[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Throughout the rest of the conversation, Frank tried several times to directly address Charles, offering soft explanations and looking for an opening to smooth things over, but Charles deliberately kept his answers short, cold, and entirely surface-level, continuing to freeze him out.

Sensing that the atmosphere had soured beyond repair for the day, Charles was the first to speak up. "Alright, guys, I actually have to step away and take care of something. Talk to you later."

Before anyone else could say another word, Charles disconnected, leaving just Frank and Adrian on the screen.

The silence that followed was heavy. Frank stared at his phone, looking thoroughly defeated.

Adrian let out a long, sympathetic sigh, leaning forward to look closely at his friend. "Frank... you really need to talk to Charles. We’ve always told each other everything, and you hate it when we keep secrets from each other. Yet you kept this from us for so long without even mentioning it once. That doesn’t sit right. Look, I’m not personally angry with you, I understand that privacy can be complicated, especially when it comes to royalty. But you have to understand why Charles is so upset."

Adrian’s expression softened, speaking from a place of deep friendship. "Charles tells you everything. He shares his entire life with you. To find out his closest friend kept a royal relationship a secret for half a year... it hurts, Frank. It makes him feel like he doesn’t really know you. I’m not going to pick sides, but I really hope you two figure it out."

Frank swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat. "I know. I’m sorry, Adrian."

"It’s fine," Adrian offered a reassuring smile. "Just go fix it with him."

"Congratulations once again on the wedding, Adrian," Frank said softly, offering a weak smile.

"Thank you," Adrian replied warmly. "And... give my regards to His Royal Highness."

Frank let out a small, fond chuckle. "Alright. I will."

With a final wave, the call ended, leaving Adrian to his wedding plans and leaving Frank to face the music.

After the screen went dark, Frank let out a heavy sigh, tossing his phone onto the mattress. He pushed himself up and walked back into the bedroom, where Raphael was waiting. Without a word, Frank crawled onto the bed, pressed his face straight against Raphael’s chest, and let out a long, exhausted breath.

Raphael wrapped his arms around him, a gentle hand instantly coming up to stroke through his hair. "What happened?" he asked softly.

Frank didn’t hesitate. Muffling his voice against Raphael’s shirt, he explained everything—how Charles had found out, how cold and hurt he had been, and how badly the conversation had ended.

Raphael listened quietly, his expression tightening with guilt as the full weight of the situation sank in. "I’m sorry," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of Frank’s head. "It’s all because of me that you’re dealing with this."

"No, it’s okay, baby," Frank mumbled, shaking his head against his chest. "You don’t have to blame yourself."

"No, listen to me," Raphael said. "I understand why Charles is upset. I would hate it if my friends kept something like that from me, too. But this was my rule, I was the one who insisted we keep it quiet to protect me. Because of that, I need to fix it. I want to meet them and explain that it was entirely my decision. I can’t stand seeing you stressed like this. Plus... I genuinely want to meet your friends."

Frank lifted his head, looking up into Raphael’s earnest, handsome face. A soft smile broke through his worry. "Okay, baby. Thank you."

Raphael smiled back, pulling him down to press a tender kiss to the top of his head. "You don’t have to worry about a thing. We’ll talk to him together."

A sudden, deep wave of relief washed over Frank. He hugged Raphael tighter, burying his face against his chest.

Meanwhile, back at the estate, Adrian sat alone on the edge of the bed in his and Matteo’s room. A wide, amused smile still lingered on his face as he shook his head. "Wow... Frank is seriously so lucky.

He chuckled softly to himself, but as the initial excitement faded, a curious thought suddenly crossed his mind. His smile slowly disappeared as he frowned.

Wait... is it even possible for a prince to be openly in a same-sex relationship? Especially someone who’s next in line for the throne?

Driven by sheer curiosity, Adrian grabbed his phone from the nightstand. He unlocked the screen and immediately opened a search engine, typing in queries about the Northway royal family, royal succession laws, and recent news regarding the Prince.

He scrolled through a few articles, trying to make sense of the formal political jargon and tabloid headlines. But reading news and political articles had never been Adrian’s thing, and the excitement of planning his wedding was already making it even harder for him to stay interested.

Before he could even finish the first detailed article, Adrian’s eyelids grew heavy. His grip on the phone loosened, and it slipped slightly in his hand as he drifted off to sleep right there on the bed, surrounded by the quiet comfort of the room.

The day drifted by in a blur of quiet comfort. By nighttime, when Matteo returned from work, the atmosphere in the estate had shifted into something warm and unhurried. After a quiet dinner and a shower, the two of them settled onto the plush living room sofa to unwind with a movie before heading upstairs to bed.

As they sat side by side, Matteo glanced over and wrapped an arm around Adrian’s shoulders. "By the way, Rian... did you manage to tell your friends and Maya about our wedding?"

Adrian leaned into his side, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Yes, baby. I talked to Maya earlier, and then I called Frank and Charles. They’re both thrilled. What about you? Did you handle your side?"

Matteo nodded, a confident smirk touching the corner of his mouth. "I told everyone who needs to know. I’ve already spoken with the stationer handling our invitations. He’ll send us several designs tomorrow, so we can look through them and choose the one we like."

"And on Wednesday, we’re meeting with my personal tailor. He’s based here in Central City, but he trained in Milan and is one of the best I know when it comes to custom suits. He’ll take our measurements, show us the designs, and handle everything from there."

He paused, glancing at Adrian. "For the venue, just tell me what kind of style and decorations you want. Whatever you choose, I’ll take care of it. And I’m already speaking with some of the best private chefs in the city about the menu."

Adrian stared at him, blinking in sheer astonishment before a breathless laugh escaped him. "Wow, baby... it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours, and you already have almost everything planned out?"

Matteo chuckled softly,. "Of course, baby. I want everything to be perfect. Even the rings—I’m currently waiting for a trusted jeweler who sources the finest pieces to send over a catalog, so we can choose something breathtaking and perfect for us."

Adrian shook his head. "At this rate, I guess I don’t need to do anything except sit back and let you handle it all."

"Exactly," Matteo murmured. "I don’t want you to lift a single finger or stress yourself out over the planning. You deserve to be pampered. I’m giving you the absolute princess treatment."

The mention of "princess treatment" suddenly reminded Adrian of the articles he had been reading earlier. He sat up slightly, turning toward Matteo with wide, curious eyes.

"Baby," Adrian said, his tone shifting. "Speaking of what you just said... have you ever heard of Northway City? What do you actually know about them?"

Matteo raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by the sudden change of topic, but answered smoothly. "Northway City? Well, economically, it’s famous for two powerhouse families—the Griffins and the Edmunds. Those two dynasties are filthy rich. But aside from their wealth, what’s really making waves right now are the two young heirs: Henry Griffin, twenty-three, and Elisha Edmund, twenty-four. They’re both geniuses and self-made billionaires at an absurdly young age, and they’re notoriously close friends. Whenever those two partner up on a contract, it’s almost always a win. That’s usually what Northway City makes the news for."

Adrian nodded, taking it in, but then shook his head. "No, not them. What about the royal family? The prince and princess?"

Matteo paused, studying Adrian’s face with a discerning look. "Why are you suddenly asking about the Northway royals?"

Adrian smiled, resting a hand on Matteo’s chest. "Well... Frank is actually dating one of their prince. I was just curious if he’s a good man, and whether the royal family would ever accept him being with the prince."

Matteo’s expression cleared, a knowing look entering his dark eyes. "Ah. I’m willing to bet the prince Frank is dating is Prince Raphael."

"Yes!" Adrian beamed. "That’s him. So... is he a good man?"

"There isn’t much to say about him, honestly," Matteo replied thoughtfully, leaning back against the cushions. "Raphael has managed to avoid any major scandals. From what I’ve heard from business associates in those circles, he’s genuinely decent and well-mannered. And it’s been an open secret in high society for years that he’s gay. His family has known about it for a long time."

Adrian frowned, tilting his head in confusion. "If his family already knows he’s gay, why is he hiding Frank? Why keep their relationship so heavily under wraps?"

"Status," Matteo answered simply.

Adrian blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Raphael’s father is a traditionalist," Matteo explained, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. "Even though the royal family is extraordinarily wealthy and powerful, they care a lot about social standing. To them, a partner needs to bring significant political or financial influence to the table, someone whose position can benefit the crown."

Matteo paused for a moment. "Frank is doing exceptionally well for himself, of course, but he doesn’t have the kind of institutional status the king expects. People outside our circle wouldn’t know where to place him. Unlike the Griffins and Edmunds, whose businesses and influence stretch across half the continent... Frank’s background doesn’t give the royals the influence they’re looking for."

A knowing smirk tugged at Matteo’s lips. "Though, funnily enough, speaking of high society... I once heard a rumor that Raphael had a brief, unrequited thing for Henry Griffin a while back. But Henry had his eyes set completely on someone else."

Adrian’s eyes widened, completely hooked. "Who?"

AUTHOR’S NOTE

And about the little mystery I left you with... who is Henry in love with? 👀

Did you just meet the male lead of my next book? Well... maybe. 😉

You won’t have to wait too long to find out. Tomorrow, at the same time I normally release my Chapter, Henry Griffin and Elisha Edmund’s story will officially begin. I’m so excited to share it with you.

I’ll also post the title of the new book here when I release it. If you want to start reading right away, simply search for the book using the title. It may take some time before it appears directly under my author profile while it goes through NovelPhoenix’s review process.

If you’d rather wait until it appears under my profile, you can absolutely do that too.

Thank you so much for staying with this story and supporting me from the beginning. And if you decide to follow Henry and Elisha into their own story, I hope you’ll enjoy their journey just as much. But for now, don’t say goodbye to Matteo and Adrian just yet. Their story isn’t over, and I hope you’ll stay with me until we finally reach the end of their journey together. ❤️