Charles hesitated slightly before continuing.
"I didn't want to say it over the phone."
Adrian frowned faintly.
"What is it?"
Charles leaned back slowly.
"Recently… Mark came to see me."
Adrian blinked once in surprise.
Charles looked down at the drink in his hand briefly.
"And honestly, things were going well at first. The conversation was good. We talked, we laughed…"
Charles expression slowly became more conflicted. "But somewhere along the line, everything suddenly changed."
Adrian stayed quiet, listening carefully.
Charles sighed softly. "He became distant after something I said."
Adrian frowned slightly. "What did you say?"
Charles rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I made a joke about Matteo."
Adrian's expression changed immediately.
Charles noticed instantly and quickly continued.
"I didn't mean anything bad by it," he explained. "I just joked that Mark was easier to talk to while Matteo was intimidating and scary."
He let out a frustrated breath.
