You," Jenna said quietly, "are a waste of space."

Daisy flinched.

"You sit in your room all day, doing nothing. You do not cook. You do not clean. You do not earn money. You do not give my son children. You do nothing."

Daisy’s eyes burned. She blinked rapidly, refusing to let the tears fall.

"And yet," Jenna continued, her voice dropping lower, "you find time to parade around in short dresses and smile at my husband to seduce him."

Daisy shook her head frantically. No. No, that was not what happened. She had only smiled because she was trying to be kind.

Jenna grabbed her chin.

Daisy’s breath stopped. Jenna’s fingers were cold and hard, digging into her skin, forcing her face up. Their eyes met. Jenna’s blue eyes were filled with disgust, hatred and jealousy.

"You listen to me," Jenna hissed. "Stay away from Joseph. Stay away from any man in this house. You are here because my father-in-law felt sorry for you. You are nothing. You will always be nothing."

Jenna released her chin and stepped back.

Daisy stood frozen, her chin throbbing, her eyes wide.

Jenna smoothed her dress and walked back to her seat. She sat down and picked up her wine glass.

"Go to the kitchen and make dinner," Jenna said, not looking at her. "And do not come out until it is done."

Daisy nodded.

She turned and walked out of the dining room.

Her legs were shaking. Her hands were shaking. Her whole body was shaking.

She walked to the kitchen, her steps slow and heavy. She opened the refrigerator. Took out vegetables and meat.

She began to cook.

Her hands moved automatically, chopping and stirring and seasoning but her mind was elsewhere.

She thought about Jenna’s words. You are nothing. You will always be nothing.

She thought about Joseph’s eyes. I can treat you well.

Daisy chopped an onion. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

From the onion. She told herself it was from the onion.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and kept cooking.

An hour later, dinner was ready.

She carried the dishes to the dining room. Jenna was still sitting at the table, her wine glass empty. Joseph had not come down.

Daisy placed the dishes on the table and stepped back.

Jenna looked at the food, then at Daisy.

"You look disgusting," Jenna said.

Daisy looked down at her baggy white dress, her leggings, and her old sandals. The fabric was loose and shapeless, hiding every curve, every hint of beauty. She had dressed this way on purpose, to disappear, to be invisible, to escape the hungry eyes that had followed her at lunch.

Apparently, it had worked.

Joseph came down the stairs soon after. His dark blue eyes swept across the dining room once, landed on Daisy for a brief moment, and then looked away. He did not smile or speak. He simply walked to his seat and sat down.

Jenna nodded in satisfaction.

Daisy was not invited to sit at the table because Joseph was not paying attention to her anymore, and Jenna did not like eating with a mute, so she did not call Daisy.

She stood near the doorway, her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes fixed on the floor.

Joseph ate quickly, barely tasting the food. He finished his plate in silence, pushed back his chair, and left the room without a word. His footsteps echoed down the hallway, then faded.

Jenna ate slowly.

She cut her meat into small pieces. Chewed. Swallowed. Her eyes were fixed on the door where Joseph had disappeared. Her expression was cold and calculating, growing darker with each passing moment.

Daisy did not move. She did not breathe. She just stood there, waiting.

Jenna set down her fork.

The clink echoed in the silent room.

She stood up slowly, her chair scraping against the floor. She walked around the table, her heels clicking on the marble, her eyes never leaving Daisy’s face.

Daisy’s heart pounded.

Jenna stopped in front of her. Her sharp blue eyes scanned Daisy from head to toe.

"You," Jenna said quietly. "You are not allowed inside the house to sleep tonight."

Daisy’s eyes widened.

Jenna’s lips curled into a cold smile. "Who knows if you stay here, you will seduce my husband? You already tried once today. I will not give you another chance."

Daisy shook her head frantically. No. No, that was not what happened. She had not tried to seduce anyone.

Jenna’s hand shot out and captured Daisy’s delicate wrist. Her grip was iron tight, her fingers digging into the soft skin.

Daisy tried to pull away, but Jenna was stronger and furious.

Jenna pulled her roughly across the dining room, through the hallway, past the portraits of Evermont ancestors, past the marble floors and crystal chandeliers. Daisy stumbled, her sandals slipping on the smooth floor, but Jenna did not stop.

She threw open the front door.

The night air rushed in, cold and dark.

Jenna shoved Daisy outside.

Daisy fell to her knees on the stone driveway, her palms scraping against the rough ground. The door slammed behind her. The lock clicked.

She was outside, alone in the dark.

Daisy blinked away her tears. She would not cry. She would not give Jenna that satisfaction.

She stood up slowly, brushing the dirt from her baggy dress. Her palms were scraped raw, tiny specks of blood blooming on her skin. She wiped them on her leggings and looked around.

The mansion loomed behind her, dark and silent. The windows were dark. No one was watching. No one cared.

She walked toward the garden.

The Evermont mansion garden was big and vast. It stretched out behind the house, a maze of trimmed hedges, flower beds, and stone pathways. The moon was high, casting silver light across the grass. The stars were scattered across the sky like diamonds on black velvet.

There were no servants and guards in sight.. No one.

Daisy was used to this.

She had been thrown out of the house before. Many times. Jenna’s punishments were creative and cruel but they were predictable. Daisy had learned to prepare.