Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 58: Chapter 58 Laugh

They sat in silence, the cafeteria noises filling the space around them. The clink of spoons against ceramic bowls. The murmur of distant voices. The hiss of the coffee machine releasing steam. The soft rustle of the newspaper as the old man turned a page.

Daisy looked at Alessio.

He was looking at the window, at the parking lot outside, at the cars coming and going in the pale afternoon light. His profile was sharp against the brightness, his jaw set in that familiar hard line, his dark hair catching the faint glow from the window.

She watched him for a moment, studying the way his shoulders filled out his black suit, the way his hands rested on the table, one palm open, one curled into a loose fist. She studied the small lines around his eyes, barely visible unless you were sitting this close, the faint shadows that spoke of sleepless nights.

She did not realize she was staring.

"Seen enough?"

Alessio turned to look at her.

Daisy’s eyes widened, becoming big as saucers, dark and round and full of panic. Her cheeks flushed pink, and her mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, frozen and terrified, which was strangely comical.

Alessio felt something rise in his chest, something he had not felt in years. Something that made his lips twitch and his eyes warm with an unfamiliar softness.

He wanted to laugh.

Laugh. He was shocked at himself. He could not remember the last time he had wanted to laugh at anything. The feeling was so foreign, so unexpected, that it took him a moment to recognize it.

He did not let it out though. He kept his face neutral, his lips pressed into their usual thin line. But inside, something was tugging at him, pulling at the cold walls he had built around himself, cracking them just a little.

Daisy lowered her eyes quickly, staring at the table, at the small scratch on its surface, at the salt shaker, at anything that was not his face. Her hands fidgeted in her lap, twisting together.

I am sorry.

She gestured after a while, her hands moving in quick, apologetic motions.

Alessio watched her signs. He understood them now, most of them. Enough to know what she was saying.

I am sorry. I did not mean to stare. I was just thinking. I was not looking at you. I was looking at the window. The parking lot. The cars. Not at you. I am sorry.

Alessio looked at her speechlessly.

This girl had a tendency to say sorry often. For things that did not require apologies.

"Do you know other words besides sorry?" he asked.

Daisy blinked, her mind going blank for a moment. She thought about it, her hands moving slowly, uncertainly.

I am sorry. I do not know.

Alessio closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them.

"Sorry again?" he asked, his voice flat, his eyebrows rising slightly. He gestured toward her, mimicking her sign for sorry, then rolled his eyes. Just a little. Just enough for her to see.

Daisy’s cheeks turned even pinker, and her hands fluttered in front of her like startled birds, waving and flapping in panic. She pointed at him, then at herself, then made a small apologetic gesture again, then stopped herself and put her hands in her lap, looking at him with wide eyes that held a mix of embarrassment and amusement.

Alessio looked at her helplessly, feeling something warm spreading through his stone cold heart.

Meanwhile, across the cafeteria, Rafael and Ava were hiding behind a large potted plant near the entrance.

Rafael’s eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open, his tattoos seeming to stand out against his tan skin as he stared at the scene unfolding in front of him.

Ava was beside him, her blue eyes equally wide, her hand pressed against her mouth to stifle a gasp. Her long black hair fell across her shoulders, the subtle blonde highlights catching the light.

"Is... is this Alessio imposter?" Rafael whispered, his voice barely audible.

Ava shook her head slowly. "I don’t know. I don’t know him well enough to tell."

"Look at him. Look at his face. He just rolled his eyes. He rolled his eyes at a girl. Alessio doesn’t roll his eyes. Alessio doesn’t do anything except stare coldly and say ’no’ and make people nervous."

Ava peeked around the plant, her expression one of pure shock. "But he is still sitting there. He is not leaving. He is... he is talking to her."

"Talking? He is using sign language. With his hands. Alessio is using his hands to talk to a GIRL."

"He is also rolling his eyes at her."

Rafael stared at his ruthless and cold brother, who was sitting in a hospital cafeteria with a mute girl, using sign language, rolling his eyes and not looking like he wanted to murder anyone.

"This is so weird," Rafael said, shaking his head.

Ava nodded. "So weird."

"We should leave. We should pretend we never saw this. We should erase this from our memory."

"But I want to see what happens next."

Rafael looked at her. "You are brave."

Ava smiled shyly. "No, I am just curious."

Rafael sighed and looked back at the table. Alessio was still sitting there, still talking to the girl, still using sign language, still not looking like he wanted to murder anyone.

Rafael shook his head. "This is the strangest and most shocking thing I have ever seen."

Back at the table, Daisy had finally stopped apologizing.

She sat with her hands in her lap, her eyes fixed on the table, her cheeks still pink. She could feel Alessio’s gaze on her, and it made her nervous, made her stomach flutter with a strange and unfamiliar feeling.

The food arrived.

A plate of scrambled eggs, golden and fluffy, steam rising from them in thin curls. A side of toast, buttered and warm, the butter melting into the bread. A bowl of fresh fruit, bright and colorful, with strawberries and grapes and slices of orange. A glass of mango juice, cold and pulpy, condensation beading on the glass.

Daisy stared at the food.

Her stomach growled loudly.