Chapter 226 Unacceptable

Chapter 226: Chapter 226 Unacceptable

Meanwhile, Alessio was sitting in the back seat of his car, looking through the files his men had brought him.

The atmosphere inside the vehicle was completely different from the warm, comfortable dining room he had left behind.

The moment he stepped outside, the gentle expression he had worn around Daisy disappeared, replaced by the cold seriousness that usually accompanied him whenever he dealt with THAT business.

His green eyes moved over the documents in his hands, carefully examining every piece of information while two of his men sat nearby, waiting for his instructions.

The interior lights illuminated the files spread across his lap and the occasional passing headlights slipped through the tinted windows, briefly reflecting in his green eyes.

"Boss, we’ve investigated the people connected to Little D," one of his men reported respectfully. "Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to identify the person she was closest to. We’ve checked the information we could access but there are still several gaps."

Alessio turned another page, his expression remaining unreadable.

"However, we did find someone who appears to have been connected to her."

The man reached for another folder and handed it to him.

Alessio accepted it without saying anything, opening the file and directing his attention to the first page.

A photograph had been attached to the document.

A woman.

He studied her face briefly, taking note of her features before lowering his gaze to the information written beneath the photograph. Her name was listed clearly, followed by a few details about her professional background.

A photographer.

Alessio’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

"A photographer?" he repeated, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity.

"Yes, Boss. We found a connection between this woman and Little D, although we haven’t confirmed the exact nature of their relationship yet. We are still looking into the available records but we believe she might know something about Little D’s past."

Alessio continued examining the file, his thumb brushing against the edge of the photograph.

"What kind of connection?"

"We’re not certain yet. There are some indications that they knew each other but we haven’t found enough reliable information to establish how close they were. We also haven’t been able to contact the woman so far."

Alessio leaned back against the seat, tapping his fingers lightly against the file as he considered the information.

Little D had always been a difficult person to investigate.

The more his men looked into her background, the more questions seemed to arise. There were missing details, incomplete records and connections that led nowhere. Even when they managed to find something useful, it often raised more questions than it answered.

It was frustrating.

Alessio Ricci was not accustomed to searching endlessly for answers. He had people capable of finding information that others would never even know existed and when he wanted something investigated, he expected results.

Yet, for some reason, Little D’s past continued to remain frustratingly unclear.

He glanced at the photograph again.

This woman might be the first meaningful lead they had found in a while.

And Alessio had no intention of letting it slip away.

"Find her."

His voice was calm but there was no room for argument.

Both men immediately straightened.

"I want to know where she is, what she’s been doing, and how she knows Little D. Find out everything you can about her, including her previous work, her personal connections and whether she has maintained contact with anyone from Little D’s past."

"Understood, Boss."

"And don’t approach her carelessly." Alessio’s gaze sharpened as he closed the folder halfway. "First, find out where she is and what she’s doing. I want to know whether she is still in contact with Little D or if they lost touch a long time ago."

"Yes, Boss. We’ll look into it."

Alessio nodded once, silently acknowledging the response.

He looked at the photograph one last time before closing the file completely.

He wasn’t going to make assumptions based on a single connection.

She might have been a close friend, a professional acquaintance or simply someone who had crossed paths with her at the right time.

Until he had the facts, he wasn’t going to jump to conclusions.

First, he needed to find the woman and establish what she actually knew.

Only then could he decide what to do next.

He placed the file beside him and glanced at his watch. The time was later than he had expected and there were still several important matters waiting for his attention.

He had already spent more time away from them than he had intended, and he had no desire to let his other responsibilities pile up any further.

"Take this with you and continue the investigation," he instructed, handing the file to one of his men. "Report to me as soon as you find something. Don’t wait until you have the entire picture. If you discover anything relevant, I want to know immediately."

"Yes, Boss."

The man accepted the file carefully, tucked it beneath his arm and opened the car door.

Cool night air entered the vehicle as he stepped outside. After giving Alessio a respectful nod, he closed the door and walked away to carry out his orders.

Alessio remained seated for a moment, looking through the tinted window at the lights outside.

Cars passed along the road, pedestrians hurried toward their destinations and the lights from nearby buildings shone against the dark night.

He rested one arm against the seat and let his gaze drift toward the distant streets, his thoughts returning briefly to the investigation.

Little D.

The moment the letter D crossed his mind, Alessio found himself thinking about Daisy... because D for Daisy.

His green eyes softened slightly and the corner of his lips lifted into a small smile that he would never have allowed anyone in his organization to witness.

Ah, how much he loved the letter D.

It was such a beautiful letter, wasn’t it?

But why on earth did B and C have to exist between A and D?

He didn’t like that arrangement at all.

Especially C.

His expression immediately soured at the thought of that particular letter.

Cedric.

Alessio clicked his tongue in irritation, leaning farther back against his seat as though merely thinking about that man had ruined his otherwise pleasant evening.

Why couldn’t Cedric’s name have started with some other letter? Better yet, why couldn’t the man have chosen a completely different name altogether?

Anything would have been preferable to a name beginning with C.

Because now, every time Alessio encountered that letter, there was an unfortunate possibility that his mind would immediately associate it with Daisy’s ex-husband.

And that was simply unacceptable.