Alben sat down on the sofa in the office. He couldn’t stop smiling. It was so satisfying to tease Salvatore. When else would he get a chance like this?

It seemed like the first time that man had ever been possessive of someone.

He had braced himself, certain that Salvatore would come in and give him a long lecture. He had prepared himself mentally.

After a while, he finally heard footsteps getting closer. Steady, fast, and heavy.

He didn’t need to guess who was coming.

Salvatore opened the door and looked at the sofa, where Alben was sitting. He just walked to the desk. His mind was so full right now.

He had things to do, and now he had to deal with this stupid nonsense. He called Roderick to come over since they needed to go out again.

Alben furrowed his brow. Wasn’t the man going to yell at him?

He crossed one leg over the other. "Go ahead. Say something."

Salvatore turned. He looked at Alben for a moment. His face was annoyed but calm, which wasn’t what Alben had expected.

"You crossed the line," Salvatore said. "That’s all I’m going to say about it."

Alben chuckled.

"It’s not funny." Salvatore grabbed his phone and started typing on it.

"Sorry, I swear I didn’t plan to sleep with him. I know you’re obsessed with him."

"Don’t make a stupid assumption."

"Anyway, sorry. Really sorry. I was just so curious. He’s so cute, you know!"

Salvatore looked up from his phone, looked at Alben, and sighed.

"You know, I’ve known you for years, and I won’t tell you what to do. Do whatever you want. I don’t care."

Alben blinked, a bit confused now. That man was letting him touch Milo? "What?"

"You heard me. I don’t care." Salvatore looked at Alben seriously. "If you can get him to willingly have sex with you, I won’t say a word. I’ll let you take him. He’s not my property. I don’t need a stupid man around me who can’t follow a simple instruction."

The room was quiet for a second.

Alben shifted his position. "Hey." His voice had lost its casual tone. "Don’t get so angry. I wasn’t actually going to take him anywhere."

"I’m serious." Salvatore turned a page. "If you want him, go ahead. Try. If he chooses to obey you, he’ll go with you. I’m done."

Alben studied his face. Salvatore wasn’t joking. He wasn’t putting on that cold, controlled act he used when he was about to explode. He genuinely looked like he’d made a decision and was sticking to it.

"You must really be angry," Alben said carefully.

Salvatore said nothing. He kept typing. Then he grabbed a paper bag from the table.

"I need to go. Tell me your price for the rings," said Salvatore.

Alben stood up. "You think I’m going to charge you for that? Seriously?"

"Go home. We’ll talk again tomorrow." Salvatore stopped in the doorway.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to meet Stagno. If you want, you can come."

Alben grabbed his jacket. "Are we having a barbecue?"

"No. What do you think? We’ll meet at the X Hotel."

Salvatore walked quickly, as Roderick was already waiting for him on the terrace.

"Hey, you’re really not mad at me, right?" asked Alben before he walked to his car.

"Just shut up."

Salvatore got into the car. He had already given a warning and offered help, now it was up to Milo how he would handle it.

If he couldn’t set his boundaries, then it wasn’t his problem. He’d just let him go. He couldn’t take care of him every single time. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The Next Day. The Backyard.

Milo had finished his morning workout and was walking back toward the side entrance, breathing harder than he’d like, his shirt damp at the collar. He’d been at it for forty minutes. His legs were tired and stiff.

It had been days, and his body still hadn’t adjusted. He felt so exhausted. And he was the last one to arrive for the run. He was so grateful Salvatore wasn’t here.

His breath was fast and shallow. He walked toward the mansion, where almost everyone was already in the pantry.

But before he reached the door, he saw Alben leaning against the wall near the entrance.

That man looked as happy as usual, with a mischievous smirk on his lips.

Milo slowed down.

"Good morning, Milo," Alben said pleasantly. He pushed off the wall and fell into step beside him. "You work really hard. I watched for a bit. Impressive for someone your size."

"Thank you," Milo said cautiously, stopping in his tracks. He didn’t know if it was a compliment or an insult. What was wrong with his size?

Alben stopped in front of Milo, forcing the young man to step back. "You’re so wet. You must be tired."

He tried to brush the damp hair from Milo’s forehead, causing the young man to step back to avoid it.

Alben smirked. "Hey, are you afraid of me?"

Milo gulped and shook his head.

"I don’t believe it. See, I’m the gentlest man in the world!" Alben declared.

Milo didn’t believe him.

Alben chuckled. "Well, I want to give you a chance to live with me. I never let people see my house. But I’ll let you stay there."

Milo looked at Alben as if the man were insane.

Alben took that as a green light and smiled confidently. "I’ll take you to my house. You don’t need to do anything. I’ll hire a maid for you. You don’t need to exercise."

But then he paused, thinking. "No, I mean, you can exercise. It’s good if you have a bit of muscle. I have a gym, but you don’t need to push yourself like you do here."

Milo just listened politely.

"You don’t need to cook. I’ll prepare everything for you. I’ll give you monthly spending money so you can enjoy yourself. Sounds good, right?"

Milo nodded.

Alben smiled. "So, do you want to come to my house? I’ll tell Salvatore. He’ll be okay with it."