If someone crossed a member of my family, they wouldn’t live long enough to cross anyone else. I moved past the entryway and the staircase into the living room that faced the back patio.
The second he looked at me, he flinched.
Like a pussy.
He turned to me and held up both hands. “We were just talking—”
I punched him so hard in the face he was on the floor instantly. And he didn’t get up again.
Mother covered her mouth with her hand and silenced her gasp. “Cato, you could kill him.”
I watched his motionless body on the floor. “That’s what I’m going for.”
After a few seconds of immobility, he slowly lifted his weight with his arms and stumbled to his feet. Blood poured from his nose, and his skin was already becoming discolored. With my height and a similar build, he wasn’t a weak man—but I was definitely stronger. “Cato—”
“Come near my mother again, and I’ll kill you next time.” I never made threats I didn’t mean, and I definitely meant this one. “No one will come looking for you. No one will file a police report. I own everything in this country—and I can make you disappear without a trace. Don’t call my bluff, asshole.” I took a step toward him, tempted to give him a black eye to complement that broken nose.
The asshole was stupid enough to speak again. “I just want—”
“You turned your back on my mother and left her alone to raise two sons. She had no job and no money, and you fucking left anyway. You’re the definition of a coward. Now you show up on her doorstep asking for a handout—because you’re pathetic.” I moved even closer to him. “I’m the man who takes care of her now. I’m a bigger man than you’ll ever be—because my mother knew how to raise a man. We didn’t need you then, and we don’t need you now. Get the fuck out.”
He held my gaze as he breathed hard, the blood dripping down his lips. His facial structure was similar to mine, and it was clear from whom I’d inherited so many of my features. But he didn’t possess a spine, and he didn’t possess honor. “I’m not looking for a handout—”
“Bullshit. I’m a thirty-year-old man. I don’t need a father anymore. You’re twenty years too late. My mother doesn’t need a man without balls. You serve no purpose to either one of us. You stopped being a part of this family when you turned your back on us. That door has been shut and locked. There’s no going back.” I pointed to the front door. “Now get the fuck out.”
He held my gaze a moment longer before he finally made his way toward the door. He wiped his nose on the sleeve of his collared shirt before he crossed the threshold and disappeared. Some of my men would escort him off the premises and follow him to see where he went.
I turned back to my mother. “Are you alright?”
A silk robe was tied across her body, and despite the late hour, her hair was still elegantly styled. A life of luxury suited her, and she kept up her classy appearance constantly. She stepped closer to me, the fatigue in the bags under her eyes. “I’m fine, Cato. Thank you for coming.”
“There should be security guarding the perimeter.” I’d offered it to her before, but she never took it. I had men watching me all the time because I had a lot of enemies—known and unknown. Any man who had my wealth was always a target.
“I don’t want to live that way,” she said dismissively.
“And I don’t want to worry about you.”
“Then don’t.” She looked up at me, her blue eyes identical to mine. “He says he regrets leaving…”
“Because we’re rich, Mother.” Sometimes my mother was naïve, despite the way she’d been betrayed. She wanted to see the good in people even when there was none there. “Of course, he regrets it. His two sons have founded the most lucrative banking company in the world.”
“You’re probably right…but he does seem sincere.”
“He’ll seem sincere until he gets a check.” I was tempted to pay him off. Give him a million-dollar check just so he would leave us alone. That was just pennies to me, and he would never bother us again. But I had too much pride to give him anything, not after he hurt my mother. I couldn’t care less there wasn’t a father figure in my life when