Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 79: Chapter 79 What was going on with him?

Cedric didn’t understand what was happening to him since he came abroad alone with Jessica. He shouldn’t be thinking about Daisy, but he couldn’t help it. She kept creeping back into his mind, like a song he couldn’t stop humming, like a scent he couldn’t forget.

He tried to push her out, tried to focus on Jessica, on the business meetings, on the lavish dinners and expensive wines but nothing worked. Daisy was always there, lurking at the edges of his thoughts.

What was she doing right now? Was she eating properly? Was she sleeping well? Was she lonely? Did she miss him? Did she even think about him at all?

Her beautiful face seemed imprinted in his heart. Thinking about her made his heart speed up, made his palms sweat, made his chest ache with something he couldn’t name.

It was a confusing, unsettling feeling, like standing on the edge of a cliff and not knowing whether to step forward or step back.

What was going on with him?

He didn’t have an answer.

He didn’t understand it. He had never cared about her before. He had never thought about her when she wasn’t in the room. He had never wondered what she was doing or how she was feeling. She had been invisible to him, a piece of furniture in his life that he had stopped noticing.

But nowadays, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

After the event, Cedric took Jessica back to the hotel.

They had dinner in the private dining room, the food expensive and beautifully presented but Cedric barely touched his plate. His mind was elsewhere, wandering through memories he didn’t want to have.

Jessica talked and laughed and touched his hand across the table, her voice bright and animated. Cedric nodded and smiled and said all the right things but his eyes were distant, his thoughts far away.

After dinner, they went back to the suite. Jessica undressed slowly and seductively, trying to catch his attention. Cedric kissed her and touched her. He did what she wanted.

But his mind was not there. It was miles away.

When Jessica fell asleep, curled under the white sheets, her red hair spread across the pillow like a fiery halo, Cedric lay beside her, staring at the ceiling.

He could not sleep.

He was thinking about Daisy.

He had been thinking about her all night. Even when he was inside Jessica. Even when her body was pressed against his. Even when her lips were on his skin.

He did not know why he was thinking about her now. He had spent three years ignoring her, pushing her away, pretending she did not exist. And now, suddenly, he could not stop.

He slipped out of bed, his bare feet silent on the carpet. He was shirtless, his chest bare, his dark hair messy from sleep. He grabbed his phone and walked into the hallway, closing the door softly behind him.

He told himself he was doing this because he wanted to know if she was behaving well. He was her husband. He had the right to check on her. To make sure she was not doing anything she should not be doing.

He called Daisy.

The phone rang once..twice.. three times.

She did not pick up.

He called again.

She did not pick up.

He called a third time.

She did not pick up.

Cedric frowned. It was the middle of the night. Not everyone was awake at this hour like him. Unless they were doing something or were with someone.

He called again.

This time, she answered.

The screen flickered. Daisy’s face appeared. Her eyes were barely open, heavy-lidded and clouded with sleep. Her caramel hair was messy, tangled, spread across her pillow like a golden halo. She was lying in her bed, the thin blanket pulled up to her chest, her face soft and gentle in the dim light of her room.

She looked sleepy. Heavy-lidded. Like she had just woken up from a deep sleep.

Cedric’s heartbeat sped up.

She was so beautiful.

Even like this. Even half-asleep. Even with her hair a mess and her eyes barely open. She was so beautiful.

And she did not even realize.

Her night shirt was comfortable, loose, the fabric soft and worn from years of use. The thin material had shifted while she slept, slipping off her shoulder, revealing the smooth skin of her collarbone. A small beauty mark rested near the base of her throat, just above the curve of her shoulder.

Cedric’s eyes fell on it.

He visibly gulped.

He could not look away. He could not stop staring at that small mark, that soft skin, that delicate curve. His mouth went dry. His heart pounded in his chest.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

His voice was rough and low.

Daisy blinked slowly. Her eyes were still heavy, her mind still clouded with sleep. She stared at the screen, confused, her brow furrowing slightly.

She shook her head slightly, a small, sleepy movement. She touched her throat, then made a small gesture toward her head.

Sleeping. I was sleeping.

Cedric watched her hands. He watched her fingers move, slow and clumsy with sleep. He wanted to touch them. He wanted to hold them. He wanted to feel them on his skin.

He pushed the thought away.

"Where were you today?" he asked. "What did you do?"

Daisy blinked again. She looked confused and tired, her eyes struggling to focus. She shook her head slowly, her movements languid.

Nothing. I did nothing.

Cedric frowned. "Nothing? You did nothing all day?"

Daisy nodded. Her eyes were already closing again, her body pulling her back toward sleep.

"You should go out more," Cedric said, his voice firmer. "You shouldn’t stay locked in your room all day. It’s not good for you."

Daisy looked at him, her brow furrowed. She didn’t understand why he was calling her in the middle of the night to tell her to go out more. Her hands moved slowly, her signs sluggish.

Why are you calling? It’s late.

Cedric was silent for a moment. His mind raced, searching for an answer that didn’t sound desperate. "I wanted to check on you. That’s all."

Daisy blinked slowly. She nodded, her eyes already half-closed.

Okay.

She started to close her eyes.

Cedric wanted to say something else. He wanted to tell her to stay awake, to keep talking to him. He wanted to see her eyes open for just a little longer. He wanted to see her smile, even if it was small and sleepy.

But he didn’t.

"Go back to sleep," he said.

Daisy nodded. She already looked half-asleep again, her head sinking into her pillow.

Cedric ended the call.

He stood in the dark hallway, his phone in his hand, his heart still pounding. His skin was still warm. His mind was still full of her.

He didn’t know what was happening to him. But he knew one thing. He couldn’t stop thinking about her and that terrified him more than anything else....