Page 219 of Once in a Lifetime, Part 2

“Let me guess. My brother.”

“Yeah… I reached out to him—”

Mano switched to Greek, his voice low and sharp. “Tha ton skotoso.”

“Sorry?”

He pulled the phone away, dragging a hand down his face, then brought it back. Still in Greek, his voice rose. “Tell my brother to stay the fuck out of my life!” He ended the call.

Chapter 43

Dominic stared at his phone for a moment. Then he exhaled and called Nick. “I just spoke to your brother.”

“And?”

“I think he cursed me out.” He let out a short laugh.

Nick sighed. “What did he say?”

“No idea. Something in Greek. But the second your name came up, he got pissed.”

“I told you. We’re not on good terms.”

“The kid’s got talent. I’m not letting him slip away that easily.”

Nick didn’t respond.

“I’ll call him again tomorrow,” Dominic went on. “Make it clear what kind of opportunity this is.”

“I don’t know, man…” Nick rubbed his face. “He’s not going to like that I shared his work.”

“I get it.” Dominic leaned back. “But listen. If he hates you more than he loves his dream… I’ll back off.”

Nick stayed quiet.

“Deal?”

He exhaled. All he wanted was to see Mano achieve his dreams, though he knew this could end badly. If it got him a step closer, it was worth it, even if it meant his little brother hating him more. “…Deal.”

Still irritated after his conversation with Dominic, Mano slipped his phone into his pocket and headed back to Ody’s room. The moment he stepped inside, loud voices and laughter hit him. Elias and Pierce were mid-argument, debating whether getting shot hurt more than getting stabbed. They spotted Mano and immediately tried to pull him in. He barely got a word in before they kept going, talking over each other. Eventually, they drifted out, still arguing, leaving the room quiet again.

“Everything okay?” Ody asked, watching him.

Mano forced a small smile. “Yeah. All good.”

Ody held his gaze, not fully convinced. “You sure?”

Mano exhaled through his nose, his jaw clenching. “It’s just my brother. He’s messing with my life again. Even after I told him to stay out of it.”

“What did he do?” Ody asked, but the door opened before Mano could answer.

A nurse stepped in. “I need you to wait outside for a moment,” she said, already moving toward Ody. “Just a few final checks before we discharge him.”

Not long after, the six of them were walking through the hospital parking lot.

“Ody, you sure you don’t wanna come with us?” Elias asked.

“I’m heading back with my boyfriend. I’ll see you guys in Athens.” He turned away, biting back a laugh.