[BL] The Mafia Boss Wants My Body

Chapter 168: When Humiliation Fuels Revenge

Maya smiled, a sense of peace settling over her as she looked at Matteo and Adrian holding onto each other.

The hours slipped away quietly, and finally, night fell over the hospital. Right on cue, Tony arrived at the ward to pick up Mark and Charles.

Seeing that the day was drawing to a close, Matteo turned to the group. "Everyone should go home and get some rest. I’m going to stay overnight alone with Adrian. You can all come back first thing in the morning."

Maya immediately opened her mouth to argue, wanting to insist on staying by her brother’s side. But Matteo cut in gently before she could. "You need to rest too, Maya. You’ve been carrying everything all day. Come back in the morning."

Maya hesitated, reluctant to leave, but seeing how securely Matteo was guarding Adrian, she finally nodded in agreement.

With the plan set, the room began to clear. Mark and Charles walked out together toward where Tony was waiting, while Frank headed home separately. Maya gave her brother one last look before quietly slipping out into the night.

With the room finally quiet, Matteo settled into the chair beside the bed, alone with Adrian. Outside the corridors and at every exit, his men kept watch, turning the hospital floor into a guarded fortress while Adrian slept peacefully in the dim light.

Throughout the night, Matteo didn’t close his eyes. His attention stayed fixed on the man in the bed. Whenever Adrian shifted under the blankets, Matteo immediately leaned in, his hand finding his shoulder.

"Do you need anything, baby?" Matteo would whisper, his voice low and calm so Adrian wouldn’t wake up feeling disoriented or afraid.

Every few hours, the night nurses quietly entered the room to check Adrian’s vitals and adjust his IV fluids. Matteo’s steady presence beside the bed made a few of the nurses visibly nervous, their hands slightly shaking as they worked.

Sensing their tension, Matteo spoke gently. "Just focus on your work," he said, his tone calm and softer than usual. "I care deeply about him, No need to be afraid of me. Just take good care of him."

The nurses, reassured by his calm tone, nodded and relaxed, finishing their checks before quietly leaving the room.

For the rest of the night, Matteo kept his fingers securely intertwined with Adrian’s. Whenever the anesthesia faded enough for Adrian to stir, blindly searching the mattress and whispering a faint, "Baby...?" Matteo was already right there. He would squeeze his hand, lean down to press a soft kiss to his forehead, and whisper that he wasn’t going anywhere.

That was how they spent the long night, bound together in the quiet room until the pale morning light finally began to filter through the window blinds.

Early in the morning, Maya arrived first. She quietly stepped into the room, her eyes instantly dropping to their joined hands. She offered Matteo a soft, weary greeting. "How is he doing?" she asked in a low tone.

"He’s fine," Matteo replied, his voice thick with a night’s worth of exhaustion. "He rested well."

Maya smiled with relief. "Good. I’m going to step out for a few minutes to find the doctor and ask about his post-op routine." Matteo nodded, and she quietly left the room.

Only a few moments after Maya left, the door swung open again. For a split second, Matteo didn’t bother looking up, assuming it was just Maya returning quickly or perhaps Mark arriving with breakfast.

But when he finally turned his head, his eyes narrowed into a cold, lethal glare.

Walking into the room with a perfectly practiced expression of sweet concern was Iris. She carried a large, vibrant bouquet and an elegant basket of premium gifts, while one of her guards followed behind her with additional luxury gift bags.

As she walked in and placed the gifts on a nearby table, she ignored Matteo’s sharp presence. She moved straight to Adrian’s bedside, her eyes filling with exaggerated pity.

Matteo watched her every move in a heavy, dangerous silence, his gaze tracking her like a predator. The moment Iris reached out to gently stroke Adrian’s hair, Matteo’s deep voice cut through the air.

"Stop," he said simply.

Iris paused, her hand hovering in the air. She slowly turned her head, looking at him with a look of mock innocence. "Why?"

"Because I’m not comfortable with you touching my man," Matteo replied.

Iris let out a mocking laugh, tossing her hair back as she finally faced him. "Since when did he become your man, Matteo? Honestly, I don’t know why Adrian had to meet someone like you. You’re nothing but a curse in his life."

From the bed, Adrian’s expression hardened beneath the medical gauze. "Iris, stop," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "Don’t speak to my boyfriend like that."

Iris sighed dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest. "Adrian, darling, I know you would have chosen me if this monster hadn’t come to confuse your mind and force you to love him. But fine. I respect your little choice. I wish you both the absolute gayest happiness."

Matteo said nothing, his jaw tightening as he prepared to handle her himself. At that exact moment, the hospital door swung open. Maya stepped back inside, followed by Mark, Charles, and Frank.

Iris turned on her heel to face them, a venomous smirk spreading across her face. She looked at the group, her voice dripping with contempt as she tried to humiliate them. "Ah, look who it is. The perfect little circus. The gay sister, the gay brother, and the gay friends have finally arrived."

The air in the room instantly turned to ice. Mark and Charles stopped in their tracks, their expressions darkening, while Frank’s eyes flashed with anger.

But before Matteo could stand up to react, Maya stepped forward. Her face was cold and angry as she stared at Iris, standing in front of the others to protect them.

"At least they are gay and they actually want each other," Maya said, her voice sharp and clear, echoing through the hospital room. "Unlike you, Iris, whom absolutely nobody wants. You have to constantly force yourself onto a man who has rejected you several times, begging for a crumb of attention he will never give you."

Iris’s smirk faltered, her face turning pale. "Maya, how dare you—"

"No, how dare you come into this room with your head held high, thinking you are so perfect that you can insult everyone here?" Maya interrupted, taking a step closer until she was standing right in front of her.

"Have some goddamn shame! Look at yourself. You are pathetic. You are a desperate, unwanted pest clinging to a life that doesn’t belong to you. Let me make one thing clear to you: you are not welcome here. None of your expensive gifts can mask the ugly, bitter jealousy rotting inside you."

Maya pointed a trembling finger directly toward the open door. "Get out of this room. Right now."

Iris stood frozen, her chest heaving as the humiliation settled in. She looked around the room, but no one moved to defend her. Mark smirked, Charles and Frank watched her with clear disgust, and Matteo’s gaze promised trouble if she stayed a second longer.

Gasping for air under the crushing weight of her shame, Iris couldn’t take it any longer. She grabbed her designer purse and turned on her heel. Before she could reach the door, Maya looked at the gifts and said, "Take your so-called gifts with you."

Iris scoffed, quickly gathered them up, and rushed out of the hospital room. Her expensive heels clicked frantically down the corridor as she fled.

The moment she stepped into the hospital parking lot, her trembling fingers reached for her phone, and she immediately called Tony.

Tony picked up on the second ring.

"Where are you?" Iris asked.

"I’m at the hospital," Tony replied.

After a brief exchange, they agreed to meet in a secluded corner of the parking garage, away from the security guards and hospital staff.

The moment Tony stepped into view, Iris exploded with rage. Her face was twisted with humiliation and anger as she stormed toward him.

"I’m going to make Maya pay for what she just did to me!" she hissed, her fingers tightening around the strap of her purse. Her eyes burned with fury as she stopped in front of him. "Tell me right now, when are we moving forward with the plan? I want Mark gone."

Tony looked down at her. "You promised you would keep a low profile," he said evenly. "Instead, you walked in there and caused a scene. If any of them go missing now, they’ll immediately connect it back to you."

"I don’t care anymore!" Iris snapped, still burning from Maya’s insults. "I don’t care about any of that right now. Just tell me when we can move forward with the plan!"

Tony let out a slow breath, his eyes fixed on hers. "Fine. Once Adrian is discharged from the hospital, we can move forward with the plan."

"I can’t wait that long!" Iris snapped, her voice echoing off the concrete walls. "I want this done quickly, Tony. I want them broken now!"

Tony’s expression hardened. He stepped closer, his voice low and threatening. "Maybe you should go ahead and do it on your own," he told her flatly. "Go ahead and get yourself killed. Nobody messes with Mark and lives to tell about it. You will either die brutally at the hands of Matteo, or you’ll be erased by their father. So it is highly in your best interest to calm yourself down right now, Iris... unless you’re in a hurry to die."

Iris stared up at Tony, a volatile mix of anger and fear flashing across her face. The brutal truth of his words hung heavily between them. Finally, she swallowed her rage. "Alright," she muttered, her tone thick with resentment. "Just give me an update soon."

"Alright," Tony responded simply.

With a sharp turn of her heel, Iris marched away from him, heading directly toward her car.

As she settled into the back seat, the wave of humiliation rushed back over her. She couldn’t take it. The memory of Maya putting her in her place in front of everyone burned in her chest. If Tony was going to be a coward and refuse to act fast, then she would do it on her own.

Snapping her phone open again, she skipped Tony’s contact and dialed a dangerous underground number.

The line connected with a silence on the other end.

"I need your help," Iris said, her voice dropping into a dark tone. "I need you to kidnap two people for me. I want it done...