Page 72 of Mob Boss's Second Chance

His words fail to inspire honesty because I’ve made it clear ages ago that I don’t trust Anthony. He’d betray me for the right price, mostly due to his stupidity.

Fixing my stare on the public affairs chief, I fold my arms. “You look like you have something to say.”

He scratches his chin and battles with brief hesitationor fear,glancing to his left and right for moral support.

“My department, in liaison with the media team, has been doing our best to quell the rumors, sir. We’ve sent cease and desist letters and employed tech personnel to scrub the internet, but it keeps popping up everywhere.”

I see.

“And,” he continues after another search for moral support, spiking my impatience through the roof. If I could reach out and pull the words from his mouth, then shove them back in—so he never displays his incompetence again—I would. “It doesn’t help that the government is threatening sanctions on the company and other holdings.”

I tilt my head. “Is that right? Where did you get that from?”

The weight of my words settles over the room like a suffocating fog. Tension coils in the air, thick and unrelenting, as my gaze sweeps across the table, dissecting every expression, every nervous twitch.

From the far end, the head of HR shifts uneasily. “I got it from a credible source, sir. She informed me they’d make their move any minute. They’ve only held back because they’re building a case we can’t dispute.”

Joe Geller?

I nearly laugh. He wouldn’t dare—not after what happened at Royale. The other pathetic bastards who slithered in with him have been keeping their heads down, so it’s not them, either.

Which only brings me back to the same conclusion I reached this morning.

I have a mole.

My lips curl into a sneer as I take in the scene before me. It’s astonishing how many people beg for death without even realizing it.

Ignoring the HR director, I rise to my feet. A visible shift ripples through the room. Their stiffened shoulders, widened eyes, and backs pressed tight against their seats as if that might make them disappear almost make me chuckle.

Good. They should be afraid.

“Which one of you stands to benefit from this?” My voice cuts through the heavy silence like a blade.

Nobody answers.

I drag my gaze across the table, slow and deliberate, watching the discomfort build.

“You?” I throw the accusation into the void, not pointing at anyone specific—but it doesn’t matter. The murmurs begin, low and panicked.

Or maybe it’s guilt.

“You?” I try again, my tone thick with mockery. “Because I know one of you is sitting on an empty promise. One of you is crossing your fingers, praying that betraying me—betraying this company—will pay off.”

I take a step forward, and the room collectively tenses.

“So tell me—” I lean in slightly, just enough to watch them squirm, my voice sinking into a lethal calm. “Which one of you has a death wish?”

Silence.

I wasn’t expecting anybody to come forward, but it doesn’t matter if they choose to hide in the further corners of the earth. It doesn’t matter the promises, the support they’ve been promised by whomever.

When I find out who’s responsible, no matter how many they are, they’ll pay in ways that are more precious than blood.

“What’s your plan?” I slowly pan to a random face. “What was the decision you made before I walked in?”

…I knew it.

I have to step down and let Anthony be the acting CEO until the potential damage to the company from the rumors and accusations surrounding me is eliminated.

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