Reborn To Conquer

006

That night Ethan stepped into the hospital room, his jaw tightening the moment his eyes landed on Liam Grant.

The man was unrecognizable.

Bandages covered his face. His right eye was swollen shut. His lips were busted, stitches lining his cheek. His legs were raised, both wrapped in thick casts. His arms, too, were covered in bandages, and from the way he lay there…motionless, hooked up to machines…Ethan knew it was bad.

He slowly turned his gaze to the men standing by the window. They looked battered, their faces bruised, arms in slings, but they weren’t nearly as bad as Liam.

Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets, his voice sharp. “What the hell happened?”

The men exchanged nervous glances. One of them, a stocky guy with a deep cut on his forehead, let out a bitter breath. His voice was shaky, like he was still rattled by what had happened.

“It was an ambush,” he muttered.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Ambush?”

The man nodded stiffly, licking his dry lips before speaking again. “We were with Liam. It was supposed to be a normal evening, nothing out of the ordinary. Then, out of nowhere, they came.”

“Who?” Ethan asked, his patience wearing thin.

“Them,” another man spoke, his voice lower than the first. His hand trembled as he rubbed his bruised arm. “They were like ghosts. One second, the street was empty, and the next, they were there. Eleven of them. All dressed in black suits. No words. No warning. They just…” He swallowed hard. “They attacked.”

Ethan frowned. “Black suits?”

The first man nodded quickly. “Yeah. Not some random street thugs. These guys were trained. They moved fast, like they knew exactly what they were doing. We tried to fight back, but they were too strong. It was like trying to fight against a wall. They broke through us like we were nothing.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched. He hated the fear in their voices. These were Liam’s men…men who had seen and done things most people couldn’t even imagine. And yet, they were shaking like cowards, struggling to even talk about what had happened.

“They didn’t just beat us,” another one mumbled, his gaze dropping to the floor. “They humiliated us.”

Ethan’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

The man sucked in a sharp breath, his fingers twitching at his sides. “They didn’t just hit Liam. They shattered him. Every punch, every kick…it wasn’t just to hurt him. It was to send a message. They made sure we saw it. They made sure we knew we couldn’t stop it.” He exhaled sharply. “At one point, we thought they were done. Liam was barely conscious, barely breathing. But then, one of them knelt beside him and whispered something in his ear.”

Ethan’s blood ran cold. “What did they say?”

The man hesitated, then shook his head. “Liam was too out of it to repeat it. But whatever it was, it made him flinch before he blacked out.”

Ethan took slow steps forward, his shoes making soft sounds against the floor. His eyes dropped to Liam’s bandaged body, his anger boiling.

To think the person who had done this had also sent him photos of Liam looking like this.

A message.

A warning.

His head snapped toward the door when the doctor walked in, flipping through a chart. The man barely spared Ethan a glance before looking at Liam.

“He’s lucky to be alive,” the doctor muttered.

Ethan’s fingers twitched. “How bad is it?”

The doctor sighed, closing the chart. “Multiple broken ribs. A fractured jaw. Heavy internal bruising. And his legs…” He paused. “They were crushed. The damage is severe.”

Ethan clenched his teeth. “He’ll recover.”

The doctor didn’t answer right away. He adjusted his glasses, his expression serious. “It’s possible, but he won’t be able to walk for a very long time. And there’s a high chance he might never regain full function.”

Silence.

Ethan barely breathed, his fists tightening in his pockets.

Liam Grant. The man who had always walked with arrogance, who had carried himself like he owned the damn world, was now lying in a hospital bed, broken beyond recognition.

This wasn’t just an attack.

This was destruction.

This was a warning.

And it didn’t make sense.

Liam wasn’t the target.

Nate was.

Ethan had ordered him to run Nate over, make it look like an accident. It should have been simple. But instead of Nate lying in a hospital bed, it was Liam, beaten so badly he might never walk again.

Ethan struggled to wrap his head around it.

Who had done this?

Could it be Nate?

No.

It wasn’t possible.

Nate was a fool. A weak, naive idiot who had no spine. He knew nothing about this world. He wouldn’t…couldn’t…do something like this.

And yet…

Ethan exhaled slowly, his fingers curling.

Something wasn’t right.

And he needed to find out what.