Mark leaned back against the sofa, still laughing in shock.

"Wow."

A few seconds later, Matteo’s call came in.

Mark picked up immediately.

"Did you see the file?" Matteo asked from the other side of the phone.

"Yeah, I got it," Mark said, a smirk playing on his lips. "And honestly? It’s exactly what she deserves for cheating on a guy like me. The karma is poetic."

Matteo chuckled faintly. "That’s all the information I could gather about him for now," he said.

Mark shook his head slowly.

"I’m honestly relieved," Mark admitted. "Because I’m 100% sure Stella has no idea her ’soulmate’ has a wife and two kids waiting for him in another country. She thinks she’s found a prize, but she’s just being used."

"Alright," Matteo replied. "When I get back tonight, we’ll talk more about how you want to handle the fallout."

"Alright, Teo. Thank you for this," Mark said, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.

He hung up and looked at Tony, who was still chuckling softly.

For a brief moment, the tension from earlier faded, replaced by the cold satisfaction of seeing someone who betrayed him finally get what they deserved.

Meanwhile, as they got closer to Adrian’s studio, Matteo turned toward him inside the car.

"Stay at the studio until you’re done working," Matteo said calmly. "Once I finish what I need to do at the office, I’ll come back and pick you up. I won’t be staying there long anyway. I just need to sign a few documents and make sure everything is running smoothly."

"Okay, baby," Adrian replied softly.

Matteo reached for his hand. "And even if I come back and you’re still working, don’t worry. I’ll sit in your office and wait until you’re done so we can go home together."

Adrian smiled faintly. "Okay, baby."

Then Matteo added softly, "If you ever need anything in this world, even if it’s just my attention, I’ll be there in a heartbeat."

Adrian’s expression softened instantly.

"I trust you, baby," he murmured again.

Matteo narrowed his eyes playfully. "Or do you want me to stay with you and skip work? Because I can do that too."

Adrian laughed softly and shook his head. "No, go to your office and do your work while I do mine. Like you said, come find me when you’re done. I have some finished portraits that still need my signature and a few pieces that need to be prepared for delivery to clients."

Matteo nodded. "Alright, baby. I understand. Once I’m done, I’ll come straight to your studio."

Adrian nodded happily. "Okay, baby."

A few minutes later, the car finally pulled up in front of Adrian’s studio.

Before Adrian got out, he turned toward Matteo and kissed his cheek softly.

Matteo immediately pointed at his lips.

Adrian smiled quietly before leaning in again and kissing him properly this time.

The kiss lasted a few soft seconds before they finally pulled apart.

Then Adrian stepped out of the car.

Matteo lowered the window slightly and waved at him.

"Goodbye, baby. I love you."

Adrian smiled warmly at him and waved back.

"I love you too."

Matteo stayed there for a moment, watching Adrian walk safely inside the studio before the car finally pulled away and headed toward his office.

Adrian stepped into the elevator and headed up to the studio.

The moment the elevator doors opened, he walked through the familiar hallway toward the main workspace. Staff members greeted him warmly as he passed.

"Good morning, boss."

Adrian smiled lightly at them as he continued walking. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

But the moment he stepped into the main studio, his footsteps suddenly slowed.

Then stopped completely.

Everyone inside was busy working, brushes moving, papers scattered across tables, quiet conversations filling the room.

But Adrian’s eyes landed on someone he absolutely wasn’t expecting to see there.

Maxwell.

Maxwell was standing inside the studio.

Adrian froze for a second in surprise.

At that same moment, Maxwell turned around and spotted him standing near the entrance.

Kate and James immediately noticed Adrian too.

"Boss, you’re finally here!" James called out playfully.

Maxwell’s face lit up instantly.

He rushed toward Adrian dramatically.

"Boss!" he exclaimed. "You’re finally back after disappearing for how many days? Weeks?"

Adrian laughed softly despite his confusion.

"Maxwell?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

Maxwell blinked at him innocently.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I work here now."

Adrian stared at him in confusion.

"You’ve been coming here?"

"Of course," Maxwell replied proudly. "I told you I wanted to learn professional drawing properly, remember? Since you weren’t around much lately, I started learning the basics with everyone here."

Adrian looked genuinely surprised.

Matteo hadn’t mentioned any of this to him.

"You’ve really been coming here the whole time?" Adrian asked again. "How long was I gone for nobody to even tell me?"

Maxwell laughed. "Don’t look so shocked. You can ask everyone. I’ve been coming regularly."

Kate nodded immediately from behind them. "He’s actually been helping out a lot."

Adrian shook his head slightly, still surprised.

"Alright then," he said finally. "I hope you’re enjoying it at least."

"I am," Maxwell answered quickly with a grin.

Adrian smiled faintly before finally heading toward his office to drop off his things.

Not long after, Kate followed him inside with several folders and documents.

She immediately began updating him on everything he had missed, the finished projects that needed his signature, the pieces that still required final corrections, the client deliveries waiting to be approved, and the works that needed his final inspection before shipment.

Adrian nodded as he looked through the files.

"Alright. I’ll attend to them one after the other."

Kate gave a small nod. "Alright, boss."

Then she quietly excused herself and left Adrian’s office.

The rest of the day became busy quickly.

Adrian moved from one task to another, checking artwork, signing completed portraits, reviewing corrections, and supervising the studio.

Throughout it all, Maxwell stayed around the workspace, learning and helping wherever he could.

Later in the day, Adrian finally messaged Matteo.

Hey babe, how’s it going over there?

Matteo’s reply came almost immediately.

It’s going well. Just missing you. How about you?

Adrian smiled unconsciously at the message before replying with a few blushing emojis.

It’s going well too. I miss you.

Before Matteo could reply again, another message from Adrian appeared.

You never told me Maxwell has been coming to the studio

Matteo replied.

I honestly didn’t know. It’s not like he stays with me. He’s usually with Father. Maybe Father knows about it, but Maxwell never mentioned anything to me.

Adrian smiled faintly and replied.

Alright, babe.

Another message from Matteo came in seconds later.

If he’s not disturbing you, then let him be. But if he gives you stress, throw him out without even thinking twice.

Adrian couldn’t help smiling at that.

He’s cool. We’re good.

Matteo replied:

Okay, love. I’ll go back to work now.

Adrian’s fingers moved quickly across the screen.

Alright, baby.

Then he finally put his phone away and returned his attention to work.

As the hours passed, he slowly began noticing something strange.

Whenever Maxwell was around Kate, he became unusually attentive, listening closely to everything she said.

The same thing happened whenever he was near James.

He watched carefully. Maxwell paid attention to every little detail around them.

It made Adrian quietly wonder—

Was Maxwell really there just to learn art?

Or was there another reason he kept sticking so closely to Kate and James?

By evening, Adrian was finally seated inside his office, stretching slightly after hours of work.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Before Adrian could answer properly, Maxwell stepped inside.

The moment he entered, he looked straight at Adrian.

"Are you tired?" Maxwell asked immediately. "Do you need anything? What do you want me to order for you? Anything at all, just mention it."

Adrian smiled faintly and shook his head.

"I’m fine."

Maxwell nodded dramatically. "Okay, if you say you’re fine, then that’s good. But I already ordered food for everyone working in the studio today."

Then he smirked slightly.

"And I made a special order for you because someone specifically requested it."

Adrian immediately smiled, already knowing exactly who he meant. "Matteo?"

Maxwell grinned. "Obviously."

Adrian laughed softly. "Okay, fine."

Then, as the laughter faded, Adrian suddenly remembered something he had been noticing the entire day.

He looked toward Maxwell carefully.

"Come here for a second."

Maxwell blinked. "What?"

"Sit down," Adrian said. "I want to ask you something."

Maxwell shrugged casually before walking over and sitting in the chair across from Adrian’s desk.

The moment he settled down, Adrian leaned back slightly.

"I noticed something today."

Maxwell raised an eyebrow.

"The way you act around James... and Kate."

Maxwell blinked once.

Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You pay attention to both of them equally. So now I’m confused."

A slow smile appeared on Maxwell’s face.

"Confused about what exactly?"

Adrian pointed toward him immediately.

"Don’t act innocent. I’m asking if you like Kate... or James."

Maxwell suddenly laughed.

"So that’s what this is about?"

"Yes," Adrian admitted immediately. "I genuinely can’t tell which one you’re interested in."

Maxwell tilted his head slightly before asking calmly,

"Have you ever heard of a lavender marriage?"

Adrian frowned instantly.

"What does that have to do with this?"

Maxwell smirked slightly.

"You won’t understand unless you know it first."

Still confused, Adrian grabbed his phone and searched for the meaning online.

As he read through the explanation, his eyes slowly widened.

Then he slowly looked back up at Maxwell.

"Wait..."

His expression turned into complete disbelief.

"Are you saying you like both James and Kate?"

Maxwell smiled shamelessly.

"Exactly."

Adrian stared at him for a few seconds before bursting into shocked laughter.

"Wow," he muttered. "I thought Matteo was the craziest person in your family, but I think you might actually be worse."

Maxwell looked proud instead of offended.

"What can I say?" he replied casually. "I like them both."