"In relationships between two men..." he started slowly, already sounding embarrassed, "how do people decide who’s going to be the top and who’s going to be the bottom?"

For a second, Matteo almost laughed.

But the moment he looked properly at Mark’s face, he noticed the serious confusion there immediately.

Mark genuinely looked like someone who had been overthinking the question for hours.

So Matteo held the laugh back.

"You’re asking how people decide roles in a relationship?" he clarified.

Mark nodded immediately.

"Yes. I want to understand it."

Matteo leaned back slightly in his chair before answering.

"Well... It’s different for everyone."

Mark listened carefully.

"Some people naturally prefer being more dominant," Matteo explained. "Some naturally prefer being more submissive. And some people are comfortable with both depending on the person or situation."

Mark frowned slightly while processing that.

"So nobody really forces it?" he asked.

Matteo immediately shook his head.

"No. It’s supposed to be about comfort, trust, communication, and what both people genuinely want."

Then he added. "And honestly, relationships between two men are a lot more than just deciding who tops or bottoms. People outside usually focus too much on labels, but when feelings become real, those things stop being the most important part."

Mark slowly nodded like he was truly trying to understand every word carefully.

Then after a few seconds, he looked back at Matteo again.

"And..." he asked. "If back then when you first met Adrian, he had wanted to top instead... would you have accepted it?"

For a second. Matteo just stared at him.

Then suddenly, he let out a quiet laugh.

Mark immediately frowned.

"I’m serious."

"I know," Matteo replied.

He looked directly at Mark before answering. "If Adrian had genuinely wanted that, then we would’ve talked about it properly."

Mark blinked once.

"Because relationships aren’t supposed to feel like some kind of power competition," Matteo explained. "It’s not about winning or losing control. Just because I’m more dominant doesn’t mean I would force him into a role he doesn’t want. That wouldn’t make sense to me."

He leaned back slightly.

"Everything between us happened naturally. No one forced anyone. When two people really love each other, they figure things out together. Comfort matters. Trust matters. Communication matters."

Then his lips curved faintly.

"And honestly... most couples already naturally understand each other’s dynamic without forcing anything."

Mark lowered his eyes thoughtfully.

"So it just... happens naturally?"

"Most of the time," Matteo answered.

Then after a short pause, he added casually. "And sometimes people switch too. It depends on the relationship and what both people are comfortable with."

Mark looked genuinely surprised by that answer.

Matteo watched him quietly for a second before a faint teasing smile appeared on his face.

"You like Charles that much?"

Mark immediately looked away.

"It’s not like that," he muttered first.

Matteo raised an eyebrow slightly.

Mark sighed before finally admitting the truth. "I just realized he has more experience than I, he’s been with men before, and I haven’t."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "So I want to understand things properly. If something ever happens between us... I don’t want to look completely clueless."

Matteo said. "You haven’t even started dating him yet, and you’re already thinking this far ahead?"

Mark looked completely serious. "Because once I start again," he replied, "I’m not stopping halfway."

Matteo stayed quiet.

Mark slowly leaned back against the chair.

"I already decided I want to move on," he admitted. "Even though the last time we talked, he reminded me of Stella for a moment..."

His expression darkened. "I still want to give him another chance."

Matteo nodded. "Then communicate properly with him," he said. "If something bothers you, talk about it instead of assuming things."

Mark listened quietly.

"And don’t compare Charles to Stella," Matteo added. "They’re not the same person."

Mark nodded. "I know."

A brief silence settled between them after that.

Then suddenly, Matteo looked back at Mark again.

"Speaking of Stella..."

Mark’s expression immediately changed.

Matteo rested his arm against the chair.

"What do you want us to do about her?" he asked quietly. "Especially now that we know she’s dating a married man."

Mark stayed silent for a few seconds.

Then finally, he shook his head slowly.

"She already destroyed herself the moment she cheated on me believing she had found someone better," he said. "Only to end up involved with another woman’s husband."

A bitter smile appeared on his face. "Her birthday is next week, and I already decided what I’m going to do. I’m going to send her a gift she’ll regret opening for the rest of her life. Pictures of the man she’s desperately in love with, proof that he’s married, proof that he has children... everything. And if she ignores the package, I’ll send every single thing directly to her phone too."

His fingers tightened around the glass.

"I want it to happen on her birthday," Mark said. "The exact day she expects to be happiest... I want everything in her life to fall apart instead."

Matteo stayed quiet for a moment before finally speaking. "So you want a simple revenge, but one that’s going to hit her hard enough to destroy her completely."

Mark nodded once. "Exactly."

Matteo said. "If that’s the kind of revenge you want, then let’s make it unforgettable."

Mark looked at him immediately.

Matteo rested comfortably against the chair, his mind already working through the details of the plan.

"We’ll prepare everything like a real birthday gift. Not just some random folder with proof inside. We’ll make it beautiful. Expensive. The kind of gift that would instantly make her excited the moment she sees your name on it."

Matteo added. "I’ll tell my men to insist she opens the gift in front of them. And I’ll tell them to record her reaction like you requested so that you can watch it afterward."

Mark listened quietly while Matteo continued building on the plan.

They would use elegant nested boxes, one inside another. She would keep opening each box thinking she was about to receive some grand romantic apology or surprise from you.

Only to eventually reach the final box.

And inside it would be everything.

The pictures.

The proof about the wife.

The children.

Every detail exposing the double life the man had been hiding from her.

"And while she’s opening it, they’ll keep recording everything," Matteo said. "I want us to see the exact moment her expression changes. The moment that happiness disappears and reality finally destroys her."

Mark let out a quiet breath of laughter, clearly entertained now by the cruelty of the idea.

"Wow," he admitted. "That’s actually perfect but evil."

Matteo looked completely unbothered.

"You like the idea."

Mark didn’t deny it. "I really do. Let’s do it."

And just like that, the two of them finalized the plan for Stella’s birthday.

Not long after, silence settled inside the room again.

Matteo originally wanted to bring up something important, but after glancing at the time, he realized they had already talked much longer than expected, and Adrian was still alone inside the room waiting for him.

So instead, he slowly stood up from his chair.

"We’ll talk more tomorrow," he murmured. "It’s already late."

Mark nodded. "Alright, Teo."

The two brothers exchanged a quiet goodnight before Matteo finally stepped out of Mark’s room and headed back to his own room to meet Adrian.

By the time Matteo finally returned to the room, Adrian had already fallen asleep.

Matteo slowly walked toward the bed before lying down beside him carefully.

Without waking him up, he gently pulled Adrian closer until Adrian’s head rested comfortably against him.

Then the two of them stayed wrapped in each other’s arms as they fell asleep for the night.

The next morning, both of them got ready together for work and had breakfast before leaving the house.

As usual, Matteo dropped Adrian off at his studio.

Before Adrian stepped out of the car, the two of them exchanged a soft goodbye kiss like they always did.

"I’ll come pick you up later in the evening," Matteo promised.

Adrian smiled lightly. "Alright, baby."

They kissed one more time before Adrian finally stepped out of the car and headed inside the building while Matteo’s driver slowly drove the car away afterward.

Not long later, Adrian fully settled into work.

The morning passed normally with meetings, designs, and discussions around the studio.

But sometime around noon, one of the staff members suddenly walked into Adrian’s office.

"Sir," she said politely, "there’s a delivery for you outside."

Adrian immediately looked confused.

"A delivery?"

He frowned slightly.

He hadn’t ordered anything.

And Maxwell wasn’t even around that day, so Adrian knew it couldn’t be one of Maxwell’s random surprise deliveries.

Curious, Adrian finally left his office and headed outside to check.

The moment he stepped outside, he realized the delivery wasn’t small at all.

Several large food packages had already been arranged neatly for the entire studio staff.

Different meals.

Drinks.

Desserts.

Enough for everyone.

Meanwhile, the deliveryman politely stepped forward and handed another separate package to Adrian.

"These are for the staff," he explained respectfully. "And this one is personally for you."

Adrian looked more confused since Matteo never mentioned sending anything to the studio.

Still, he told the staff to collect the food first.

The moment everyone realized the delivery was for them, excitement immediately spread around the studio as the workers happily started picking up meals and drinks.

Meanwhile, Adrian carried the package meant for him and headed back into his office.

As he sat down behind his desk, curiosity slowly started bothering him.

So he immediately picked up his phone and texted Matteo.

Hey baby. How’s work going?

Matteo replied not long after.

Busy. What about you?

Adrian replied and let the conversation continue naturally for a little while before finally asking:

Did you send any packages to my studio?

A few seconds later, Matteo replied again.

No. I didn’t send anything.