[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 176: A Friend or Something More?

Mark didn’t wait a single second. He bolted away from the desk, running straight after him into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind him.

Meanwhile, back in Matteo’s room after they finished eating, a comfortable quiet settled between them.

They both sat together as Matteo brought out Adrian’s medications, and Adrian took them one by one, exactly as the doctor had instructed. Afterward, they just lounged around, talking about random things.

Even when Selene came back into the room to pack up the empty plates, their conversation didn’t slow down as they bounced from one topic to the next.

Suddenly, Matteo’s phone lit up on the table, buzzing loudly.

Adrian glanced over and caught the name Kevin flashing on the screen.

Matteo didn’t pick it up; instead, he locked the screen and set it down, choosing not to interrupt their conversation.

Adrian assumed it wasn’t anything urgent and that Matteo just wanted to focus on him.

But the phone didn’t stop. It rang again, and then again, the persistent vibration cutting through the room until Matteo finally looked at Adrian.

"Excuse me, babe," Matteo said softly, offering a reassuring look. "I need to take this call."

Adrian smiled and nodded. "Alright."

Matteo grabbed the phone and slid open the glass door leading to the balcony, stepping outside to answer the call.

At first, Adrian assumed it would be a quick conversation. But as the minutes stretched on, he realized it was far more serious than he had expected.

Suppressing a yawn, he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the bed. Climbing onto the mattress, he settled beneath the covers and closed his eyes.

Since Matteo seemed occupied, Adrian decided it was best to get some sleep and wait for him to finish the call.

He tried to drift off, but a sudden wave of curiosity made him open his eyes.

Through the glass sliding door, he could see Matteo standing on the balcony. Even though he couldn’t hear a single word of the conversation, he could clearly see Matteo’s expressions and gestures.

And Matteo was smiling.

Not the small, polite smiles he gave strangers.

Not the amused smirks Adrian was used to seeing.

This was different.

There was a genuine, unmistakable happiness on Matteo’s face, one that seemed completely effortless.

Adrian blinked.

For a moment, he simply watched.

Then a strange feeling twisted in his chest.

His sleepiness vanished instantly.

The more he watched, the more uncomfortable he became. Whoever was on the other end of that call clearly mattered enough to make Matteo smile like that.

Adrian swallowed hard, his fingers tightening around the blanket.

Who was Kevin?

And more importantly...

Why was Matteo so happy talking to him?

After what felt like an eternity, the call finally ended. Matteo slipped his phone into his pocket and stepped back into the room. He walked over to the bed to check on Adrian, who quickly shut his eyes and pretended to be fast asleep. Satisfied that his partner was resting, Matteo quietly shed his clothes and went into the bathroom to shower.

When the bathroom door opened again, Adrian peeked through his eyelashes. He watched every movement Matteo made until he disappeared into the closet to change. When Matteo stepped out again, Adrian froze in surprise.

Matteo was wearing a colorful set of nightwear.

Adrian’s heart fluttered. Matteo always wore solid black, and Adrian had often complained about it, constantly begging him to wear something else for a change. Seeing him dressed differently now, Adrian couldn’t help but smile to himself, assuming Matteo had finally listened and changed his clothes just to make him happy.

Matteo walked over to the grand bed and climbed in beside him.

Adrian waited, fully expecting Matteo to reach out, pull him into his arms, and cuddle him like he usually did. But to his surprise, Matteo didn’t.

Instead, Matteo reached back for his phone, held it up, and took a picture of himself.

Hearing the distinct sound of the camera shutter, Adrian subtly shifted his position, rolling over just enough to get a clear view of what his partner was doing.

Matteo stared intently at his screen, typing out a message before sending the selfie. As he read whatever came through in the chat, a wide, affectionate smile spread across his face.

The sight made Adrian’s stomach drop. It looked completely suspicious. Who in the world is he talking to that’s making him smile like that? Adrian asked himself, a tight knot of jealousy and worry forming in his throat.

After a few more minutes of tapping away at the screen, Matteo finally dropped the phone onto the nightstand. He turned around, reached out, and securely pulled Adrian against his chest, wrapping his arms around his waist.

Cocooned in Matteo’s familiar warmth, Adrian lay wide awake in the dark, his mind racing with questions before he finally forced his eyes shut and tried to sleep.

The next morning, the bright rays of the sun filtered through the curtains, waking Adrian from his restless sleep. Blinking against the light, he instinctively reached out across the mattress to find his partner. His palm brushed against cold, empty sheets.

Adrian sat up, rubbing his eyes as he looked around the grand master suite. "Babe?" He called out, his voice thick with sleep. "Babe, are you in the bathroom?"

Silence met his voice. He glanced toward the en-suite bathroom, but it was empty. Matteo was nowhere to be seen.

Earlier that morning, the atmosphere had been far more tense. Matteo had already instructed Tony to inform Iris’s father that his daughter was in their custody.

The moment the old man received the news, panic had set in. He had been blowing up Tony’s phone all morning, desperately demanding to speak with Matteo directly.

Knowing his boss’s schedule, Tony sent one of the guards up to the master wing to discreetly deliver the message. When the guard informed Matteo that Iris’s father was on the line and desperate to speak with him, Matteo quietly stepped out of the bedroom, not wanting to disturb Adrian’s rest, and headed down to his private study to take the call.

Matteo took the phone from Tony’s hand and lifted it to his ear. His expression remained unreadable, his presence radiating a cold, unshakable authority. Before he could even say a word, Iris’s father’s frantic voice burst through the speaker.

"Matteo! Please, I am begging you," the old man pleaded, his voice trembling with sheer desperation. "What do you want from me? Just tell me what it will take for you to release my daughter! I will give you anything you want, money, business, territories, just please send her back to me safely!"

Matteo listened to the frantic bargaining without a single flicker of emotion on his face. He leaned back slightly against his desk, his voice dropping into a low, deadly calm tone.

"I don’t have anything to say to you over the phone, Williams," Matteo cut him off flatly, his tone freezing the desperate man’s words mid-sentence. "If you’re truly ready to have a real conversation, let me know. When that time comes, I’ll tell you exactly where to meet me face-to-face."

On the other end of the line, Iris’s father let out a frustrated, strained breath, his panic making him stubborn. "All I need is my daughter, Matteo! I have absolutely nothing else to say to you!"

A dark, mocking smile touched Matteo’s lips, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. "Fine. Since you have nothing to say to me, then I have no reason to waste my time."

Without waiting for the old man to argue or say another word, Matteo pressed the end-call button and cut the line completely.

He handed the phone back to Tony, completely unbothered by the dramatic exchange. For now, he was content to let Iris’s father sit with his fear and uncertainty a little longer.

Matteo stepped out of his study and walked toward the dining room.

Maya had already left the mansion early that morning, saying she had something important to take care of.

While Matteo sat at the head of the table waiting for Adrian to come down, the quiet of the morning was broken as Mark, Charles, and Frank came downstairs together. When they reached the dining room, they all exchanged quiet morning greetings with Matteo.

Frank pulled out his chair and sat down, and Mark did the same. Charles, however, moved with a distinct, hesitant slowness, carefully lowering himself into his seat with a slight wince from the sheer intensity of their night before.

Matteo’s sharp eyes instantly captured the overly cautious way Charles sat down.

Understanding exactly what that meant, he glanced briefly at his twin brother...