Chapter 246 What about me?

Chapter 246: Chapter 246 What about me?

But Daisy was already too happy.

She stood up and wrapped her arms around Mona in a sudden, affectionate hug.

Mona blinked before laughing again.

"Oh my God, you’re so cute!"

Daisy hugged her a little tighter, smiling against her shoulder.

"Okay, okay!" Mona patted her back. "I get it. You’re happy!"

Daisy finally released her and began typing on her phone.

Thank you so much! I was really worried about finding someone reliable.

Mona read the message and waved her hand dismissively.

"Don’t thank me yet. You still have to survive choosing tiles, curtains, furniture and a hundred other things."

Daisy giggled silently.

Just then, Ace appeared beside their table, holding a cup of coffee.

He looked from Mona to Daisy, then at the phone in Daisy’s hand.

"What happened here? Why is everyone having a private celebration without me?"

Mona rolled her eyes.

"Daisy’s apartment is finally going to get renovated. I found someone who can help her."

"Oh, that’s great!" Ace said, smiling at Daisy. "Congratulations."

Daisy beamed at him.

Ace watched her for a moment before dramatically placing one hand over his chest.

"But what about me?"

Both women looked at him.

Mona frowned. "What about you?"

Ace pointed at Daisy, looking genuinely offended.

"She hugs you the moment you give her good news, but when I help her with something, I barely get a thank-you!"

Daisy’s eyes widened in surprise.

Mona burst out laughing.

"Since when did you help her renovate her apartment?"

"I haven’t yet!" Ace replied immediately. "That’s the problem. Nobody gives me a chance!"

Daisy covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Ace looked at her with exaggerated disappointment.

"Look at her! She’s laughing at me now."

Mona patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"Don’t worry, Ace. Maybe if you find her a contractor, she’ll hug you too."

Ace straightened immediately.

"Really?"

Mona stared at him. "No, you idiot. I was joking."

Daisy laughed even harder.

Ace sighed dramatically and took a sip of his coffee.

"Fine. I’ll remember this when you two need help moving furniture."

Daisy quickly caught his sleeve before he could walk away.

When he turned, she smiled at him and typed a message on her phone.

You can help me move the furniture. I’ll buy you coffee.

Ace read it, then looked up at her.

"Just coffee?"

Daisy nodded innocently.

He clicked his tongue.

"Unbelievable. Mona gets a hug and I just get a cup of coffee."

Mona burst into laughter again.

Daisy gave Ace an apologetic little smile before reaching out and giving his arm a quick, affectionate squeeze.

"There!" Ace declared. "I’ll accept that as an advance payment."

Daisy shook her head, laughing silently.

?┈┈┈┈?

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit private meeting room, a group of men sat around a long black table.

The atmosphere was tense.

A large screen covered one wall, displaying maps, photographs and several pages of confidential information. A team of bulky men stood near the screen, presenting their latest strategy while the others listened.

Or, at least, they were supposed to be listening.

Most of them were too busy worrying about the man seated at the head of the table.

Alessio Ricci.

Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, he sat with one arm resting on the armrest and the other placed casually on the table. His green eyes remained fixed on the presentation, his expression unreadable.

Beside him sat Rafael, who looked considerably more relaxed.

He leaned back in his chair, occasionally glancing at the screen while the team leader explained their proposed operation.

"...And if we move our men through the eastern entrance, we’ll be able to secure the entire location before the opposing side realizes what’s happening," the man concluded.

Silence followed.

Alessio slowly lifted his eyes from the screen.

"Is that your strategy?"

The team leader swallowed.

"Yes, sir."

Alessio tilted his head slightly.

"How many men are stationed at the eastern entrance?"

"Approximately twelve."

"And how many exits does the building have?"

The man hesitated.

"Four, sir."

"Three."

Alessio’s voice remained calm.

The team leader blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"There’s a service exit behind the warehouse. Your own report mentions it on page seventeen."

The man’s face changed.

Alessio leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.

"If you send your men through the eastern entrance, what stops the opposing side from escaping through the service exit while your team is busy securing the main building?"

Nobody spoke.

The team leader looked back at the screen, desperately searching for an answer.

"I... we assumed they would have someone guarding that area."

"You assumed?"

Alessio’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

The two words were enough to make the man straighten.

"Sir, we can revise the plan..."

"Of course you’ll revise it."

Alessio leaned back again.

"That’s why you’re here. To present a strategy that has been checked, examined and prepared properly. Not to waste my time with assumptions."

The team leader lowered his head.

"Understood, sir."

"Next."

The word came out so coldly that another man hurried forward to take his place.

Rafael lowered his eyes to hide his smile.

Here we go again.

He had attended enough of Alessio’s meetings to know how this would go. Someone would present a plan, Alessio would find three mistakes before they reached the second slide and the entire team would leave wondering whether they were actually qualified for their jobs.

To be fair, most of the time, Alessio was right.

Unfortunately, he had absolutely no interest in making people feel better about being wrong.

The next team member began explaining their proposed security arrangements.

"We’ve assigned two men to monitor the northern perimeter, four to the southern side, and—"

"Why?"

The man stopped.

"Sir?"

"Why have you assigned four men to the southern side?"

"Because that area has the highest number of possible entry points."

Alessio glanced at the screen.

"According to which report?"

The man looked uncertain.

"Our preliminary assessment."

"Your preliminary assessment was conducted three weeks ago."

Alessio tapped one finger against the table.

"The surrounding structures have changed since then. There’s a new access road on the northern side and your current arrangement leaves it almost completely unmonitored."

He looked directly at the man. "Did you visit the location yourself?"

"...No, sir."

"Did anyone on your team visit it?"

The man hesitated.

"No, sir."

For a moment, nobody dared to move.