Matteo stared at him, his gaze completely deadpan, unbothered by the ridiculous accusation. A cold, mocking smirk touched his lips.
"Then let him run away," Matteo replied flatly, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "It’s my money, and it’s my problem. How the fuck does that affect you?"
Kevin froze, his mouth parting slightly as the full weight of Matteo’s words sank in.
For a mont, he could only stare.
Disbelief, frustration, and shock churned inside him. He wanted to argue. He wanted to point out how reckless Matteo was being.
But as he looked into Matteo’s cold, unwavering eyes, Kevin realized there was no point.
Matteo ant every single word.
The black card wasn’t the issue.
The issue was that Matteo trusted Adrian completely, and nothing Kevin said would change that.
Realizing he had pushed too far, Kevin quickly tried to backtrack and ease the suffocating tension in the room.
"Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I’m sorry, Matteo. I get it now."
He forced a small smile.
"I didn’t realize how much you trust your man. I was only worried about you as a friend. I hope you don’t take what I said the wrong way."
Matteo looked at him, his expression entirely unreadable.
"That’s enough," he said, his voice flat and unyielding. "If you want to be my friend, then be my friend. But do not talk against my man. What I do with him is my choice, and I don’t think that’s sothing you need to worry about."
"I understand you," Kevin nodded quickly, raising his hands in surrender. Anxious to shift the focus away from his mistake, Kevin glanced at the coffee table and tried to change the subject. "Since he’s not around right now, can we at least take so stuff together? Just to unwind?"
"No, Kevin," Matteo refused instantly, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argunt. "I won’t be taking any gear with you while you’re here."
"My boyfriend is staying with currently. I have to take him to the hospital at four o’clock this afternoon, and I need to be completely clear-headed and responsible so I can take proper care of him."
Matteo’s gaze hardened slightly. "Right now, my priority is Adrian. Nothing else."
Kevin scoffed and leaned back in his chair, rolling his eyes. "Relax, Matteo. He’s not even in the house right now. A little bit won’t hurt you." He shook his head in disbelief. "Besides, every ti you talk about him, you sound like the two of you are already married."
And I’m certain the two of you won’t even end up together, Kevin thought bitterly, wisely keeping the poisonous thought to himself.
Matteo didn’t even bother to reply. He simply dropped his gaze, refocusing his attention entirely on the paperwork spread across his desk.
He completely tuned Kevin out, choosing to stop listening to a single word his guest had to say. No matter what Kevin murmured or tried to argue after that, Matteo completely ignored him, acting as if Kevin were nothing more than a ghost, entirely invisible and utterly irrelevant.
anwhile, Adrian arrived at the high-end luxury boutique he wanted to shop at. As a personal shopping assistant politely walked them over to the designer clothing section, Adrian turned a smug, glowing face toward Tony.
"Have you ever experienced your man handing you his black card and telling you to buy absolutely anything you want?" Adrian asked, practically floating with happiness.
Tony simply rolled his eyes, keeping his arms crossed as he stared straight ahead, completely refusing to answer him.
Seeing his silence, Adrian chuckled softly. "I understand, you can’t relate. But look at , I’m here to get whatever my heart desires with my baby’s card. Isn’t that just the most beautiful, romantic thing ever?"
Tony looked at him, his face a perfect, stoic mask. He didn’t say a single word, and he didn’t even crack a smile.
Entirely unbothered, Adrian began shopping, gliding from one clothing rack to the next and pulling out one expensive shirt after another without so much as glancing at the price tags.
He held up a vibrant designer shirt, turning it toward the stone-faced bodyguard. "This one is for my baby. I want him to have a lot of colorful outfits in his wardrobe instead of just dark suits. What do you think, Tony?"
Adrian kept chatting away, but not once did Tony offer a reply.
"Oh, I’m definitely getting matching outfits for us," Adrian continued, tossing the clothes into the arms of the assistant following them. "My baby is going to love it. I’ll get us several different pairs of matching nightwear, too."
Adrian sighed dreamily as he browsed through a row of silk pajamas.
"Tony, do you know my baby would be doing the sa thing if he were the one shopping right now?" he said with a fond smile. "He’d probably be grabbing matching sets for both of us too. Ever since we’ve been together, he has bought so many things. Most of them are still over at my house, and I haven’t even had the chance to open half of them yet. Seriously, my baby is such a sweet, generous man. I love him so much. And he’s just so fucking handso and tall."
Unable to take the endless gushing any longer, Tony finally broke his silence, his voice heavy with dry irritation.
"Thank you for the vivid details, but can you please just focus and get what you want so we can head back ho?"
Adrian gasped dramatically, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. "Oh! So you can talk?" he teased. "I was starting to think you were mute."
Adrian wandered over to a section featuring incredibly sharp, high-end casual wear. He expertly picked out three premium outfits and thrust them directly into Tony’s hands. "Here. I think these will suit you really well."
Tony stared down at the clothes in his hands, his brow furrowing deeply. "I didn’t ask for this."
"Tony, can you please stop hating ?" Adrian asked, his tone softening into sothing more genuine. "Now that I’m going to be staying with my baby permanently, can you at least try to be a little friendly with ?"
Tony let out a blunt, honest breath. "I don’t hate you. But you annoy every single ti I look at you."
Adrian smirked slightly, leaning against a display case. "Is it because my baby chose instead of you?"
Tony opened his mouth, his jaw tightening as he prepared to snap back a defensive reply.
But Adrian gently cut him off, his expression softening with understanding.
"You don’t have to hate for that, Tony," he said quietly. "You’re a very handso man, you know. Soday, you’re going to et soone who loves you exactly the way you are, and when that happens, you’ll want to protect them the sa way my baby protects ."
A smug smile tugged at his lips. "Because Matteo is already mine. He’s my man, and he’s mine alone. I’m not sharing him with you or anybody else."
His tone wasn’t arrogant or mocking, just completely certain.
"So whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to get used to . I’m done hating on you. It’s a waste of ti. Not now that I’m sure my baby belongs with and alone. I don’t have anything left to fight you over."
Tony rolled his eyes, but Adrian continued before he could interrupt.
"I really do want to be your friend. So take all the ti you need to get over Matteo, because he’s definitely not going anywhere. And when you’re finally done, maybe we can start over and actually get along."
Then he lightly nudged Tony’s shoulder. "Okay?"
Tony froze, his sharp eyes locking onto Adrian. For the first ti, he found himself completely speechless, staring at Adrian in a silent, complicated daze.
Adrian smiled at him and continued his shopping spree.
By the ti he was finished, he had gathered an impressive collection of items for himself, an entire new wardrobe for Matteo, and the clothes he had stubbornly insisted on buying for Tony.
Naturally, Tony tried to refuse.
Adrian imdiately shut that down.
"You are not allowed to say no," he inford him matter-of-factly. "If you refuse, I’ll take it as proof that you still have a grudge against ."
Tony stared at him in silence.
After heading to the VIP counter, Adrian proudly swiped Matteo’s black card to pay for the massive haul. A team of junior bodyguards quickly ca forward, taking the heavy designer bags and loading them securely into the trunks of the waiting cars.
Stepping out of the boutique, Adrian turned to Tony, lightly patting his stomach. "I’m starving. Let’s go grab sothing to eat before we head back to the estate."
Tony gave a firm nod. "Understood."
They drove a short distance and pulled up to one of the most exclusive, high-end restaurants in the city.
Adrian walked inside and took a seat at a secluded table, while Tony and the rest of the security detail stood guard nearby like shadows.
Adrian looked up, waving his hand to catch Tony’s attention. "Tony, sit down."
Tony hesitated for a split second, evaluating the room’s security, before stepping forward and taking a seat directly across from him.
They placed their orders with the waiter. While they waited for the food to arrive, Adrian leaned forward, resting his elbows on the linen tablecloth. The playful, spoiled attitude from earlier vanished, replaced by a deadly serious, focused expression.
"Talk to as a friend right now, Tony," Adrian said, his voice quiet but intense. "Not as a rival, and not as soone you used to hate."
Sensing the sharp shift in Adrian’s energy, Tony focused his full attention on him. His posture squared, his gaze locking onto Adrian’s eyes. "What is it you want to say?"
Adrian leaned in a fraction closer, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It’s about that Kevin guy."
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