[BL] The Mafia Boss Chapter 67: A Suspect Becomes a Target

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: A Suspect Becos a Target

Adrian curled into a ball on the floor.

Are they going to kill ? He asked himself.

The bright lights suddenly felt harsh and cruel, burning into his eyes. A single tear slid down his face, followed by a quiet sob.

He wasn’t scared for his life anymore... he was mourning a love that he now believed had never truly existed.

Adrian sat on the floor, the weight of betrayal heavier than the fear of death. He wasn’t just a prisoner in that room, he was trapped in his own mistake.

He had let himself believe that a man like Matteo could love soone like him, an ordinary man with nothing to offer.

If he won’t co... who will? Adrian wondered.

His father probably hadn’t even noticed he was missing yet. Maybe Maya would realize sothing was wrong... or even Iris.

Soone, please, he whispered into the silence, his voice trembling. I don’t want to die.

I still want to live.

I want to stand in front of him and ask him why.

Why did you lie to ?

Why did you tell

you loved ?

He crawled back onto the bed and curled up, staring at the wall as the silence closed in around him.

In his study, Matteo stood like a shadow over Charles and Frank. The two n were practically vibrating with fear, pinned to their chairs by the sheer intensity of Matteo’s gaze.

"Relax," Matteo said, though his voice sounded like grinding stones. "I just need answers. When was the last ti either of you spoke to Adrian?"

"Yesterday," Charles stamred, and Frank quickly nodded in agreent.

"Did he ntion anything to you? Any argunts? Any strange calls... or anyone following him?"

They both hesitated.

Matteo leaned forward slightly.

"Think carefully."

Frank shook his head. "No... nothing like that."

Matteo’s eyes shifted to Charles.

Charles avoided his gaze.

"No..." he muttered. But the lie was written all over his face.

Silence filled the room.

Then Matteo spoke again low and controlled.

"If you’re holding back anything, now is the ti to speak."

Neither of them moved.

Matteo’s voice dropped.

"Adrian has been kidnapped since yesterday."

Both n froze.

"What?!" they shouted at the sa ti.

Matteo nodded once.

"Yes."

His gaze hardened.

"And the only way we find him before it’s too late... is if you tell

everything you know."

Charles’s hands began to shake.

Frank looked pale.

After a mont, Charles slowly raised his hand.

"I... I’ll talk."

Matteo didn’t move.

"I’m listening."

Charles swallowed hard.

"Yesterday... Adrian called ," Charles began, his words rushing out. "He said his father brought up the marriage to Iris again. Adrian turned it down, told him he wasn’t ready. They argued, but he thought it was over.

He hesitated.

"Then Iris called him directly."

Frank looked at him, surprised.

Charles continued, his voice shaking.

"She was upset, asking why he rejected her when they were supposed to be... ’cool.’

"Then she said sothing strange."

Matteo stilled. "What did she say?"

"She said, ’You can’t tell

you’re rejecting

for him.’ Adrian asked what she ant, but she just said ’never mind’ and hung up. Adrian was worried... he asked

if I thought Iris knew about... about you two. I told him not to overthink it. I said it was nothing."

"Is that all he said to you?" Matteo asked.

Charles nodded quickly. "Yes. I don’t know if that helps, but that’s all he told . Please... just save our friend."

Matteo held his gaze for a mont.

"I will," he said. "I’ll do everything in my power to bring him back."

He straightened and turned away.

"My n will take you both back."

Without waiting for a response, Matteo stepped out of the study, the heavy door thudding shut behind him. He signaled to the n waiting in the hall.

"Take Frank and Charles back. Make sure they get ho safely."

"Yes, boss," the bodyguard replied imdiately, giving a sharp nod before turning to carry out the order.

As his n led the two friends away, Matteo walked back to the living room to et Mark. His mind was already miles ahead, replaying Charles’s words.

"You can’t tell

you’re rejecting

for him."

The realization hit him with cold, clinical precision.

Iris knew.

She wasn’t just a jilted friend or a socialite chasing a wedding, she was a woman who had seen behind the curtain.

And if Iris knew about him... she was no longer just an acquaintance.

She was a suspect.

And in Matteo’s world, a suspect was a target.

Matteo returned to the living room, his face a grim mask. He wasted no ti laying out everything Charles had said to Mark and Tony. In monts of crisis, Matteo didn’t care about their personal conflicts; he needed Tony’s clinical, cold-blooded expertise.

Tony had always been his best operative for silent hits and complex extractions.

"The girl is powerful," Tony noted, leaning back as he processed the information. "Confronting her directly won’t be easy. If you corner her without proof, she’ll hide behind her father’s political shield."

All Matteo cared about was one thing.

Finding Adrian.

He turned to Tony.

"What do we do next?"

"Give

a strategy," Matteo demanded. "I need to know it’s her before I burn everything down."

The room fell quiet.

Tony continued, thinking aloud.

"The only way to be sure... is to get closer. Watch her. Find a connection."

He glanced at Matteo.

"Did Adrian ever ntion her recently? Anything unusual?"

Matteo shook his head slightly.

"She calls Adrian every day and goes to his office almost all the ti. That’s all I know."

Tony nodded once.

"Then we start there."

He looked at Matteo steadily. "It’s simple. If she really calls him every day, she should be panicking right now. If she hasn’t heard from him in hours, a woman like that wouldn’t sit still. She’d be at his office... or at least making a scene."

Tony suggested a test: send n to the studio disguised as clients to see if Iris had shown up. Matteo agreed and dispatched his bodyguards with specific orders to find Kate, Adrian’s trusted assistant.

"Yes, boss."

Not long after, his n arrived at the office.

They played their part.

"We’re here to see Mr Grayson," one of them said casually.

The staff shook their heads.

"He’s not around. We haven’t seen him today."

"Have you tried calling him?"

"Yes... but his number isn’t going through."

The n exchanged a quick glance.

Then—

"We need to speak with Kate."

A few minutes later, Matteo’s phone rang.

"They’re with her," one of his n said.

"Put her on."

The phone was passed.

"Hello?" Kate’s voice ca through, uncertain.

"This is Matteo Marcone," he said.

There was a pause.

He could hear the fear in her breathing.

"Relax," Matteo added calmly. "I just need to ask you sothing."

"Yes... sir."

"You know Iris, right?"

"Yes."

"Has she co to the office today?"

A brief hesitation.

"No... she hasn’t."

"Has she called?"

"Yes," Kate confird. "She called earlier to ask if Adrian was in. I told her he hadn’t shown up and his phone was off. She seed... worried."

Matteo thanked her and told her not to ntion his call to anyone.

"Alright, sir," Kate replied.

"Thank you," Matteo said. Then, before ending the call, he added, "Put my n back on."

A brief shuffle followed.

"Boss?"

"Return. Now."

"Yes, boss."

Matteo turned to Tony, looking frustrated. "What kind of ga is this? If she’s calling to check on him, maybe she really doesn’t know anything."

Tony let out a dry, mocking laugh. "Mat, are you serious? We kidnap people and act like we’re mourning them at their own funerals all the ti. It’s called an alibi. She’s checking to see if anyone has found out he’s missing yet. She’s covering her tracks."

"But what’s her goal?" Matteo asked...