Chapter 197 How did this happen?

Chapter 197: Chapter 197 How did this happen?

Cedric actually believed what Jessica was saying. His mind was a mess, and something inside him told him she was right. He remembered the way Daisy had been with Alessio. The way she had smiled at him. The way she had held his hand. The memory made his blood boil.

He felt sick with anger, thinking she was enjoying her time with another man. His face twisted with rage, and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Grandpa James felt even more disappointed. He could read his grandson’s expression clearly. Very, very clearly. The belief in Jessica’s words. It was all written on Cedric’s face. His own grandson believed that Daisy, the girl who had done nothing but try to please this family, was capable of cheating.

"Let’s see," Grandpa James said. His voice was stern and cold. His eyes were hard. His jaw was set.

Rafael frowned. Something felt wrong. His instincts were screaming at him.

"In which room did you see them together?" James asked. His voice left no room for argument. "Tell me."

Jessica pointed toward the bedroom beside Cedric’s.

"That one," she said confidently.

Everyone looked at the closed door.

Cedric’s expression hardened. His jaw tightened. He stared at the door with an ugly look on his face.

Daisy...

If she was really inside with THAT man, then he wasn’t going to stand there quietly and accept it.

He was already furious.

He stepped toward the door and called one of the maids.

"Bring me the key."

The maid hurried away. She returned moments later with the spare key. Her hands were trembling slightly as she handed it over. Cedric took it without saying a word.

Grandpa James watched him. His old eyes were tired and sad but there was something else in them too. Disappointment, disbelief and hurt.

Even after everything that had just happened, Cedric was ready to accuse Daisy without knowing what had actually happened. Without giving her a chance to explain. Without trusting her at all.

James lowered his eyes for a moment.

Does he really trust her so little?

Cedric put the key in the lock and turned it.

Click.

The door opened.

Everyone looked inside.

And then...

They froze.

Daisy was asleep on the bed.

Her body was curled against Alessio’s chest, her head resting peacefully against him as though she had found the safest place in the world. Her hair was slightly messy from sleep. Her face looked peaceful.

Alessio was asleep too.

His eyes were closed. One arm rested around Daisy protectively. His other hand was gently tangled in her hair. Even in sleep, his fingers moved slowly through the strands, an absent-minded, tender gesture.

Everyone fell silent.

Rafael’s mouth almost fell open.

"Oh, wow..."

He barely managed to whisper it before catching himself. He pressed his lips together immediately.

Holy sh*t.

They looked ridiculously adorable together. For one completely inappropriate second, Rafael actually wanted to pull out his phone and take a picture.

This is too cute.

He quickly stopped himself when he noticed Grandpa James. The old man’s face had gone completely pale.

Rafael’s amusement disappeared.

How did this happen?

He hadn’t expected this. He had been so focused on exposing Cedric and Jessica that he hadn’t even thought about what might be happening in the room next door. He had been so caught up in his own plans that he had forgotten about Daisy entirely.

Cedric looked as though someone had poured ice water over him.

His eyes fixed on Daisy. Then they moved to Alessio’s arm around her. His face tightened. Jealousy flashed violently across his eyes. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

Why is she sleeping with him?

He didn’t care that Daisy was asleep and nothing inappropriate was happening. He didn’t care that she looked peaceful. That she looked safe. That she looked happier than he had ever seen her. All he could see was another man’s arms around his wife.

A possessiveness he had never bothered to acknowledge before suddenly surged through him. It was hot and ugly and irrational. It consumed him completely. He wanted to walk over, pull Alessio away from her and take Daisy back himself.

His eyes turned red with anger.

Jessica stood slightly behind him. Unlike everyone else, the corner of her lips slowly curved upward. She watched the scene with satisfaction. This was exactly what she had wanted. This was exactly what she had planned.

Grandpa James couldn’t seem to process what he was seeing.

First, he had discovered Cedric with Jessica. Now, in the very next room, he had found Daisy asleep in another man’s arms.

His head began spinning. He reached for the wall instinctively.

"Grandpa!"

Rafael immediately moved closer and caught his arm. His voice was sharp with concern.

James swallowed hard. His face was even paler than before.

"I..."

He looked at Daisy. Then at Alessio. Then back toward Cedric.

His voice trembled.

"What is happening in this family tonight?"

"Told you she is a bitch," Jessica said coldly, her eyes fixed on the sleeping pair. "She’s not some pure, delicate flower like everyone keeps pretending she is."

The words fell into the silence like a match thrown onto dry grass.

Grandpa James slowly turned his head toward her.

His face was still pale but whatever emotion had been there before seemed to disappear completely. He looked at Jessica with an almost lifeless expression. His eyes were cold and hollow.

"You..."

His voice came out faintly.

"You both..."

He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

His shoulders began to tremble. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a long, shaky breath, trying to control himself. His hand tightened around Rafael’s arm for support.

Rafael noticed immediately.

"Grandpa, sit down for a moment."

But James didn’t move.

His eyes returned to the bed.

He couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

His sweet Daisy. The girl he had trusted and defended countless times. She was peacefully sleeping against another man’s chest. Yet something about the scene didn’t look like what Jessica was suggesting.

And Alessio...

The way he was holding Daisy looked almost protective.

Still, James’s mind was too overwhelmed to make sense of anything.

Meanwhile, Cedric wasn’t listening to Jessica or Rafael.

His entire attention remained fixed on Daisy.

He stared at her sleeping face. His chest tightened painfully as he saw her curled against Alessio.

The jealousy inside him was becoming impossible to control.

He couldn’t understand why seeing another man’s arms around her affected him this much.

He had never cared before.

He had ignored her.

He had treated her like an obligation.

So why did seeing her with Alessio make him feel as though something inside him was being ripped apart?

His fists clenched.

"Daisy!"

His voice thundered through the room.