[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 273: Chapter 273: Your Worth Is Not Up for Debate

Leaning back against the sofa, he narrowed his eyes.

"Then let him post them," Adrian said quietly.

Charles and Frank both snapped their heads toward him, staring in complete disbelief.

"What?" Charles gasped. "What do you mean?"

Adrian met their gaze without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"You both heard me," he replied. "Let him post them."

Charles stared at him, utterly speechless.

Adrian continued. "Tell me something, Charles. Why can’t you tell Mark the truth? Why can’t you tell him your ex is blackmailing you with intimate videos from when the two of you were together?"

"Those videos were made while you were in a relationship with Owen, weren’t they? You loved him back then. So why are you acting as though you’ve committed some unforgivable crime?"

Charles lowered his head, his hands trembling.

Adrian frowned slightly. "When you started dating Mark, did you tell him he was your first boyfriend? Did you lie and tell him you’d never been with anyone before?"

Charles slowly shook his head.

"No..."

"Exactly," Adrian said. "Mark already knows you’ve had relationships before. So I don’t understand why you think he’s going to judge you over something that happened while you were in love with your ex."

He leaned forward.

"Go to Mark and tell him everything. You have absolutely no reason to keep something this serious from the person you’re building a future with."

Charles’s eyes filled with tears once again.

"You don’t understand, Adrian," he whispered. "Mark doesn’t love me that much. If I tell him everything... he’ll see me as a slut. He’ll break up with me."

Adrian didn’t even blink.

"Then let him break up with you."

Charles froze.

Adrian’s expression remained cold.

"Why are you forcing yourself to stay in a relationship if you’re convinced he doesn’t love you enough to stand by you? If that’s what you truly believe, then what’s the point?"

Charles clenched his fists.

"You can say that because you’re lucky," he said bitterly. "Anyone can see how much Matteo loves you."

Adrian shook his head.

"No," he replied firmly. "I’m saying it because I refuse to let anyone control my life through fear anymore."

His eyes hardened. "The moment you start letting someone destroy you because you’re afraid of losing another person, they’ve already won."

Frank frowned. "You’re only saying this because you’re not in Charles’s shoes."

Adrian turned his sharp gaze to Frank. "I believe you are much smarter than what you just said."

He folded his arms. "You both know me. Have you ever seen me afraid of anyone?"

Neither of them answered.

"I’ve never lived my life in fear. If I could openly choose to be with Matteo despite everything surrounding him, then who the hell is Owen that we should be afraid of?"

Adrian didn’t stop there. "Since we’re being honest, there’s something you should know. Since I came back, Matteo has been recording intimate videos of us. He has my nude photos too, and I don’t think he’s planning to stop anytime soon because he enjoys keeping those memories. I let him."

Charles said. "You let him do it because you know he’d never hurt you."

Adrian shook his head.

"No. I let him do it because we’re in love. At first, I was uncomfortable with the idea, but as time went on, I trusted him enough to let him."

Charles and Frank fell silent, staring at him.

Adrian simply shrugged as though it wasn’t a big deal.

"Now let’s say, hypothetically, that one day he decided to blackmail me with those videos. I wouldn’t think twice. I’d tell him to go ahead and post them."

A faint, amused smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I’ve spent years drawing thousands of nude figures as an artist. Do you really think I’m going to panic because someone has naked photos or videos of me?"

He let out a quiet scoff.

"Hell, I’d probably draw a dozen more nude self-portraits and hold an art exhibition."

Frank couldn’t help letting out a small, disbelieving laugh.

Adrian turned back to Charles.

"The only mistake you made in that restroom was not telling Owen to post them the moment he threatened you."

Charles blinked. "What do you mean?"

Adrian answered without hesitation.

"Think about it. Owen has had those videos for years."

He held Charles’s gaze.

"If his real goal was to expose you, he would’ve done it a long time ago. But he didn’t. He waited until you were happy. Until you were in a loving relationship. Then he suddenly came back with those videos."

Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"That makes it clear the videos aren’t his real objective."

Frank looked at him thoughtfully.

"You think he’s bluffing?" Charles murmured.

"I think he’s using your fear against you," Adrian replied. "He knows you’re terrified of those videos, so he’s using them to force you back into his bed."

Charles lowered his head.

Adrian continued. "Now imagine you actually go and sleep with him. Do you honestly believe he’ll delete those videos afterward?"

Charles remained silent.

"He won’t," Adrian said flatly. "He’ll keep them... And this time, he won’t even need the videos. He’ll have something even stronger. He’ll have undeniable proof that you cheated on Mark."

He leaned forward.

"Right now, those videos were made years ago when you and Owen were in a relationship. They don’t make you a cheater. But if you sleep with Owen now while you’re with Mark, that’s different. Then you become a cheater. You become someone who betrayed the person he claims to love."

Adrian looked Charles straight in the eye.

"And if Mark finds out, he won’t leave you because of those old videos. He’ll leave because you betrayed his trust instead of telling him the truth from the beginning."

Silence filled the room.

Adrian went on.

"That’s exactly what Owen wants. He knows those old videos alone probably won’t destroy your relationship. But if he gets you to sleep with him now, then he’ll have something that can."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"So tell me, Charles."

His eyes never left him.

"Do you still think keeping this from Mark is the right decision... or do you finally think it’s time to tell him the truth?"

Charles lowered his head, his hands trembling in his lap. "I’m scared."

"Of what exactly?" Adrian asked.

Tears welled up in Charles’s eyes again.

"I’m scared Mark doesn’t love me enough. The moment he sees those videos, he’ll leave me. He’s always hated even imagining me with someone else. There’s no way he’ll watch those videos and still stay with me."

Adrian shook his head. "He doesn’t have to watch anything," he said. "You just have to tell him what’s happening. You don’t have to show him the videos."

"You don’t understand, Adrian," Charles cried. "Mark isn’t Matteo. Matteo loves you unconditionally, without any doubts..."

Enough with the ’Matteo loves me’ talk," Adrian interrupted.

He looked Charles straight in the eyes.

"Do you really think Matteo loves me because I got lucky?"

Charles remained silent.

"No, Charles. I made myself into someone worth chasing, someone worth fighting for, someone he could never get over. Before our separation, I already knew he loved me. But after we found our way back to each other... that’s when I truly understood how deep his love for me was."

Adrian took a slow breath, his eyes unwavering.

"I took the biggest risk of my life when I walked away from him for two months. Do you think I did that because I wasn’t afraid? Of course I was. I was terrified of losing him."

He paused for a moment.

"But I also trusted the love we had. I believed Matteo loved me deeply enough not to forget me or replace me just because I was gone."

Adrian folded his arms.

"So let me ask you. If you truly believe Mark would have moved on so easily if the situation had been reversed, then why are you still dating him? If you don’t trust the depth of his love, why are you still building a future with him?"

He leaned forward slightly.

"You don’t discover how much someone loves you when everything is easy. You discover it when life gets difficult, when both of you are tested, and you still choose each other."

Charles looked up, listening in silence as Adrian continued.

"Do you think I never worry about losing Matteo?" Adrian asked softly. "I worry about it every single day."

"But I’m still willing to take that risk because I know my worth. I never think I’m less than him or that I’m just lucky he chose me. I believe we’re equals, and I believe we both deserve each other."

His voice grew steadier.

"I believe we’re lucky to have each other. We both fought for this relationship, and we both realized we’re meant to be together. Right now, it’s ride or die for us."

Adrian reached over and gently squeezed Charles’s hand.

"So if you believe Matteo loves me... then I believe Mark loves you."

He smiled reassuringly.

"And I don’t believe he’ll leave you because of your past. If you’re honest with him and tell him everything now, he’ll stay. He loves you, Charles."

Charles swallowed hard, the heavy weight in his chest easing ever so slightly.

"The problem is that you’ve let someone like Owen manipulate you for so long that you’ve started doubting your own worth," Adrian said gently. "He made you believe that no one could ever truly love you. That’s why you have to put an end to this. Tell Mark everything."

Adrian let out a slow breath.

"People don’t all love the same way. Just because Mark doesn’t express his love the way Matteo does doesn’t mean he loves you any less."

Adrian said. "You just have to let him know how you want to be loved. If something hurts you, tell him. If you need reassurance, ask for it. Give him the chance to understand you, and he’ll learn how to love you in the way you need."

A fond smile appeared on Adrian’s face as he thought about Matteo.

"Everything I did was my way of showing Matteo how I wanted to be loved. And he listened."

He chuckled.

"You know what’s funny? Back then, he only let me work three days a week." Adrian laughed, shaking his head. "But now I’ll be spending most of my time comfortably at home, waiting for him to come back from work until he decides it’s time for me to start working again."

"In the past, I used to think he was trying to control me and take away my freedom. But now I understand. That was his way of loving me. That was how he wanted to care for me, and I learned to accept that because I understood where it was coming from."

He glanced at Charles.

"Matteo isn’t spoiling me because he’s rich. He spoils me because that’s how he chooses to love me. He sees me as someone precious, someone he wants to give the very best to."

Adrian’s expression turned serious.