From the moment he grabbed the cadetâs wrist, everything turned chaotic.
âLet go, you bastard!â
The cadet struggled, but it was no use. Dominicâs grip was like iron.
âLet go, I said!â
The cadetâs voice cracked in panic, and the other trainees finally snapped out of their daze and rushed toward Dominic.
âLet him go, now!â
Dominic coldly narrowed his eyes and, with a single push, released the cadetâs wrist. The boy stumbled back, clutching his hand, his face contorted in pain.
âDamnâŠ!â
As the situation spiraled out of control, a stern voice rang out from behind.
âWhat is going on here?!â
Everyone froze.
A man in a formal instructorâs uniform was approaching, flanked by two other trainers.
Dominic stood firm.
The instructor looked around at the tense faces, then at the cadet still rubbing his wrist.
âWhat happened?â
ââŠHe suddenly attacked us,â one cadet said quickly, pointing at Dominic.
âHe grabbed my wrist out of nowhere!â
âThatâs right! He just exploded!â
âHe was being aggressive firstâ!â
The instructor raised a hand to silence them.
Then his gaze shifted to Dominic.
âIs this true?â
Dominic didnât answer immediately. His jaw tightened, and for a brief moment, it looked like he would stay silent as always.
But this time was different.
ââŠThey were harassing someone.â
The instructor frowned.
âWhat?â
âThey surrounded me first. Started provoking me. I ignored them, but they wouldnât back off. Then⊠they tried to hit the girl who stepped in to stop them.â
Everyoneâs eyes turned to Mabel.
She flinched but stood her ground.
The instructor’s eyes narrowed.
âMabel. Is that true?â
She nodded.
âYes. I saw it all. Dominic didnât start it.â
âLies!â
âTheyâre making it upâ!â
The instructor silenced them again with a sharp glare.
âEnough. Iâll get to the bottom of this.â
He turned to the other trainers.
âTake them all to the discipline office.â
âWhat?!â
âBut Instructorâ!â
âSilence. If youâve done nothing wrong, youâve nothing to worry about.â
The cadets fell quiet, reluctantly following the trainers.
Dominic glanced at Mabel, who looked up at him with a sheepish smile.
ââŠSorry.â
He blinked.
âFor what?â
âI didnât mean to get you in trouble.â
Dominic exhaled quietly and looked away.
âYou didnât. I did what I had to.â
And for the first time in a long whileâŠ
He didnât regret it.

Hello, this chapter seems to be from a different novel