[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 277: Chapter 277: It Won’t Change How I Feel About You

Mark’s smile slowly faded, replaced by a more serious expression. "I’m sorry... I’m sorry I made you feel that way. But I honestly can’t believe you’re jealous of your own best friend."

"I’m not jealous of him!" Charles shot back, immediately turning to glare at him. "You’re the one who likes his personality way more than mine."

Mark nodded without arguing.

"You’re right," he admitted calmly. "I do like Adrian."

Charles’s eyes widened. A sharp ache settled in his chest.

"I knew it," he whispered bitterly. "I knew you liked him."

Mark let out a quiet sigh.

"I do like him," he said. "But not in the way your overthinking mind has convinced you. I like him because he’s my twin brother’s boyfriend. He’s someone important to my brother, so naturally I care about him too."

Mark shook his head.

"But romantically?" A small, disbelieving laugh escaped him. "Charles... he’s with Matteo. He’s practically family to me. How could you even think I’d see him that way?"

"Because you always want me to be like him," Charles muttered, lowering his gaze.

"You’re completely wrong," Mark said. "I don’t want you to be Adrian. I want you to be yourself."

He waited until Charles looked back at him.

"Listen to me carefully. Whoever my brother chooses to love becomes someone I’ll welcome into my life. It doesn’t matter who they are. If they make my brother happy, I’ll respect them and treat them well. And Matteo does the same for you. That’s how we’ve always been."

He gently squeezed Charles’s foot.

"I care about Adrian because he makes my brother happy. That’s the only reason. I’ve never had a single romantic feeling for him."

Charles looked at him, the wall around his heart slowly beginning to crack, but he stayed quiet, listening.

"When Adrian left Matteo, I didn’t blame him," Mark continued. "Because deep down, I knew they would find their way back to each other. If I had spoken badly about Adrian while he was gone, Matteo would’ve thought I never supported their relationship. And that wasn’t true. It’s obvious how deeply my brother loves him. Even when Adrian wasn’t around, I couldn’t bring myself to speak badly about him."

His gaze remained on Charles.

"The only person I could criticize was Matteo. He’s my twin brother. We’re honest with each other. If he’s wrong, I’ll tell him he’s wrong because I’m one of the few people who can."

A faint smile crossed his face.

"You don’t really know Matteo yet. He’s unbelievably stubborn. Sometimes he’ll ask people for advice, but most of the time he already knows exactly what he’s going to do. He doesn’t ask because he needs someone to decide for him. He asks because he wants to know how you think. And the truth is, I never had anything against Adrian. The only thing I wanted was for my brother to fix the mistakes I saw him making. That’s why I only called Matteo out, because I knew they were both still in love with each other."

He looked directly into Charles’s eyes.

"So, Charles... I’ve never loved Adrian that way. The person I love is you."

He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from Charles’s face. "Please... let’s never have this misunderstanding again. I don’t want you carrying this kind of pain by yourself anymore. Let’s leave it behind us."

Charles swallowed hard and gave a small nod.

"Now..." Mark said, his tone growing lighter. "About those videos." Mark continued, his tone shifting into something a bit more relaxed. "I didn’t stay silent because I found you disgusting. I stayed silent because I noticed a few positions in the preview that you’ve never tried with me before."

Charles’s jaw dropped. "What? That’s seriously all you noticed? You didn’t even watch it for a second!"

Mark chuckled dryly. "I saw the preview, and I saw everything you haven’t done with me yet. You haven’t given me your all. You did a different style for him, so why not for me?"

A deep blush rushed to Charles’s face. He crawled closer to Mark, wrapping his arms securely around his waist. "Are you... Are you really not angry about the videos?"

"No, I’m not angry," Mark said, his strong arms winding around Charles’s back. "Even if Owen posts them everywhere, it won’t change a single thing about how I feel for you. I’ve already made up my mind. It’s you I want, and that’s final."

"You make it sound so easy," Charles whispered, burying his face in Mark’s shoulder. "It’s hard for me to believe. Just scold me. Yell at me... I regret making those videos so much. Just don’t pretend everything is fine, then leave this apartment and never talk to me again."

Mark rolled his eyes affectionately, giving Charles’s waist a firm squeeze. "You worry way too much. If I’m leaving this place, you are coming home with me. I am never leaving you behind here."

Then the warmth in Mark’s eyes disappeared, replaced by something cold and calculating. "As for Owen..." he said quietly, "I don’t need to do much. This time, I’ll be paying him a personal visit."

Panic immediately flared across Charles’s face. "Baby, no... he’ll hurt you."

Mark let out a quiet scoff.

"Just because I don’t carry a weapon all the time doesn’t mean I don’t know how to use one," he said, his voice frighteningly calm. "And just because I look relaxed doesn’t mean I’m not dangerous."

A cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I absolutely despise anyone who tries to lay a hand on what belongs to me."

Mark leaned back slightly, his expression calm but unreadable. "I usually choose not to kill. Not because I can’t, but because I have a mild phobia of blood. But if Owen refuses to back down, I won’t even need to involve Matteo. I’ll handle him myself, cleanly."

Charles stared at him, a shiver running down his spine. "You sound really dangerous right now."

"I am, baby," Mark said softly, his fingers gently tracing Charles’s jawline. "He’s already hurt you enough. He’s made you suffer for far too long. Now it’s his turn."

Charles sniffled and looked up at him. "Can you really fight like that?"

A confident smile spread across Mark’s face. "I’m dangerous in ways that sometimes even scare me," he said. "No Marcone is someone you can toy with, pretty. Just relax. He won’t dare post a single thing. Trust me."

Charles let out a long breath. "So... you’re really not mad?"

"Not at all," Mark promised. "In fact, everything you just complained about... I’m going to work on it, one step at a time."

His expression softened. "I’m truly sorry for hurting you with my words before. I’ve never been good at expressing myself, and sometimes I honestly don’t know the right thing to say."

He gave Charles’s hand a gentle squeeze. "Right now, I still don’t have all the right words. But give me a little time. I’ll apologize properly, and I’ll become the man you need me to be. Okay?"

A beautiful, radiant smile finally spread across Charles’s face. "Okay, honey."

Mark gently cupped Charles’s chin and lifted his face. "I love you so much," he murmured. "Do you love me?"

"Yes!" Charles answered without hesitation, his heart overflowing with emotion. "I love you even more."

Unable to hold back any longer, he leaned forward and captured Mark’s lips in a deep, heartfelt kiss.

Mark kissed him back immediately, his arms wrapping tightly around Charles as though he never wanted to let him go.

When they finally pulled apart, Mark brushed away the last tear clinging to Charles’s lashes, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"There," he murmured. "No more crying, you big crybaby. Look at your face."

Charles let out a small giggle, his arms still securely wrapped around Mark’s waist.

"Alright," Mark said, giving his hip a gentle pat. "I’m going to the kitchen to make you something delicious to eat, okay?"

Charles immediately shook his head. "I’m coming with you."

Mark chuckled. "No. Stay here and rest. I’m not running away."

Charles pouted. "No. I want to come with you."

Mark sighed in defeat, a fond smile spreading across his face. "Alright. You win."

He rose to his feet, then reached down and gently took both of Charles’s hands, helping him up.

Charles took a step toward the door, but Mark immediately slipped an arm around his waist, keeping him close as they walked out of the bedroom together.

Halfway down the hallway, Mark’s fingers suddenly dug into Charles’s side in a quick tickle.

"Ah!" Charles squealed, instantly twisting away with a laugh. "Stop, Mark!"

Mark only smirked and did it again.

"Baby." Charles burst into laughter, trying to pry his hand away. "Stop it."

"I thought you were playing the tough guy just now. I didn’t think I’d get a smile out of you this soon."

Charles pouted between giggles. "Not like this!"

Mark chuckled, giving him one last playful tickle before wrapping his arm around Charles’s waist again.

Charles bumped his shoulder against Mark’s with a dramatic huff, though the smile on his face gave him away.

Still laughing, the two of them made their way to the kitchen together, teasing and playfully bickering as though the weight of everything had finally been lifted from their shoulders.

Meanwhile, back at the Matteo Estate...