Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 69: Chapter 69 I am not a creep!

Rafael was unhappy and depressed.

He sat on the couch of his office, his elbows resting on his knees, his head hanging low. His dark hair was messier than usual, falling across his forehead in tangled waves. His tattoos seemed to blend into the shadows of the room as the evening light faded through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He had been waiting for Daisy all day.

He had waited at the office. He had waited in the conference room. He had waited at the reception desk. He had checked his phone a hundred times, hoping for a message, a call, anything.

Nothing.

He had made excuse after excuse. Maybe she was stuck in traffic. Maybe she had an emergency. Maybe her phone died. Maybe she got lost. Maybe she forgot.

But now, as the sun set over the city and the sky turned from orange to purple to black, he could no longer pretend.

She was not coming.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He had been so hopeful, so excited. He had imagined the look on Alessio’s face when he would bring Daisy to him. But none of that was going to happen because she had not come.

Rafael sighed deeply, running his hands through his hair. He felt frustrated, confused and rejected. He had never felt like this before. He was Rafael Ricci. He did not wait for anyone. He did not make excuses for anyone. He did not care about anyone.

But Daisy was different.

Because she was the first person who had made Alessio look normal. The first person who had made him feel something other than cold indifference. The first person who had broken through the walls that Rafael had been trying to break for years.

And now she was gone.

So at night, he told Eva everything.

They were sitting on the couch. Eva’s legs were curled under her, her long black hair falling over her shoulders. She was wearing one of Rafael’s oversized shirts, the fabric swallowing her small frame.

Rafael’s voice was low, almost defeated as he recounted the day.

Eva listened patiently, her blue eyes fixed on his face.

When he finished, she looked at him speechlessly.

"So," she said slowly, her voice carefully neutral, "you called her the whole day like a creep? You bombarded her with calls. You waited for hours. You made excuses to your own manager."

Rafael’s face flushed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, burying his face in her stomach like a child seeking comfort.

"I am not a creep!" he mumbled against her shirt.

Eva’s hands found his hair, her fingers threading through the thick strands. "You called her multiple times. You waited all day. You made excuses that even you did not believe."

Rafael tightened his arms around her. "That is because I wanted to give her a chance. She is qualified. She is perfect for the job and she is... she is the only person who makes bro act like a normal human being...."

Eva was quiet for a moment. Then she tilted her head, her expression thoughtful.

"Well," she said slowly, "she might not be interested in the job or she might not have received the email or maybe her phone or laptop broke or maybe she was busy with something else."

Rafael nodded slowly. "Should be."

Eva played with his thick hair, her fingers gentle and soothing. "You should try again. Send her another email. Call her again. But maybe... give her some space first. Do not bombard her."

Rafael’s arms tightened around her waist. "I will try again," he said. "I will not give up."

Eva smiled. She did not know that Rafael had already decided to send his personal investigator to find out what Daisy had been doing recently. He did not tell her that part. He knew she would worry or worse, she would try to talk him out of it.

But Rafael was not going to be talked out of anything.

Daisy had caught his attention. And Rafael Ricci did not let go of things that caught his attention.

"But for now," Rafael said, raising his head to look at her. His green eyes were deep, warm, filled with intense emotions that made Eva’s breath catch.

Eva looked down at him. Her heart fluttered. She felt his arms around her waist, the heat of his hands through the thin fabric of his shirt. Her fingers were still tangled in his hair.

"Rafael," she whispered.

He smiled. It was a slow, deep smile that reached his eyes.

He raised his hand and cupped her face, his thumb brushing against her cheek.

"Eva," he said softly. His voice was low and rough.

She shivered.

He sat up slowly, not breaking eye contact. His hand slid from her face to the back of her neck, pulling her closer...

❀┈┈┈┈❀

Tap...

Tap...

Tap...

Alessio tapped his hand rhythmically on his study table, his fingers moving in a steady, unconscious pattern. The sound was soft, almost soothing, but it did nothing to calm the storm raging inside him.

He stared at his phone.

The screen brightness was low, but he could still see her name. Daisy. He had exchanged numbers with her a week ago, but he had never called her after that first message. He had never texted her again. He had told himself it was better that way.

She was married.

She was married.

She was married.

He reminded himself of this fact over and over, like a mantra. He repeated it in his head until the words lost all meaning. She was married. She belonged to someone else.

But his mind would not listen.

Every time he was alone, her face appeared. Her dark eyes. Her caramel hair. The way she had looked at him in the cafeteria, her cheeks flushed, her smile small and shy. The way she had signed thank you, her hands moving gracefully in the air. The way she had laughed, silently, her shoulders shaking, her eyes crinkling at the corners.