The Clock of Death

My heart skipped a beat as I stared at the photo on my screen. Mia was pale, her eyes closed, while the man in the white coat hovered over her like a vulture. The blue liquid in that syringe looked like liquid death.





"Thomas, change course! To the hospital, now!" I roared. The cold calm I had on the bridge vanished, replaced by a desperate fury.



"Master, we’re five minutes away, but the Vance mercenaries blocked the main road!" Thomas shouted, slamming his foot on the gas.



"I don't have five minutes!"



I looked at the emerald ring on my finger. It was humming again, vibrating against my skin as if it were alive. I felt a surge of heat rush from the ring into my eyes. Suddenly, the world changed. I could see through the rain, through the metal of the car, and even through the walls of the buildings we were passing.



It was the Kaelen God-Eye—a power only the true heir could unlock.



"Turn left! Into the alley!" I commanded.



"Master, that’s a dead end!" Thomas argued.



"Just do it!"



Thomas yanked the wheel. The SUV drifted into a narrow, dark passage. Ahead was a ten-foot brick wall. Instead of bracing for impact, I reached out and touched the dashboard. The energy from the ring flowed through me and into the vehicle. The heavy SUV didn't crash; it surged upward, clearing the wall like it was a toy.



We slammed back onto the pavement of the hospital parking lot. I didn't wait for Thomas to park. I kicked the door open while we were still moving and blurred toward the entrance.



The security guards tried to stop me, but they were like statues in slow motion. I moved past them, my feet barely touching the floor, and reached the private wing in seconds.



I threw open the door to Mia’s room.



The man in the white coat was inches away from plunging the needle into her neck. He turned, his eyes widening in horror, but he was too slow. I grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall with enough force to crack the concrete.



"Who sent you?" I hissed, my hand tightening until his face turned purple.



"Vance... Marcus Vance..." the man wheezed, the syringe falling from his shaking hand. "He said... if he loses his company... you lose your heart..."



I snatched the syringe out of the air before it hit the floor. I looked at the blue liquid. My God-Eye told me everything I needed to know. This wasn't just poison; it was a neurotoxin designed to erase a person's memory and leave them a vegetable.



"Thomas! Secure him!" I tossed the fake doctor toward my butler, who had just burst into the room.



I knelt by Mia’s bed. Her breathing was shallow. She was fading. I took her hand, and the emerald ring began to glow a soft, healing green. This was the God-Hand Healing—the ultimate gift of the Kaelen bloodline.



"Live, Mia," I whispered. "I won't let you die twice."



The green light flowed into her skin. The monitors, which had been flatlining, suddenly began to beep with a steady, healthy rhythm. Her color returned. Her eyes fluttered open, and when she saw me, she smiled.



"Ethan... you came back," she whispered before falling into a deep, natural sleep.



I stood up, the light in my eyes turning from healing green to a murderous red. My phone buzzed again. It was a video call. I answered it.



The screen showed Marcus Vance, the father of the playboy I had crushed. He was sitting in a darkened office, a glass of whiskey in his hand.



"Did you enjoy my gift, Ethan?" Marcus laughed, his voice raspy. "You might have saved the girl, but you’re too late for the rest. While you were playing hero at the hospital, I sent my last team to the Hawthorne mansion. Elara’s father didn't go to jail, Ethan. I bailed him out. And right now, they are burning every piece of evidence of your marriage and your identity."



"You think a fire can stop me?" I asked, my voice vibrating with a power that made the glass in the hospital room shatter.



"It’s not just a fire, you brat," Marcus sneered. "Elara’s father just signed over the Hawthorne Group's remaining assets to a rival family—the Kaelens' biggest enemies. You’re not fighting a small family anymore. You’re fighting a war."



"Then I’ll give you a war," I said, crushing the phone in my bare hand.



I turned to Thomas. "Get the jet ready. We’re going to the Hawthorne mansion. If they want to burn the past, I’ll help them. I’ll burn their entire legacy to ashes."