President's Daughter's Bodyguard-Chapter 110: The Laws of Worth

Chapter 110: The Laws of Worth

Zack always walked into the prison like he owned it. It was his favourite place to be, especially when he was able to break the law whenever it was convenient.

No hesitation or fear or flinching at the stench of metal and sweat.

Just the slow and confident steps of a man who believed every room belonged to him the moment he entered it.

Two guards led him through the corridor without question.

He had the kind of authority that didn’t require badges or signatures.

The kind that came from secrets and old alliances that no one wanted to provoke.

When they reached the final cell, the guard unlocked the door and stepped aside.

Zack walked in.

Ethan sat on the iron bed with his back hunched and his fingers running through his hair. His eyes were red from sleepless nights, and the dark under his lashes made him look older.

But the moment he lifted his head and saw Zack, his face turned icy.

"Oh," Ethan muttered. "It is you."

Zack smirked. "What a beautiful greeting. I see prison has not improved your manners."

"Get out," Ethan said louder.

Zack laughed lightly. "You think you can order me anywhere? You are behind bars, my dear boy. You do not get to tell anyone what to do."

"I am not your boy," Ethan spat.

Zack tilted his head, studying him with an almost bored expression. "No. You are not. And that is precisely the problem, is it not?"

Ethan looked away. He didn’t want to be nowhere near his father.

Zack slowly walked across the cell and placed one hand against the cold bars, leaning casually.

"I visited someone today," Zack said. "Someone more important than you."

Ethan didn’t answer, but Zack saw the tension in his shoulders.

Zack smiled. "Argash sends his regards."

Ethan’s head snapped up. "You are still working with him?"

"Working? No. I am mentoring him. Guiding him. He is sharp but inexperienced. And he requires someone who understands this world better than he does."

"You are insane," Ethan hissed. "You are keeping contact with the cult. After everything."

Zack clicked his tongue. "I keep contact with power. That is what keeps a man alive. You should try it sometime instead of sitting here rotting in your own tears."

Ethan shot to his feet. "Rotting? You think I stayed in here because I am weak? I stayed because I refused to work with people like Argash. People like you."

"Refused? Do not flatter yourself. You stayed because you had no value to them."

Ethan’s breath hitched. "What?"

Zack approached him with slow, deliberate steps.

"You were never chosen," he said in a smooth and deadly tone. "Not by the cult, not by me, not by destiny. You were always the leftover. The mistake."

Ethan lunged forward but Zack stepped aside with a cold laugh.

"You want to hit me. Good. Anger is the only thing that makes you interesting."

Ethan trembled. "You are sicker than me... You are absolutely sick."

"And yet," Zack replied calmly, "you listened."

Ethan clenched his teeth. "Why are you here? What do you want?"

Zack gave a slow shrug. "I wanted to see the man who failed his own legacy."

Ethan blinked, confused. "Legacy?"

Zack smiled like a knife being drawn. "Theo."

"Don’t say his name," he whispered.

Zack chuckled. "He is better than you."

Ethan’s jaw tightened. "He is not.."

"No. He is my son," Zack stated with a satisfied voice. "And he is everything you are not. Strong. Intelligent. Ruthless. Capable of surviving what is coming."

Ethan took a step back. "Why are you comparing me to him?"

"Because...Well, I find it amusing."

Ethan swallowed hard.

Zack walked closer until he was standing directly in front of him.

"You always believed you were important...hah! A good son. A man with no moral principles. Someone who deserved my respect."

Ethan looked at the floor.

"But in the end," Zack continued, "you became nothing. A man locked in a room. A man who lost control of everything he cared about. A man who was not worth the air he breathed."

Ethan’s fists tightened until the knuckles turned white.

"Shut up..."

"No," Zack replied. "I will finish."

Ethan looked up with pure sun in his eyes...

"You want to hear something truly humiliating?" Zack asked. "Your mother never even spoke your name. Not once. She never cared about you. She never asked for you. She only fought for Theo."

Ethan’s breathing grew louder.

"And now," Zack said as his lips curled into a cruel smile, "you are here crying while my new son grows stronger every day."

Ethan blinked too many times. "...new son?"

Zack nodded proudly. "The cult gifted him to me. A chosen one. Pure. Born from the right Helena. Unlike Theo, who needed too much repairing. This one is already perfect."

Ethan felt something crack behind his ribs.

"You are more insane than me after all," he said again. "This is madness. You... you cannot replace your own child with a random baby from a cult."

Zack laughed. "Watch me."

Ethan’s voice rose. "This is why the world is burning. Because of you. Because of people like you."

Zack stepped forward and grabbed Ethan’s chin roughly, lifting his face.

"Don’t pretend you understand the world," Zack hissed. "You are a broken child. A broken man. A useless piece on a board you were never meant to play on."

Ethan ripped his face away and staggered back until his shoulders hit the wall.

And then something snapped...there was a slow, dangerous smile that didn’t match the weakness Zack always accused him of.

Zack narrowed his eyes. "What is amusing you?"

Ethan lifted his gaze and looked straight at him.

"You are scared," Ethan whispered.

Zack’s stare sharpened. "Of you?"

"No," Ethan said, smiling wider now. "Of Theo." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Zack didn’t move.

Ethan took a step forward this time.

"Yes," Ethan continued softly. "You hide behind arrogance. Behind your cult connections. Behind Argash. Behind your perfect little rituals. But you keep talking about Theo. You keep trying to convince yourself that he belongs to you. You keep comparing us. You keep obsessing over him."

Zack’s jaw tightened.

Ethan leaned closer.

"You know he will destroy everything you built," Ethan laughed. "And you can’t stop him."

Zack’s fingers curled slowly at his sides.

Ethan’s smile grew calmer and smaller.

"That is why you came here...Not to insult me. Not to brag. You came here because something finally scared you."

Zack’s eyes flashed with pure fury.

He struck Ethan across the face.

It was a clean, brutal hit that echoed through the small cell.

Ethan fell to the ground and blood dripped from his nose.

But he was still smiling, once again calmly.

"You are terrified...Of the son who is basically not mentally yours."

Zack stepped back like Ethan’s words had physically struck him.

And for the first time in years, Zack Hale had no answer.