Chapter 6

POV: MATTEO

I shut the bedroom door with a dull click, leaving Adrian sprawled across the bed, trembling and struggling to catch his breath.

I strode down the private hallway and into my bathroom. Planting both hands on the edge of the sink, I stared at myself in the mirror. My reflection showed a man who looked perfectly composed, but beneath the surface, my pulse was a violent mess.

My breathing was still ragged. The skin where the denim of his jeans had brushed against my fingers still burned.

I clenched my fists, feeling anger and desire twist together in my gut. It wasn’t a surprise. I’d always known I was attracted to men. It was a secret I’d kept under lock and key, a weakness I could never afford in the mafia world, where the slightest hint of vulnerability could get you killed. But what drove me completely insane was that it had to be him. That arrogant, lying bastard who had played with my sister’s feelings.

I unbuckled my belt with impatient hands and pulled down my zipper. I was painfully hard, my cock throbbing ever since I’d pinned Adrian’s wrists against the mattress.

I wrapped my hand around myself and began stroking in front of the mirror, staring into my own eyes.

I closed my eyes for a second, and the image of Adrian came rushing back: his face flushed with humiliation, his full, parted lips releasing desperate gasps, the panic shining in his eyes. I’d tried to convince myself that his body had responded to my touch, searching for some excuse to justify the control I’d tried to exert over him. But deep down, I knew the truth. His involuntary reaction hadn’t been consent. It had been nothing more than the primitive response of a body backed into a corner. That blurred line between fear and control sickened me, and the worst part was knowing that my own arousal had come from the power I’d held over him. The realization made me furious with myself, but I couldn’t put out the fire.

I quickened my pace, tightening my grip. The memory of his warm breath against my neck and the way his body had reacted sent a shiver down my spine. A low growl escaped me as I lowered my head, my movements growing faster, more frantic. With one final, desperate stroke, I came hard over the porcelain sink, a muffled moan escaping through my clenched teeth as pleasure clouded my vision.

I remained braced against the counter, struggling to catch my breath. When I opened my eyes and saw the mess in front of me, a wave of pure fury swept through me. I was furious with myself for getting off while thinking about that idiot’s face, for allowing a mere pawn to get inside my head like this.

I cleaned myself up roughly, washed my hands, and straightened my clothes until I once again looked like the unbreakable man everyone knew.

Several hours later, as I stepped out of my office, Dario, my right-hand man, was waiting in the dimly lit hallway with his gaze lowered. He had been monitoring Adrian’s movements since the night at the restaurant. He was the one who had tracked him down and taken the photograph at the club.

“Young Mr. Vale has been pacing around his room for hours, sir,” Dario reported in an even voice. “We’ve kept him confined here under surveillance, just as you ordered. Breakfast will be served in the main dining room first thing in the morning.”

“Good,” I replied curtly.

The following morning, I took my seat at the head of the dining table. Adrian appeared a few minutes later, escorted by one of my men. He looked pale, with dark circles beneath his eyes, an evasive gaze, and a rigid posture that made it obvious he hadn’t slept a wink all night.

He sat at the opposite end of the table with unmistakable caution.

“Eat,” I ordered, cutting a piece of fruit without looking at him.

“I’m not hungry,” he muttered hoarsely, gripping his silverware.

“I didn’t ask whether you were hungry. I told you to eat.”

Adrian clenched his jaw, fixing his eyes on me with a flash of barely restrained indignation.

“Starting today, the rules of the game are changing,” I began, my tone cold and detached. “Rule number one: you’ll have a bodyguard assigned to follow you everywhere. You won’t take a single step without him. Rule number two: my men will inspect your phone regularly. Rule number three: you’ll arrange at least three dates a week with Alicia. You’re going to be the attentive, affectionate, perfect boyfriend she expects you to be. And rule number four… if I ever find out you’ve slept with someone else again, I swear your next lesson won’t be a simple verbal warning.”

Adrian let out a bitter, incredulous laugh.

“Three dates a week? Do you want me to put on such a terrible act that I end up ruining everything? If you keep me under a microscope twenty-four hours a day, Alicia’s going to notice I’m terrified.”

“That’s your problem, not mine,” I replied without batting an eye.

Before Adrian could respond to my demands, the double doors of the dining room swung wide open.

Dario strode in, interrupting us. He carried a tablet in one hand, and his expression was unusually tense.

“Mr. Rossi, the technicians finished tracing the vehicle from last night’s incident,” Dario said, glancing briefly at Adrian before turning back to me. “We identified the license plate of the car that blonde woman, Vera, left the club in.”

Adrian visibly paled at the mention of her name, his hands going still.

“Go on,” I ordered, resting my forearms on the table.

“The car Vera left in belongs to a company connected to the Marcones,” Dario explained. “We dug a little deeper and discovered that the same company transferred money to the men who attacked us at the restaurant. Everything suggests Vera might be working for them.”

Adrian let out an audible gasp, what little color remained in his cheeks draining away.

I leaned forward slowly, locking my gray eyes on his with deadly intensity, already determined to believe the worst.

“Well, well, Adrian,” I whispered, feeling an icy rage begin to course through my veins. “It turns out the woman you chose to cheat on my sister with wasn’t just some random girl. Everything points to her working directly for the men who tried to kill us.”