Page 11 of Mob Boss's Second Chance

Iwatch Anthony stride through the gate, his eyes searching the party arena. His shoulders are tense, and his stride is intentional, which means something is wrong.

I’m immediately on alert, pushing my chair back and rising without a word to the others around the table. Anthony spots me when I’m halfway to him, and he beckons me to a less populated corner.

“What is it?” I ask.

His voice drops. “Solomon,” he says.

My brows furrow in disbelief. “Solomon?”

Anthony nods. “Yeah. I had no idea he was in the country, and I promise you I didn’t send him an invite. I wouldn’t, not after what hedid.”

“How did he get in?” I ask as a muscle in my jaw twitches. My right hand closes into a loose fist as Anthony tells me how Solomon lied toone of the security guards and when someone else recognized him, he threatened to make a scene.

“With a gun,” he adds. “Should I call the doctor?”

I shake my head. “No. I’ll get rid of him. Take my place. Whatever you have to do, don’t raise any suspicions.”

While Solomon’s presence isn’t an emergency enough to shut down the party, it’ll definitely stir up some rumors about his reasons for showing up. I’m also aware that some of the people invited havesecretpledges to Solomon, and I don’t want an incident that can be managed to become something else.

I’ll deal with it.

Shoving my hands into my pocket, I make my way to the house through the kitchen door. The guests are in the other gated garden, so there’s nobody present except the house employees.

I find Solomon in the living room, and when he sees me, his mouth curls into a smirk.

“Ethan Cross!” He says loudly, not bothering to stand up. “What a wonderful surprise. I was told it was Anthony’s party, so I thought I’d show up since my invitation was lost in the mail.”

I don’t bother with pleasantries.

My face hardens into a scowl, my voice cold and sharp. “You’re not welcome here, Solomon. Leave quietly, or I’ll be forced to throw you out. And trust me, that’ll be the extent of my kindness—especially since you dared to bring a gun into my house.”

He snorts, leaning back in his chair as if he owns the place. His cocky grin is infuriating, a deliberate challenge.

“Leave? I thought we were friends,” he chuckles mockingly. “I mean, your dad and mine were thick as thieves. I even helped you a few times—got you out of trouble with the law when things got dicey. That makes us brothers, doesn’t it?”

His words drip with insincerity, but they stir something unwelcome—old memories, shards of a past I thought I’d buried.

There was a time when I would’ve considered him like that. We grew up side by side, although his father groomed him to step into his shoes earlier than mine did to him. But when we came into position, it was the perfect partnership.

Until he betrayed me.

He cost me everything. Hundreds of millions lost, alliances shattered, and, worst of all, an attempt on my life that I barely walked away from.

I clench my fists at the memory, the sting of betrayal still fresh despite the years.

“Brothers?” I bite out, my voice low and dangerous. “You’ve got a funny way of showing it, Solomon. Brothers don’t stab each other in the back. And they sure as hell don’t set each other up for an execution.”

His grin falters for a fraction of a second before it’s back, forced and smug. “Oh, come on. That was years ago. Ancient history. You survived, didn’t you? Look at you now—bigger and better. If anything, you should thank me for the push.”

It takes every ounce of restraint not to lunge across the room. Instead, I step forward, looming over him, my gaze cold and unrelenting. “You’ve got one minute to leave my house, Solomon. If you’re still here after that, you won’t be walking out on your own.”

The room goes still, the weight of my words hanging heavy in the air. Solomon’s cocky grin slips just slightly, a flicker of unease flashing in his eyes.

Good.

Then it hardens again, showing true malice. “Oh?” he drawls, standing up.

A hand goes to his hip, and I know he has his gun there. “I’m sure you want your party to continue uninterrupted. Do you know what’ll happen if my men storm this place?”

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