can get to admin, but not to wordpress/index.php

For some odd reason, after doing a new install (V2.6) I’m unable to get to the front-end blog page (https://www.exestudioglobal.com/wordpress/index.php). Instead it automatically redirects to root’s index page (https://www.exestudioglobal.com/).

I am able to access the login and admin tool, but as soon as i click “visit site” from the dashboard, it redirects me to the site’s current homepage.

I’ve installed and reinstalled 6 times trying news suggestions I’ve found in the forum (ex. removing/renaming the plugins directory entirely, removing/editing htaccess file, edited the setting’s URL addresses, etc.).

Currently, the WordPress + Blog address (URL) are both https://www.exestudioglobal.com/wordpress, plugins are deactivated, and the permalinks is set to default.

Am I losing it or is there a simple fix out there? I’ve spent about 8 straight hours trying to find a solution via the forum with no luck.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!