President's Daughter's Bodyguard-Chapter 67: The Broken Crown

Chapter 67: The Broken Crown

Jackson entered the abandoned building quietly.

Ethan, breathing heavily as he now pressed a razor blade against the back of his own neck. The floor below him was dotted with fresh drops of blood.

He looked wild. Like something that used to be a human but lost the instruction manual.

"You should stop," Jackson mumbled carefully.

Ethan let out a soft laugh. The razor slipped again and more blood ran down his spine. He didn’t even react to the pain. He turned his head and hair fell in his eyes.

"You are back," Ethan whispered. "Did he cry when he saw what I became"

Jackson walked closer but kept distance between them. "Your father is planning something worse."

Ethan finally paused. He lifted his head and stared at Jackson with eyes that looked too bright to belong to a sane person. His smile was slow and unnatural.

"Of course he is," Ethan said. "That old man dreams of death like normal people dream of love." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Jackson noticed Ethan’s trembling hands. His skin around the metal device was torn. The implant blinked red. Every pulse of light meant the signal was still active.

"You will kill yourself if you continue," Jackson warned.

Ethan laughed harder. "Death is not the problem. It is the waiting that is boring."

He tossed the razor aside. "Tell me what he wants."

Jackson took a breath and told him everything. Zack’s underground room. The bleeding man in the chair. The order to send a deadly message. The kidnapped woman. Her son. The new power game Zack was building.

Ethan listened. His grin sharpened.

"So he wants me to kill Theo," Ethan said slowly. "And Theo to kill me. Only one will inherit his cursed throne."

"Yes," Jackson replied.

Ethan wiped blood from his neck with the back of his hand. His fingers stained red. He tasted it and laughed quietly to himself.

"He taught us well," he murmured. "Fighting is the only language he gave us."

"He is using you both...You do not need to play his game."

Ethan tilted his head. "But I like his game."

Jackson stiffened. "What"

Ethan stood, his posture was tall and confident despite his bleeding neck. He placed a hand on Jackson’s shoulder. His grip was too tight and smile seemed too wide.

"You think I am running away from him," Ethan whispered. "But I am running toward him. Because every step hurts him more."

Jackson frowned. "You want him dead too."

Ethan nodded once. "Of course. Father raised killers. And the most successful one will always target the king."

His hand dropped...

"And Theo thinks he is the wolf here."

Ethan started pacing the room like a predator preparing for the final hunt.

"You should have seen his eyes," Ethan murmured. "He thinks he is protecting her. Protecting... Like a knight in a children’s story."

He giggled. His shoulders shook with laughter.

"He thinks love can save him. How adorable."

Jackson clenched his jaw. "Danielle is innocent, but I still want her dead."

Ethan waved his hand dismissively. "No one is innocent. Everyone is a weapon waiting to be sharpened."

He suddenly turned serious.

"Except her."

Jackson watched him closely. "You care about her."

The laughter died instantly.

He whispered, "She cared about me once in the woods."

"She believed Theo could kill you, no?"

"That was her mistake...No one should believe in that..."

He leaned against the wall slowly. His legs shook from blood loss.

"She should understand that monsters like us do not get happy endings." Ethan chuckled again. "We are the ones who ruin them."

Jackson looked around that place. The broken furniture and blood. The madness. "What is your plan"

Ethan ran his tongue over his bloody lip and smiled.

"I will break Theo first...I will make him afraid to sleep. Afraid to breathe. Afraid to lose what he loves."

But that was another lie...and Ethan knew very well that when Theo comes close to him, he can’t kill him.

His eyes flickered with a twisted illusion.

"I will be the nightmare that never leaves him."

Jackson wanted to step back, but Ethan stepped closer instead.

"You see," Ethan whispered, "Theo is not like me. He has too much heart. And that heart beats for Danielle."

Jackson swallowed hard. "You will use her as bait."

"She is the perfect hook."

Jackson’s hands curled into fists. "If you hurt her, Theo will kill you."

"Good," Ethan said. "Then he will finally be the monster everyone thinks he is. And when he becomes like me... he will understand."

Jackson shook his head. "You are gone."

Ethan laughed. "Maybe. But gone men are the most dangerous."

He walked to the window and stared at the city lights. His voice softened in a terrifying way.

"Zack wants us to destroy each other to give him a winner."

He inhaled sharply. "But what if we destroy him instead"

Jackson looked up.

"You want to kill him together with Theo"

Ethan smirked. "Not together. He will think he is saving her. And I will let him. And when he reaches the finish line... I will take the victory."

Jackson frowned. "You cannot let your father win."

"I will not," Ethan said. "I will kill him with his own rules."

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"And then I will kill anyone who tries to take my crown."

Jackson stared at him. This was not a man anymore. This was a weapon that finally realized he could choose his own target.

"So what do you need me to do" Jackson asked carefully.

Ethan opened his eyes again. They were cold fire. "Watch him," he said. "Watch Theo. Watch Danielle. Follow their every move."

Jackson hesitated. "And if Theo attacks you while doing that"

Ethan smiled like he could already taste blood. "Then that will make the game more fun."

Jackson stepped back since he understood now. There was no fixing Ethan or even saving him.

There was only surviving him, but he promised to get revenge.

Ethan turned away, wiping the remaining blood from his neck. The device still blinked red. Still tracked him and chained him.

He spoke in a whisper that chilled Jackson to the bone.

"I will remove this leash soon. And when I do..."

Ethan looked over his shoulder with that wicked grin.

"I will show them what the real monster looks like."