[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

"My advice?" Charles continued. "Wait for him. Listen only to the words that come out of his mouth and trust what you see with your own eyes. If you start listening to every rumor and anonymous text, this relationship will break before it even starts. Trust him until he gives you a real reason not to."

Adrian looked down at the screen of his phone, the cruel words of the message still burning in his mind. He took a shaky breath, trying to let Charles’s words sink in.

"I’m trying, Charles," Adrian murmured, dragging a hand over his face. "It’s just... tomorrow—my birthday. I can’t shake this feeling that something’s off. It doesn’t feel right, like something’s waiting in the shadows."

Charles turned to him, offering a small, reassuring smile. "You’re overthinking it, Adrian. You’ve been through a lot, so your mind keeps expecting the worst. But look around, you’re safe here."

"Nothing feels wrong to me," Charles added. "The only thing you should be focusing on is being positive. This is the first time in years you’ve actually had someone who wants to celebrate you. Don’t ruin it with ’what-ifs’."

Adrian let out a long, heavy sigh, the tight knot in his chest easing just a little. He chose to take the advice.

He wasn’t going to let an anonymous message or his own fears ruin this moment.

He deleted the text and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"You’re right," Adrian said, "I need to stop waiting for a disaster."

Just then, Frank came jogging over from the villa, a wide grin on his face and two cold drinks in his hands. He dropped down on the other side of Adrian, completely unaware of the heavy conversation they had just finished.

"There you guys are!" Frank said, handing a drink to Adrian. "I was starting to think you’d fallen into the ocean. The view out here is insane, right? I could get used to this mafia lifestyle."

Adrian let out a small laugh. With his friends beside him, the fear felt a little further away.

He chose to trust Matteo.

He would wait for him to come back.

Meanwhile, before Matteo left the villa earlier that morning, he had pulled Mark aside for a private conversation. The two brothers stood near the edge of the balcony, the sound of the waves masking their voices.

For a few minutes, neither of them spoke.

"I’m planning something for his birthday tomorrow," Matteo said finally, his eyes fixed on the horizon.

Mark turned to look at him. "What kind of something?"

Matteo exhaled softly. "I’m going to ask Adrian to be my boyfriend. Officially."

A smile spread across Mark’s face. "Wow. That’s actually good news. I like that."

Matteo smirked faintly. "Yeah. I’m tired of picking him up and dropping him off."

He glanced away, his voice lowering.

"I want him with me. I want him there when I wake up... I want him to spend more time with me. As my boyfriend."

Mark smiled, looking at his twin. "Asking him to be yours... that’s a great step. I’m happy for you, Matt. Truly."

His expression shifted slightly.

"But you’re forgetting one thing."

Matteo knew exactly what Mark was about to say.

"You still have that secret, Matteo," Mark said, his voice lowering. "The truth about that night. You can’t ask him to commit to you without telling him. It could break him... or it could break both of you. But he deserves to know."

"You’re still keeping a secret from him, Matteo," Mark said. "And I wouldn’t advise you to ask him to commit to you without telling him the truth."

He held his gaze.

"If he finds out later, it could break him... or break both of you. And in the end, it might still lead to the same outcome."

Mark paused briefly.

"But he deserves to know before you ask him to be your boyfriend."

"I know," Matteo admitted. "I’m trying to tell him... but will he blame me? What if everything changes?"

"I really don’t know," Mark said. "It could go either way. That’s something only he can decide when he hears the truth."

Matteo looked back at him, his voice lowering, more serious now. "I’m trying to change, Mark. For him. I’m already cutting ties with the hits, the wetwork... all of it. I’m shifting everything into the family’s legitimate side, the business that deals with money and transactions, not blood."

He paused, exhaling slowly. "I don’t want that life anymore. I don’t want to keep looking over my shoulder or dragging him into that world. I just want something peaceful... something real. I want a life with him."

"I see it," Mark said. "I see how serious you are about him, and how you’ve been pulling back from everything."

He looked at him for a moment.

"Teo, we’re not young anymore. I’m going to get married soon... and I want you to have something real too. But you can’t build a new life on a foundation of lies."

Matteo looked down at his hands, quiet for a moment. He knew he had made enough enemies to last a lifetime, and that kind of past didn’t just disappear.

But for the first time, that wasn’t what he wanted anymore. He didn’t just want to be a boss.

He wanted to be something more. He wanted to be a partner.

He looked at Mark, his expression settling into something firm. "I’m going out to end it," Matteo said. "The underground jobs, the hits... I’m closing that Chapter today."

He exhaled slowly, the weight of it clear in his voice. "When I get back, I’ll tell him everything. No more secrets. I’m done carrying all of it."

Mark placed a hand on his shoulder. "That’s the right call. I’m rooting for you, Teo. Just handle it and come back safe."

That was the plan. Matteo left the house with a heavy heart, determined to clean his hands once and for all so he could finally offer Adrian a future that wasn’t stained red.

Back at the villa, the evening stretched into a long, restless wait. Adrian stayed up late, his eyes constantly drifting toward the entrance, but Matteo did not return. Even during dinner, his chair remained empty.

Mark joined Adrian, Charles, and Frank at the table, his presence surprisingly light. He cracked jokes and kept the conversation flowing with an ease Adrian hadn’t expected.

"You’re much more friendly than your brother," Adrian noted with a smile.

Mark chuckled, leaning back. "Teo is friendly too, in his own way. It’s just that his life has been a battlefield for so long. Sometimes when he tries to be funny, it feels a bit... forced. It’s not a natural language for him yet."

Mark and Adrian kept talking for a while, the conversation stretching easily. Mark’s girlfriend joined them not long after, and with Mark around, the table grew livelier. He kept throwing in jokes, lightening the mood until Adrian found himself laughing more than he had expected.

Finally, Adrian excused himself and returned to the suite.

The moment the door closed behind him, the weight of the date settled in. Tomorrow was his birthday, the fourth year since everything fell apart.

He sat on the edge of the bed, the silence pressing in on him, and the tears came without warning. He cried for the family he had lost, for the life that was taken from him, and for the son he still saw every time he closed his eyes.

Eventually, he wiped his eyes, knowing he couldn’t let them get too puffy. He climbed into bed and lay there for a while, trying to calm his thoughts, until he finally drifted into a restless sleep.

In the middle of the night, the door clicked open. Matteo stepped in, looking exhausted but resolute. He didn’t go to bed. Instead, he moved to the armchair across the room and sat down, his gaze fixed on Adrian as he slept.

He thought about the plan he had made, the decorations, everything being prepared, and the words he had practiced in his head. Tomorrow, he was going to ask Adrian to be his. Officially.