Chapter 248 What’s wrong with you?

Chapter 248: Chapter 248 What’s wrong with you?

By the time Alessio returned home, it was already evening.

He loosened his tie as he stepped inside, his expression as unreadable as ever. The meeting had dragged on longer than expected and he had spent most of the drive home dealing with calls from his men.

All he wanted now was a shower, a glass of water and a little peace before the next round of responsibilities demanded his attention.

But the moment he entered the living room, his steps slowed.

Daisy was sitting on the sofa beside Mateo, watching something on her phone and she was laughing.

Not just smiling or letting out one of her little silent chuckles. Her shoulders were shaking, her eyes had almost disappeared into crescents and she kept covering her mouth as Mateo continued talking beside her.

Mateo looked equally delighted, leaning toward the phone with the enthusiasm.

"No, no, wait!" he said, nearly snatching the phone from Daisy’s hands in his excitement. "Look at this part. This is even better!"

Daisy immediately turned her attention back to the screen.

A second later, she burst into another fit of silent laughter, bending forward slightly as she tried to contain herself.

Mateo laughed along with her.

"See? I told you! That guy has no brain!"

Daisy nodded enthusiastically, wiping the corner of her eye with her fingertip before typing something on her phone and showing it to him.

Mateo read the message and immediately burst out laughing again.

"Exactly! That’s what I’m saying!"

Alessio stood near the entrance, watching them.

For the past two days, he had been deliberately keeping his distance from Daisy. He had told himself that she wouldn’t notice, that she would be better off without his constant attention and that perhaps some distance would help him put his ridiculous feelings back where they belonged.

Apparently, he had been wrong about one thing.

She didn’t need his attention to enjoy herself.

She seemed perfectly happy sitting beside his younger brother, laughing at some ridiculous video on her phone as though nothing in the world could possibly bother her.

Something unpleasant tightened in Alessio’s heart.

He frowned slightly, immediately trying to dismiss the feeling.

What’s wrong with you?

Mateo was his brother. Daisy was his friend. There was absolutely nothing unusual about them spending time together and he had no reason to feel anything about it.

In fact, he should have been glad that Daisy was getting along so well with his family.

Instead, he found himself watching the way she leaned toward Mateo to see the screen better, how she occasionally tapped his arm to draw his attention to something funny and how easily she laughed at whatever nonsense his younger brother whispered to her.

Alessio’s fingers curled slightly around the strap of his watch.

He didn’t even know what they were watching and for some inexplicable reason that irritated him.

He wanted to ask Daisy what was so funny. He wanted to know what had made her laugh so much that her eyes had watered.

He even wanted to ask Mateo what he had been showing her, despite having absolutely no interest in whatever nonsense his younger brother usually found entertaining.

But he said nothing.

He remained near the entrance, watching them for another moment before Daisy finally sensed someone standing nearby.

She lifted her head.

The moment her eyes landed on Alessio, her smile faded.

She hadn’t expected him to return just then.

For a brief second, she simply stared at him, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. Then she quickly straightened, adjusted the cushion beside her and offered him a small, polite smile.

She lifted her hand in greeting.

You’re home.

Alessio looked at her.

His fingers curled into a tight fist beside his thigh.

He had imagined seeing her again more times than he cared to admit during the past two days. He had wondered whether she would come looking for him, whether she would ask why he had suddenly stopped talking to her and whether he would be able to maintain the distance he had decided was necessary.

He had even imagined her greeting him with one of her familiar sweet smile.

Instead, she had greeted him politely like any other person returning home and that bothered him more than it should have.

He wanted to sit beside her steal a glance at her phone, and listen to her explain the joke through the little gestures she used when she was excited about something.

Most embarrassingly of all, he wanted her to turn toward him again and smile the way she had been smiling at his brother.

But he said nothing.

He merely gave Daisy a brief nod before turning and walking toward the stairs.

Daisy’s raised hand slowly lowered.

She watched him disappear upstairs, her expression turning slightly puzzled before she glanced down at her phone again.

Mateo, who had noticed the brief exchange, looked from Daisy to the staircase.

"What’s wrong?"

Daisy shook her head and typed something on her phone.

Nothing. He’s probably tired.

Mateo read the message and frowned slightly.

"Maybe."

He glanced toward the stairs once more, remembering how his older brother hadn’t even stopped to ask what they were doing.

Normally, Alessio wasn’t particularly interested in silly videos but he would at least make some sarcastic comment about Mateo wasting his time.

Today, he had simply walked past them as though he hadn’t wanted to be there in the first place.

Still, Mateo didn’t want to make a fuss over something that might have a perfectly reasonable explanation.

"Anyway, you haven’t seen the best one yet," he said, turning the phone toward Daisy again. "This one is going to finish you."

Daisy smiled faintly and leaned closer to watch.

Mateo began explaining the video, his hands moving animatedly as he imitated the ridiculous expressions of the people on the screen.

Daisy tried to laugh at the right moments but something about Alessio’s brief greeting continued to bother her.

Had she done something wrong again?

Upstairs, however, Alessio was having considerably more trouble putting the encounter behind him.

He entered his bedroom and shut the door behind him, his jaw clenched as he loosened his tie and tossed it onto the bed before walking toward the window.

It was ridiculous.

He had been the one avoiding her. He had deliberately stopped asking about her day, stopped finding excuses to sit beside her and stopped sending her pointless messages just to have a reason to talk.

So why was he angry now?

He pressed his palm against the windowsill and stared out at the fading evening light.

He had no right to feel jealous. No right to expect her to wait for him or to look for him whenever he entered a room. He had no right to be upset because she seemed happy in someone else’s company, especially when he had been the one to create the distance between them.

Daisy wasn’t his and he had made sure she understood that he intended to keep it that way.