CHAPTER 50: THE FATHER’S GAME

Chapter 50: The Father’s Game

The whiskey glass was almost empty as Zack Hale lifted it in his hand.

He had just ended the call with Frank...another report he didn’t like...Another problem that was no longer worth his energy...

He leaned back in the leather chair and looked around the silent room.

The woman sitting on the couch nearby was letting out a lot of sighs.

She was young, beautiful, and quiet, the kind of woman who had learned not to speak unless invited.

Zack’s eyes eventually travelled to the crib beside her...the newborn son that slept with tiny breaths, wrapped in a blanket that was far too expensive for a baby who didn’t even know his name yet.

He took another sip of whiskey and smiled to himself. "If Theo succeeds...he will be your older brother."

The woman looked up at him with wide, uncertain eyes. She didn’t understand the meaning behind his words, and she didn’t need to. She wasn’t here to understand anything.

Zack stood up, his expensive shoes were loud enough on the floor as he approached the crib. He leaned down and lifted the baby carefully into his arms.

The infant stirred but didn’t cry. Zack looked at the small innocent, unaware, and so terribly fragile face.

"You’ll grow up to be stronger than the others," he whispered, brushing a thumb against the baby’s cheek. "Stronger... and smarter. You won’t make the mistakes they did."

He turned his head toward the woman. "Leave," he ordered simply.

Her hands trembled as she gathered her things, but she didn’t argue. Within seconds, she was gone.

Zack stared at the child. "You’ll thank me one day," he murmured. "Even if no one else ever did."

The sound of footsteps interrupted the silence, and unfortunately, Zack didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

Ethan entered the room with his smirk already in place, the kind that was both charming and poisonous. He immediately glanced at the baby in his father’s arms, and that smirk turned into a grimace.

"Well," Ethan said casually, walking to the bar. "I see you’ve been busy."

"Watch your tone."

"Oh, no! I’m only admiring," Ethan replied with a mocking laugh as he poured himself a drink. "Another Hale in the world. How many of us does that make now? Three? Four? You always did love your experiments."

Zack’s eyes blinked slowly with warning. "You should remember who you are talking to."

"I remember," Ethan said, turning to face him and keeping his glass in hand. "I’m talking to the man who created monsters and then pretends to be surprised when they bite."

Zack ignored the insult. He placed the baby back into the crib and adjusted the blanket with cold precision. "You came here for a reason. Speak."

Ethan’s grin widened, but his eyes stayed dark. "I just wanted to see the miracle child. The new project. Does Theo know he has competition now?"

"Theo has nothing to do with this," Zack replied flatly.

"Of course he does," Ethan countered, leaning against the bar. "Everything you do somehow ends up being about Theo."

Zack finally turned toward his son. "That’s because Theo follows orders."

"Ah," Ethan gasped softly. "And I don’t. That must sting."

There was silence...

Ethan took a slow sip of whiskey before setting his glass down. "Tell me something, Father," he began in a lower tone. "Why didn’t you tell Theo that I was alive?"

Zack’s face stayed calm, but his eyes sharpened. "Because I didn’t have to. He was going to find out on his own. And when he did, he would know how to deal with you."

Ethan nodded his head, feigning thoughtfulness. "Deal with me? You make it sound like I’m a threat."

"You are," Zack said coldly. "Always have been."

Ethan laughed under his breath, but there was no humor in it. "You raised me that way."

"I raised you to be useful," Zack corrected. "Not reckless."

Ethan’s smirk changed slightly. "Useful? Like Theo? Always running around, following your orders like a good little soldier? You think that’s loyalty? That’s blindness."

"At least he understands what family means."

Ethan’s eyes flared, but his smile returned quickly. "Family?" he repeated, almost sweetly. "Is that what you call it now? I always thought family meant not sending your sons to kill each other."

Zack’s tone darkened. "Careful."

But Ethan didn’t stop and stepped closer. "Tell me, Father. Does Theo know that the woman he’s protecting is just another one of your lies? That her father’s the same man who built your empire of corpses?"

Zack’s expression didn’t change. "You talk too much, Ethan."

"And you hide too much...Maybe that’s why people keep dying around you."

Zack’s eyes narrowed, but Ethan smiled again and straightened.

"You really should have told him," Ethan added. "It would have been more entertaining."

"Entertaining?" Zack repeated quietly.

"Yes," Ethan said, walking toward the door. "Watching Theo’s heart break when he realises who he’s been protecting. Watching him fall apart when he sees that the mission he failed was never his fault... but yours."

He paused at the doorway, turning his head just enough to look at his father again. His voice dropped to a whisper that sounded almost kind. "You created this mess, Father. Don’t act surprised when it burns you alive."

Then he left.

The silence returned. Zack was standing still for several seconds. Then he walked back to the crib. The baby had started to stir in a small, restless movement under the blanket.

Zack watched him closely. "You see," he muttered, almost to himself, "this is why I never trusted him."

He reached for his phone and pressed a single button. A man answered almost instantly.

"Keep an eye on Ethan again," Zack said calmly. "I want to know where he goes, who he meets, and what he breathes. If he takes one wrong step, I want to know before he does."

"Yes, sir."

Zack ended the call and stared at the child once more.

"Don’t worry...You’ll never have to deal with them. By the time you grow up, they’ll destroy each other."

He poured himself another glass of whiskey and drank it slowly, watching the reflection of the baby’s crib in the dark window.

Power always came with a price. And Zack Hale had already decided who would pay it.