Chapter 77: A Reason to Fight
Neither of them sat down right away.
Salvatore looked at them calmly, he was still wearing the same pants but had changed his shirt. He had only wanted to check if Roderick had returned, but instead he found the two of them fighting.
Felix stood with a tissue pressed to his nose, his chin tilted up slightly, his eyes fixed on the wall across from him. He was breathing rapidly and still looked furious.
Milo was still on the floor. He placed one hand on the chair beside him and pushed himself up slowly. His jaw ached when he moved it. His back hurt even more.
He realized he was still weak after all the exercise and training.
Salvatore shook his head. "It seems both of you still have so much energy to waste. I’ll give you a good reason then."
Felix and Milo looked at Salvatore, confused. But the man only pointed at the floor.
"Push-ups, 20," he said.
Neither of them moved. They hadn’t expected this at all.
Push-ups?
Felix protested, convinced he hadn’t done anything wrong. "Why? I don’t—"
"25. Now." Salvatore cut him off.
Felix cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten just how ruthless Salvatore could be when it came to punishment.
Milo already knew this. He didn’t dare complain, Salvatore would only add more and more each time he opened his mouth. So he was already in position.
If Salvatore hadn’t been thinking about Milo, who was sick, he would have given them both a hundred push-ups for sure. But he still cared about them. Even Felix wasn’t in good shape.
Both of them did push-ups.
Salvatore looked at Milo, who seemed more stable in his stance and breathing than on the first day he arrived, so weak and frail.
Twenty-five was easy for them.
When they finished, Salvatore asked again. "More?"
Both of them shook their heads immediately.
"Now sit," Salvatore said.
Both of them tried to catch their breath as they moved.
Felix collapsed into the nearest chair.
Milo moved toward the one across from him. But before he reached it, Salvatore pulled his arm toward his own chair.
Milo was shocked.
Felix, stiff as a board, stared at them. He sensed something bad was about to happen.
Salvatore looked at Milo. He patted his own knee once.
Milo stared at him, as if asking whether the man was sure about what he was doing... in front of Felix?
But Salvatore knew Felix would do anything out of jealousy. He needed to make sure that what he did wouldn’t change anything. That Felix should stop.
Noticing Milo’s hesitation, Salvatore raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. Just enough to make the instruction clear.
Milo’s face flushed. He moved closer and sat down on the edge of Salvatore’s lap, as far to the side as he could manage, his back straight, his hands in his lap.
He was very aware of Felix watching his every move.
But once he sat down, Salvatore grabbed him more firmly and pulled him closer until he could feel the man’s muscles beneath the shirt.
Then he placed one hand on Milo’s back, light but steady.
He looked across at Felix, who looked like he was ready to kill someone.
Salvatore pretended to be serious now.
"Now, who’s going to speak first?" Salvatore asked.
Felix clenched his fist. He lowered the tissue. The bleeding had slowed. He pressed it back against his nose and looked at Milo with a murderous expression.
"YOUR BOY refused to serve me food," Felix said. "And then he spoke to me like I was nobody."
Salvatore frowned. He looked at Milo.
His hand moved once on Milo’s back. A small movement.
"Tell me what happened. You shouldn’t fight your own team," Salvatore said gently.
Felix immediately scowled at the sight. How could the man do that right in front of him?
Milo knew Salvatore was just acting the same way he had last night. He shouldn’t get attached or fall for it, because he was truly ready to give anything to the man.
Focus, Milo!
"Uh... Mr. Felix asked me to serve him food. But I told him I wasn’t a servant," Milo said. His voice came out steadier than he expected. "I offered to get the kitchen staff. He said no and told me to do it myself. When I said I couldn’t, he pushed me against the wall."
Salvatore nodded, then looked at Felix.
Felix’s jaw tightened. "He was disrespectful."
"He’s a guard. I’m the one who told him not to accept any orders unrelated to his duty. It’s not his place to serve you food. He told you clearly," Salvatore said. "That isn’t disrespect."
"He used your name like—"
"Like what?"
Felix stopped. His heart was pounding. He wanted to explode but couldn’t say a word, because deep down, he knew he was being unreasonable.
Salvatore waited.
"Like he was the boss," Felix said more quietly.
Salvatore looked at him for a moment without speaking. He sighed.
"So, you’re hungry. Do you want me to serve you?"
Felix fell silent. "No, of course not."
"What’s the difference? Do you want to eat or not?"
Felix still frowned. "No."
"So, you’re just looking for a fight."
"No! It’s not like that!"
"So, tell me."
Felix held back his anger, he wanted to shout and scream at him about how cruel he was for ignoring his feelings, but he just couldn’t say it.
Nothing came out of his throat.
Salvatore sensed Felix’s anger, and he didn’t back down. Instead, he turned slightly toward Milo. He reached up and placed two fingers under Milo’s chin, turning his face to the side to look at his cheekbone.
It was bruised.
Milo gulped, nervous even though he knew his role in this.
"Does it hurt?" Salvatore asked.
Milo nodded. "Yes... My back too."
Felix really wanted to vomit at the sound of Milo’s flirtatious voice. He knew Milo was a snake!
Salvatore focused on Milo, examining his bruise. "We’ll take care of this later."
Milo nodded.
Salvatore then looked at Felix. "You hit him first."
Felix didn’t answer, knowing any response would be pointless.
"I don’t get it, Fel," Salvatore said. "You walked into my dining room and laid hands on someone under my care just because he wouldn’t bring you food. What the hell is going on in your head? I’ve never seen you act like this."
"You still don’t get it?"
"I know what this is about, but seriously..."
The room was quiet.
Felix felt his hands trembling, he looked down at the tissue in his hand. His nose had stopped bleeding.
He folded the tissue once and set it on the table, keeping his eyes down.
"I don’t know... You made me like this," Felix said.
"That doesn’t justify what you did. You’re being unreasonable. If you’re angry with me, tell me directly. Don’t cause trouble for anyone else."
"You wouldn’t care anyway! And he provoked me."
Salvatore sighed. It was already exhausting to reason with someone who was in love. Even more exhausting when that person was the one who loved him.
"Fel, he said no to you. That isn’t provocation."
Felix’s lips pressed together tightly. He didn’t argue that point further. He didn’t want to hear anything at all, after all.
"I hope this won’t happen again. Or I’ll send both of you to the security agent. At least your energy will be put to good use there," said Salvatore.
Felix pouted. "I’ve been there! Didn’t you realize I have more security experience than him? What exactly can he do?"
"If you’re saying that to compare him to you, say it again in the next two years."
Felix wasn’t satisfied with that.
On the other hand, Milo felt flattered. Salvatore trusted him to become stronger.
Salvatore shifted his attention back to Milo. He looked at him directly, up close.
"You fought back. You did it," Salvatore said.
Milo looked down.
"Not really. He had me on the floor," Milo said. "I couldn’t breathe."
"But you fought back, right?"
Milo met his eyes and nodded. "Yes. I fought back."
Salvatore smiled. "Good."
He moved his hand from Milo’s back to his side, adjusting his position slightly, as if he were simply getting comfortable. It was a small, calm gesture, as if Milo sitting there were a normal thing.
Milo stayed still.
Salvatore looked at him for one more second, then turned back to Felix.
Felix was watching the two of them. His expression had shifted from anger to something harder to define.
"Do you have something else to fix?" Salvatore asked Felix.
Felix felt his eyes burning, he just wanted to scream so badly. "You’re not being fair to me, Sal."
Salvatore didn’t respond immediately. He let the tension hang in the room for a moment.
"What I do is none of your business," Salvatore said finally. "You’re my friend, my business partner. You’re someone I’ve known for a long time. But you don’t get to come into this house and lay your hands on people just because you’re unhappy with me."
Felix looked up. "I wasn’t—"
"You were," Salvatore said. "You were unhappy with me, and you took it out on him because he was easier to get to. That’s what happened."
Felix didn’t deny it this time. After that clear explanation, Salvatore made sure he understood.
Salvatore straightened slightly. "Go clean up your face. We need to go once Roderick gets here. And I want you thinking clearly when we’re out."
Felix looked at Milo one more time. Still with hatred. He stood up, pushed his chair in, and walked out without another word.
His footsteps echoed down the corridor and faded away.
The dining room was quiet.
Milo let out a slow breath. He realized his hands had been pressed flat against his thighs the whole time. He relaxed them.
He started to move off Salvatore’s lap, but Salvatore stopped him.
Milo looked at him.
"You did well," Salvatore said.
Milo paused.
"Not the fight. I hate it when people fight over silly things," Salvatore added. "But it’s good that you stood your ground."
"I wasn’t sure if I should have."
"Next time, I’ll add a punishment if you lose a fight." Salvatore looked at Milo’s cheek again. "Put some ice on that. Then come find me."
Milo stood up and nodded. "Yes, Sir."
He picked up the broken pieces of the water glass from the floor before leaving, stacking them on the edge of the table. An old habit.
He cleaned the place.
His cheek hurt. His back hurt even more.
But his chest felt warm and was pounding hard. He could still feel Salvatore’s hands on his chin, checking on him with such care. If only that man hadn’t been acting at all, he’d surely be the happiest guy on earth.
He pressed his palm to his cheek and kept walking.
