Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 64: Chapter 64 Mascot

Next Day

Jenna was sitting in her spacious dressing room, the morning light streaming through the tall windows and casting golden rays across her vanity. She was applying her lipstick, a deep shade of crimson. Her silver-streaked hair was pinned up in an elegant twist and she wore a silk robe, the fabric soft and expensive against her skin.

Her phone buzzed on the marble counter.

She glanced at the screen. Her friend, Patricia, from Jade Bay, the city next to Diamond City. They had been friends for years, since before Jenna had married Joseph. Patricia had married a rich businessman there, a man who owned half the city’s real estate.

Jenna picked up the phone and swiped to answer.

"Patricia," she said, her voice warm. "What a pleasant surprise. How are you?"

"I am well, Jenna. Busy, you know. The charity gala is coming up, and I am in charge of the decorations this year. It is exhausting." Patricia laughed, a light tinkling sound. "But I am not calling to talk about that. I think I saw your husband."

Jenna’s hand froze mid-motion. The lipstick tube hovered near her lips.

"My husband?" she repeated. "Joseph is in Jade Bay for a business trip."

"Yes, I know. I saw him at the mall. The Jade Bay Mall. He was... well, he was with someone."

Jenna’s eyes narrowed. She set down the lipstick and leaned forward, her reflection in the mirror staring back at her with sharp, suspicious eyes.

"Someone?" she asked. "What someone?"

Patricia hesitated. "I... I think it was Jasmine."

Jenna’s blood turned cold.

"Jasmine," she repeated. Her voice was flat and deadly.

"Yes. I am sorry, Jenna. I know that is not what you wanted to hear. But I thought you should know. They were at a cafe together. They looked... comfortable."

Jenna’s hand tightened around her phone. Her knuckles turned white.

Jasmine. Joseph’s first girlfriend. The one before her. The one who had cheated on Joseph with another man and broken his heart. Joseph had been devastated when Jasmine left him. He had become a playboy afterwards, sleeping with countless women, never settling down. And then he had met Jenna and she had thought she had finally tamed him.

But Jasmine was back and she was with Joseph.

"What is that bit×h doing with my husband!" Jenna shouted, her voice rising with anger. She stood up from her vanity, her robe falling open slightly.

Patricia’s voice was calm. "Jenna, nothing will happen if you keep shouting. You need to think clearly. You need to act."

Jenna paced across the room, her heels clicking against the marble floor. "I will kill her. I will tear her hair out. I will—"

"Jenna," Patricia interrupted. "Listen to me. Shouting and threatening will not help. What will help is you coming here. Before she fills his ear with lies. Before she convinces him to do something stupid."

Jenna stopped pacing. She took a deep breath.

"You are right," she said. Her voice was cold now, controlled. "You are right. I need to go there. I need to see it with my own eyes."

"That is what I thought. When are you coming?"

"The nearest flight. I will book it right now."

"Good. I will pick you up from the airport. And Jenna?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful. You know Joseph. He is easily swayed. He has always been weak when it comes to women. That is why he married you in the first place. You were the one who made him strong."

Jenna’s jaw tightened. "I know. And I will not let her take that away from me."

She hung up the phone.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were cold, sharp, filled with anger and determination.

She picked up her phone again and booked the next flight to Jade Bay. Then she called her driver.

"Prepare the car," she said. "I am going to the airport."

❀┈┈┈┈❀

Daisy was surprised Jenna had left without saying anything and Cedric hadn’t come home last night either.

Daisy stared at the closed door of her room. She didn’t know where he was. She didn’t know if he was with Jessica or with friends or somewhere else entirely. She had stopped wondering long ago. It hurt too much to wonder.

She pushed the thought away.

Her heart was already heavy from the rejections. The endless emails. The cold words.

’We regret to inform you...’

’We have decided to proceed with other candidates...’

’We believe your inability to speak would create challenges.’

She had read so many of them that the words blurred together, each one stinging just a little less than the last.

But this morning, something felt different.

She was happy.

It was a strange feeling, unfamiliar and fragile, like a flower blooming in the middle of winter. She didn’t fully understand it. She had been thinking about it last night. Because of her disability, it was not easy for her to find any job she would like. She wanted to do something that would make her happy. Something that didn’t require her to speak. Something simple.

And she had been thinking about the beach.

She loved the beach. She had always loved it. The sound of the waves, the smell of salt in the air, the feeling of sand between her toes. It was the only place where she felt truly free.

Maybe she could do something there....and she had been thinking about being a mascot.

Daisy smiled at the thought. A mascot. She could wear a big, fluffy costume and dance around and make children laugh. No one would know who she was. No one would care that she couldn’t speak. They would just see a cute, friendly animal spreading joy.

It was perfect.

She changed quickly, pulling on a simple white sundress and her worn sandals. She didn’t bother with makeup or fixing her hair. No one would see her face anyway.

The beach was only a short bus ride away. The sun was warm, the sky a soft blue and the breeze carried the scent of salt and coconut oil. Seagulls cried overhead, circling lazily and the waves crashed against the shore in a rhythmic rhythm.

Daisy walked along the shore, her toes sinking into the cool sand. She found a small rental shop near the pier, a place that offered costumes for events and parties. An old man with a kind face sat behind the counter, reading a newspaper.

She typed on her phone and showed him the screen.

Do you have a teddy bear costume? The cutest one you have.

The old man looked at her phone, then at her. He smiled.

"I have just the thing," he said.

He led her to the back of the shop and pulled out a costume from a storage room. It was a brown teddy bear, soft and fluffy, with a big pink bow tied around its neck. The eyes were large and shiny. The paws were round and squishy.

Daisy’s eyes lit up. She nodded eagerly, her hands clasped together.

The old man helped her into the costume. It was heavy and warm but comfortable like being wrapped in a giant stuffed animal. She could see through the mesh eyes, the world tinted a soft, hazy brown.

She picked up a small bowl and walked toward the beach.

The sand was warm beneath her feet, even through the costume. Children were everywhere, building sandcastles, chasing waves, laughing with their parents. The sun sparkled on the water, and the sky was impossibly blue.

Daisy took a deep breath and stepped forward.

A little girl spotted her first.

"Mama, look! A teddy bear!"

The girl ran toward Daisy, her small hands reaching out. Daisy crouched down and waved a fluffy paw. The girl giggled and hugged her leg.

Daisy’s heart swelled.

More children came running. They surrounded her, patting her fur, tugging at her paws, laughing and shouting.

"Teddy! Teddy!"

Daisy danced for them. She did a little wiggle, waved her paws in the air, spun around in a circle. The children clapped and cheered. Their laughter was bright and clear like music.

She felt so happy she could cry.

Inside the heavy costume, tears streamed down her cheeks. But no one could see them. No one could see her. They only saw the teddy bear.

Without anyone knowing her identity, she could do anything she wanted.

She could dance. She could play. She could be silly. She could be free.

Parents came over, smiling, taking photos of their children with the teddy bear. Some of them dropped coins and bills into her bowl. Not a lot, but enough. Every clink of a coin made her heart beat faster.

She bowed to the parents, waved to the children and kept dancing.

A little boy tugged at her paw. "Teddy, do you know any tricks?"

Daisy nodded. She did a clumsy somersault, landing on her back with her paws in the air. The children shrieked with laughter.

She got up and danced again.