Matteo exhaled lightly. "He's my friend. We've known each other for a long time… and he's my right-hand man. That's all he is to me. Why do you ask?"
Adrian hesitated. "I don't want to cause any trouble between you and Tony… or make things awkward. I'm just trying to understand something… back at the villa, Tony said something to me."
Matteo frowned slightly. "What did he say?"
Adrian looked at him. "He said something about… a devil trying to act like an angel. That I should be careful."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"It felt like… he was warning me about you. Like I should stay away from you."
Matteo exhaled softly. "You should ignore him next time. Don't listen to him, and if something like that happens again, tell me immediately."
He paused, his voice steady.
"And don't worry… he's just being protective. He didn't mean any of what he said to you."
Adrian wasn't convinced. "What about the night you got shot? Was the gun aimed at you... Or at me?"
