[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 281: Chapter 281: Family Ties, Hidden Wounds

"No, I’m not, baby," Matteo murmured.

"Well, that aside," Adrian continued, his voice dropping into a whisper. "Owen is trying to blackmail Charles right now. He has their intimacy videos from the past, and he’s using them against him."

Matteo listened quietly, his expression settling into a calm look. "Alright. Did Charles tell Mark about it yet?"

"I’m not sure," Adrian sighed, resting his chin on Matteo’s chest. "But when I went over to his place today, I gave him some serious advice. I think Mark probably knows everything by now."

Matteo relaxed against the pillows. "Then there’s nothing to worry about. Mark will handle it."

Adrian blinked, looking up at him in surprise. "What do you mean Mark will handle it? Aren’t you going to help your brother?"

"Not anymore," Matteo replied. "Charles is Mark’s boyfriend. If anyone should fight for him, it should be Mark. That’s the only way Charles will know if Mark truly loves him enough to stand by him."

Adrian’s eyebrows drew together. "What do you mean by that? Did you two fight?"

"No, baby," Matteo murmured, running a hand slowly up Adrian’s bare arm. "It’s just... There are certain family responsibilities I’ve always carried on my shoulders. I think it’s finally time for everyone to stand on their own two feet while I focus on my own life."

"I don’t believe you," Adrian replied, narrowing his eyes. "You sound like you and Mark had a serious fight."

Matteo offered a faint, reassuring smile. "We can talk about it later. How about we have some dinner first?"

Adrian immediately sat up, letting the duvet slide to his waist as he shook his head. "No, baby. Please tell me first. Is there something I should know?"

Matteo sighed softly, seeing how worked up his boyfriend was becoming. "You worry way too much. It’s just family politics. I’ll be fine."

"I’m your family too," Adrian pleaded, his voice softening as he leaned closer. "Can’t I know what’s going on?"

Matteo looked into Adrian’s eyes for a long moment. Finally, he sat up as well and reached out, wrapping his hands around Adrian’s hands.

"Listen... you know a lot has been happening lately. So much that I haven’t even been able to think straight."

Adrian nodded gently. "I know."

"Despite all of that, I still care about this family," Matteo said, his voice dropping into a deep, heavy tone. "I’ve always looked out for everyone’s safety. I make sure everyone is protected. Even my father, even though he has an entire team of bodyguards, I still personally audit his business affairs. I make sure he isn’t dealing with dangerous people or getting involved in anything that could ultimately put him at risk."

"Look around for a second," Matteo said, his eyes fixed on Adrian’s. "Think about everyone in my family. Is there anyone you haven’t seen in a while?"

Adrian fell silent, thinking over the question. He mentally went through the faces of everyone in the household and their inner circle. A few seconds later, realization dawned on him.

"I haven’t seen Maxwell."

"Exactly," Matteo said.

"But what does Maxwell have to do with you and Mark?" Adrian asked, completely confused.

"That’s exactly what I’m trying to explain."

Adrian settled back against the headboard.

"Alright. Go on."

Matteo took a deep breath. "I don’t know if you heard about it, but my mother traveled down to Central City a couple of months ago."

"Yeah, I remember hearing about that," Adrian nodded.

"She spent some time here before returning abroad. I wanted to see her before she left, but... I just wasn’t ready to face her yet, so I never went. When she was going back abroad, Maxwell went back with her," Matteo explained. "At the time, I asked Mark why Maxwell was suddenly following her back. Mark told me he had absolutely no idea, so I let it go."

Matteo’s grip on Adrian’s hands tightened ever so slightly. "It’s been over three months now, Adrian, and Maxwell still hasn’t come back. Deep down, I knew something was wrong. I asked Tony, and he said he didn’t know anything about it. I asked Marissa, and she swore she was completely in the dark too."

Adrian remained silent, watching Matteo quietly without interrupting.

"But I know Maxwell," Matteo said, his voice tinged with bitterness. "Within three months, he would’ve called or texted me at least a dozen times asking for money. But my calls wouldn’t go through, and he never reached out to me either. That’s when I became really worried about him."

Matteo shifted slightly, pulling Adrian a little closer beneath the duvet.

"But recently, before Maya’s wedding, Maxwell finally managed to contact me," Matteo said. "He explained everything. He told me our mother believes I’m a bad influence on both his life and Mark’s."

Adrian blinked, completely confused.

"A bad influence? How?"

"I asked him the exact same thing," Matteo said with a heavy, cynical breath. "Maxwell told me our mother said that before he and Mark came back to Central City, they were both dating women. Now they’re both in relationships with men. My mother isn’t openly against Mark’s relationship with Charles, but the truth is, she hates the idea of Mark being with a man. So when she found out Maxwell was also following down that same path, she blamed me. She thought I was the disease spreading through her sons. That’s why she dragged Maxwell back with her, and she strictly forbade him from reaching out to me."

Adrian’s breath hitched.

"And Mark knew about this?"

"Mark knew the whole time," Matteo confirmed. "Maxwell told me he knew. Once I found that out, everything started falling into place. Before our mother arrived, Mark was always excited about his relationship with Charles. He talked about him all the time, made plans for their future, and genuinely looked happy. But after she came? Everything changed. His excitement disappeared. He just wasn’t the same anymore."

Adrian remained silent, listening as Matteo continued.

"After Maxwell told me the truth, I called Tony," Matteo said. "Since Tony is always around Mark, I wanted to know what was really going on between him and Charles. Tony admitted that sometimes, the way Mark speaks to Charles... even he can’t stand listening to it. Mark even confessed to Tony that he felt completely suffocated, but he also felt like he couldn’t walk away because Charles is your best friend."

"Oh my God," Adrian whispered, his hand tightening around Matteo’s.

"I didn’t tell Mark anything," Matteo muttered. "But then Owen showed up at Maya’s wedding, and suddenly Mark’s feelings came rushing back. He stormed into my office today, completely frantic, demanding to know who the hell that guy was. I told him straight out that he was Charles’s ex."

Matteo let out a cold, humorless chuckle.

"He asked me why Owen was back. He said Charles had been completely depressed ever since Owen showed up. I told him it was probably because Owen wanted Charles back. Mark got defensive immediately. He said, ’Want him back? They’re already exes. He doesn’t have good intentions.’"

Adrian swallowed hard. "What did you say to that?"

"I told him Owen was better than him," Matteo said bluntly. "I told him Mark had no real plans for Charles and that, in the end, he wasn’t any different from Owen. That drove Mark insane. He got furious and demanded to know why the hell I’d say something like that. That’s when I laid all my cards on the table. I told him I knew exactly how he’d been treating Charles. I reminded him that he never treated Stella that way. I reminded him how patiently he waited for Stella and how much effort he put into that relationship."

Matteo’s chest rose and fell heavily.

"I told him that if he clearly didn’t want the relationship anymore, he should step aside and let Charles’s ex have another chance with him."

"Matteo..." Adrian murmured, completely caught up in the drama.

"Mark tried to defend himself. He admitted he knew he’d been treating Charles badly, but he claimed he had finally realized his true feelings and begged me to help him."

Matteo said, his voice completely unyielding. "I told him absolutely not. I told him he hadn’t realized anything. He just stubbornly didn’t want anyone else to have Charles, even though he hadn’t been treating him the way he deserved. He tried everything to convince me, but I told him I didn’t believe his sudden realization, and I wasn’t going to lift a finger to help."

Matteo turned his head and looked directly into Adrian’s eyes.

"I told him Owen clearly wants Charles back. And I told him that if he truly wants Charles, then he needs to stand up and fight for him. I’ve spent my whole life protecting Mark, and now it’s time for him to fight for the person he loves."

Matteo gently brushed a stray lock of hair behind Adrian’s ear.

"I told him that this time, it’s about love. Fight for Charles if you truly want him, or let him go for good. So, baby... I’m staying completely out of it. And honestly, this is the only way your friend will ever know whether Mark truly loves him... or whether he’s just been wasting his time."

Adrian let out a long, slow sigh, the weight of Matteo’s explanation finally sinking in. But he couldn’t let the conversation end there. He shifted closer, looking up at Matteo with soft, concerned eyes.

"Hey, baby... Mark is still your twin brother," Adrian said gently, tracing a finger across Matteo’s broad chest. "You can’t just leave him to handle all of this alone. What if Owen actually tries to hurt him? Think about it, Matteo. Don’t make a decision you’ll end up regretting later."

Matteo’s expression remained guarded...