Matteo brushed his thumb lightly against Adrian’s cheek. "I love you more."

Adrian giggled before finally stepping out of the car.

He waved once before heading toward the studio entrance.

Then the car slowly pulled away, carrying Matteo toward his own workplace.

The moment Adrian stepped into the studio, several workers immediately greeted him respectfully.

"Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, sir."

Adrian smiled politely as he greeted them back before heading straight to his office.

Not long after he sat down, Kate knocked and stepped inside.

"Good morning," she greeted respectfully.

"Good morning, Kate," Adrian replied before looking up at her properly. "Is there anything important I should know about today’s work?"

"Yes, sir," Kate answered. "This morning, we received a call from a client requesting a private nude portrait project."

Adrian listened quietly.

Kate continued explaining carefully.

"He recently bought a new house and wants several artistic nude portraits designed specifically for different sections of the house, especially his private master bedroom."

Adrian stayed calm since requests like that weren’t exactly unusual in the art industry.

"He said the project is large," Kate added. "Not just one portrait. Multiple pieces. That’s why he requested that you personally come inspect the location first before discussing the concepts, workload, and pricing work properly."

Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair.

"When does the client want us to start?"

"He hasn’t given an exact date yet," Kate answered. "I told him we would get back to him after confirming your availability first."

Adrian thought about it briefly before answering.

"For this week, I don’t think I’ll have time," he said. "Tell the client I’ll be available sometime next week for the inspection first. After that, we can discuss the actual work and pricing."

Kate nodded immediately. "Alright, sir."

Not long after, she left the office.

Adrian honestly didn’t think too deeply about the project afterward. To him, it was simply another job.

A little while later, he picked up his phone and called Charles.

The moment Charles answered, Adrian immediately asked if he had spoken to Frank about coming over for the weekend.

"Yes," Charles answered quickly. "I already talked to him. We’ll be there tomorrow."

Then he asked eagerly, "What time should we come?"

Adrian thought about it briefly.

"Since tomorrow is Friday, I’m not sure if Matteo will head somewhere after work first," Adrian explained. "So maybe you guys should come to my studio in the evening instead. That way, we can all go back to his place together."

Charles immediately agreed. "That’s better."

Then after a short pause, he asked carefully, "Mark is definitely going to be there too, right?"

Adrian instantly answered. "Most of the time, Mark stays at Matteo’s place because of security reasons," he explained. "He has his own house, but he’s usually there."

Charles sounded visibly relieved afterward. "Then that’s perfect."

After talking for a little longer, the call finally ended.

The rest of the day continued normally afterward.

Adrian focused on his remaining work around the studio and spent most of the afternoon finishing several portrait projects that still needed attention.

At some point later, his sister Maya suddenly called him too.

She asked if Adrian would have time to come see her one of these days because she wanted to discuss something important with him.

Adrian promised he would make time for her soon, but the call eventually ended.

Not long later, around noon, Adrian returned to his office and ordered food for himself.

While waiting for the food to arrive, he started checking through some unfinished sketches on his desk.

Then suddenly...

The office door burst open forcefully.

BANG!

Adrian immediately looked up in shock.

Outside the office, several staff members were already trying to stop the person from entering, but she completely ignored them and walked straight inside.

The moment Adrian saw her face.

His expression instantly changed.

"Iris?"

Iris looked emotional immediately.

"Sir, we tried to stop her—" one of the employees started nervously.

"It’s fine," Adrian interrupted softly, dismissing them.

The staff reluctantly stepped back before leaving the office.

The moment the door closed, Iris turned toward him, frustration written all over her face.

"Adrian," she said angrily. "I’ve been trying to reach you all this time. I’ve gone to your house, called you countless times, and you keep avoiding me."

Her eyes searched his face desperately.

"You don’t call me anymore. You don’t even ask about me... You just disappeared completely."

Adrian sighed. "I’m sorry," he said honestly. "I didn’t realize you were trying that hard to reach me. Most of the time, I don’t really pay attention to my phone."

But instead of calming her down, his response only made Iris more emotional.

"What is wrong with you, Adrian?" she shouted. "What happened to you?"

Adrian frowned slightly at her sudden outburst.

Her eyes filled with frustration as she stepped closer.

"I know you," Iris shouted angrily. "I know how much you value your family. I know the kind of person you are. So why?"

Her voice started shaking from frustration.

"Why would you choose someone like Matteo out of everyone in the world?"

Her voice cracked slightly.

"Why him?" Iris asked.

Adrian stayed silent, letting her speak.

"You’re already changing because of him," Iris continued angrily. "You talk like him now. You act cold like him. You’re starting to behave exactly like him."

Adrian stayed calm despite everything she was saying.

"That’s probably because we spend too much time together," he replied quietly. "And besides he’s my boyfriend."

Iris looked at him like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" she snapped. "Do you realize how ridiculous you sound?"

Her voice rose again in frustration.

"You’re sleeping with a man, Adrian! What exactly has gotten into you?"

For the first time since she entered the office, Adrian’s expression turned completely cold.

"Love," he answered simply.

Then he looked directly into her eyes.

"I love him. So I allow him to do anything he wants with my body."

Iris stared at him in complete shock.

Her eyes slowly filled with anger afterward.

"He’s going to ruin you, Adrian," she snapped bitterly. "Matteo is going to be the end of you."

"You don’t have to worry about me," Adrian said quietly. "I’ll be fine."

But Iris looked even more broken afterward.

"Why him?!" she shouted again before her voice suddenly cracked. "Why not me?"

Adrian’s expression softened for a moment. "Because I don’t love you," he answered honestly. "But I love him."

The answer instantly shattered something inside Iris. "He’s a man, Adrian!" she snapped angrily. "He can’t give you the kind of future you always dreamed of having."

Adrian was just about to answer her when another knock suddenly interrupted the tension.

One of the staff members carefully entered the office carrying Adrian’s lunch.

The atmosphere inside the room instantly became awkward.

He quietly placed the food on his desk before quickly leaving again after sensing the tension in the room.

The moment the door closed, Adrian looked back toward Iris calmly.

"I’m sorry," he said, trying to ease the situation. "But I need to eat first. Do you want to join me?"

That only made her angrier.

"Eat?" Iris repeated in disbelief. "That’s all you have to say right now?"

Her expression twisted with frustration.

"That man is a criminal, Adrian!" she snapped. "Do you even hear yourself defending someone like him?"

She pointed toward him angrily.

"People are terrified of Matteo for a reason. He grew up around violence, crime, illegal dealings, blood... people like him destroy lives!"

Her voice grew louder with every word.

"He manipulates people. He controls people. That’s what men like him do!"

Adrian’s expression slowly hardened.

But Iris kept going.

"You think he really loves you?" she laughed bitterly. "Men like Matteo don’t know how to love anyone. They ruin people and drag them into darkness with them."

She shook her head again.

"He’s dangerous. He’s cold. He’s toxic. And one day, Adrian, he’s going to destroy you completely."

The moment those words left her mouth, Adrian’s expression darkened instantly.

"Leave my office."

Iris blinked in shock. "What?"

Adrian looked directly at her.

"I said leave my office."

Iris let out a small disbelieving laugh.

"Did you just tell me to leave your office?" she asked. "You’re throwing me out because of Matteo?"

"Get out," Adrian shouted suddenly.

The sudden anger in his voice instantly shocked Iris into silence.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then finally, Iris slowly nodded while staring at him hurtfully.

"You’re going to regret this," she said quietly.

And with that, she turned around and walked out of the office.

The door slammed shut behind her.

Silence filled the room.

Adrian stayed still for a long moment, trying to calm himself down. He rubbed his forehead tiredly before finally sitting back down.

After a while, he forced himself to eat.

Meanwhile, Iris left the studio completely furious.

And deep inside her mind, only one thought remained. She was going to make Adrian regret hurting her.

The rest of the day passed normally afterward.

Eventually, by evening, Charles and Frank finally arrived at Adrian’s studio.

The three of them spent some time talking together while waiting for Matteo.

By night, Matteo finally arrived at the studio.

He sent Adrian a text letting him know he was already outside.

Not long after, Adrian, Charles, and Frank left the studio together and took the elevator downstairs.

The moment they stepped outside, Charles and Frank greeted Matteo respectfully, and Matteo greeted them back.

One of the bodyguards immediately stepped forward and opened the car door for Adrian while Charles and Frank headed toward Charles’ car.

And just like that, the group left the studio together and headed back to Matteo’s mansion.

By the time they arrived at the house, the atmosphere inside was unusually lively.

Several bodyguards were gathered in the sitting area talking casually.

Tony was there too.

Even Mark was sitting with them, quietly smiling while listening to whatever ridiculous thing Tony was saying.

Laughter filled the room comfortably.

The moment Matteo stepped inside with Adrian, the bodyguards immediately stood up respectfully.

"Boss."

They greeted him first.

Matteo gave a small nod in response while walking further inside.

Tony greeted him casually afterward before continuing whatever conversation they had been having earlier.

Meanwhile, Mark was still smiling from whatever they had been discussing moments earlier.

But the moment he finally lifted his head properly to greet Matteo.

His eyes landed directly on Charles.

And instantly...

The smile on his face slowly disappeared.

His entire expression froze slightly from shock.

Because clearly...