Is this destiny?

Victor was somewhat reluctant to get into the ring with Corey, but his fight was up, and he couldn't come up with any excuse to avoid what is coming.

It's not that he feared facing Corey, but what happened to Samantha shook him up. Based on Samantha's confidence, Victor expected that Samantha will crush Merve. He also considered the possibility that Samantha was just boasting and that she will end up being slapped again. What he didn't consider was the possibility of her being brutally beaten, and it was obvious that Merve denied Samantha the possibility to give up.

Suddenly, that useless adopted peasant girl was not so useless anymore. And she was scary. Victor was confident that no one from the current audience will dare to label Merve as a peasant going forward.

The sight of Merve and Corey making out made Victor angry. This was supposed to be a serious spar, yet Corey is acting like he is on a date. It only showed how Corey does not put Victor in his eyes as a competitor, or maybe he is just ignorant about proper etiquette.

Victor sneered internally while on the outside maintaining the picture of a perfect gentleman who averted the gaze from the shameful display of affection in front of him.

"Oy! You are in the ring for everyone to see! Save it for after the fight!", JoAnna's voice sounded in both Merve's and Corey's ear studs.

Other than looking guiltily at Merve, Corey didn't show any other reaction. However, Merve blushed profusely. She got carried away with the fight and the hug and the kiss… and they even got reprimanded for it.

Merve scurried out of the ring and stood outside the ropes with her eyes focused on Corey like no one else is present. She stared at Corey because she didn't want to miss a thing, and also because she didn't dare look anywhere else. If she met anyone's eyes, she would explode from embarrassment.

Corey didn't like that Merve escaped, but he took a mental note to end this fight quickly and then take Merve to his room. She said that she does not want her dress wrinkled, but the dress is off already so before she puts it back on, he can make his move. He smirked. Yup, that will work.

Michael announced the beginning of the spar and stepped away.

A second later, Victor demonstrated a few swift moves as if he was warming up, but he sent a clear signal to Corey that he should not be underestimated.

Now that the fight started, Victor had no intention of holding back. When facing an opponent in the ring, status and background don't matter, only skill, speed, and strength. And Victor was confident that he has all three of those.

Victor moved toward Corey with incredible speed and after two feints, Victor's hand moved toward Corey's throat.

Just like Merve, Corey never faced a real opponent in hand-to-hand combat, but he was training with kids from the Cliffside Villa and even though he was not a regular, he picked up some moves to hold his ground in a regular squabble.

But Victor was not a random guy from the street. Other than skills, Victor had a big motivation as well and when two skilled opponents meet, the desire to win can be the tiebreaker.

As Victor's hand approached Corey, on instinct Corey's body jerked backward and Victor grabbed the collar of Corey's t-shirt and tugged it before releasing it.

Corey was surprised that the fabric ripped.

"Stop playing!", Aiden's voice sounded in Corey's ear. "That was going for your throat! He is not in there for a friendly spar. If you don't wake up, he will injure you seriously. Do you have a death wish? Don't let him get close!"

Corey could hear Aiden's anger, and he shook his head vigorously as if to get rid of something.

The fact that he almost lost his life was like someone poured a bucket of ice on his head. Did Victor really go for his throat? And his hand was going for a grab and a pull... if Victor reached his destination, instead of the t-shirt ripping, that would be Corey's throat! What was Victor thinking!? 

Just a moment ago, Corey was making plans to take Merve to his room and enjoy her sweetness... and earlier that day Corey was thinking of proposing to Merve and growing old with her. If Victor succeeded, all that would be gone. Void. 

Robotically, Corey reached for the ripped collar and tore the t-shirt completely before tossing the fabric out of the ring.

Several young ladies in the crowd gasped and some sighed at the sight of Corey's muscular torso.

During two months in Eastern Europe, Corey underwent extensive training with everyone else. Other than daily morning exercise, they were all stressed and they burned extra energy with vigorous activity on the training grounds. As a result, the span of Corey's shoulders visibly increased as everything below them was packed with firm muscles that flexed and sent a clear message that Corey's body was brimming from energy.

Merve didn't breathe as she observed changes in Corey's expression. She never saw him that serious. Angry. There was some malice seeping out of him and she wondered what was going on inside his mind.

Merve knew why she lost it when she fought against Samantha. But what happened to Corey now? She watched him spar many times and Corey was always cool, even when he was on the losing end. Victor made one attack and other than ripping Corey's t-shirt, he failed. What triggered Corey? He can't be upset so much over one lousy t-shirt, can he? It's not even his t-shirt, but something that bodyguards are using during training. 

Before Merve finished her thoughts, Victor moved again.

This attack was similar to the previous one. Victor swiftly swayed his body left and right in a series of feints while gradually approaching Corey. 

On the side, Aiden's body tensed, and Michael was also ready to stop the fight at any moment.

Michael knew that if Victor's first attack succeeded, Corey would probably be dead and the viciousness of Victor's attack stunned everyone who understood what happened. 

Corey's tense muscled exploded as he leaped toward Victor. Corey avoided the incoming punch, spun on his heel while sliding behind Victor, and before Victor could react, Corey's elbow hit him at the back of the neck, paralyzing him for a moment.

Victor swayed and he panicked when he realized that Corey is behind him. How is he supposed to defend himself if he can't see his opponent?

Victor turned toward Corey and at the same time, Corey's foot connected with Victor's face.

Victor stumbled backward, but Corey was not willing to give him time to catch his bearing. Corey moved after Victor while kicking him in the stable rhythm like he is counting seconds.

When Victor's back hit the ropes, his face was unrecognizable, and he was unable to resist or even defend to minimize damage.

Merve counted twenty-three kicks before Corey stopped. Victor fell on the floor in slow motion and it was obvious that he will need medical assistance and probably some plastic surgery as well.

Michael announced Corey as the winner of this spar to the audience who was absolutely silent. They never saw so much violence. And these were kids.

Jeff groaned in frustration. "After this display, our spars will look like children playing."

Charlie laughed, relieved that Corey avoided calamity and turned it into his victory. Well, after seeing this, no one will take Corey lightly, and Charlie was confident that the majority of people who witnessed this fight will fear Corey.

"I think that we need to tone down this atmosphere. After all, most of our audience is…" Charlie paused while thinking about the appropriate word. "…delicate."

"It's a good thing to fight against an opponent you won't regret hurting.", Jasper chimed in with his opinion. "Only like that, you will get to see what you are capable of."

Steve and Gabriel nodded in agreement. The two of them spared many times, and they are aware of how they are holding back in order not to hurt the other one. If they are to accurately assess one's abilities and improve, they need to push themselves to the limit, and they can't do that in friendly matches.

"Capture your enemies and force them to fight.", Felix said from the side. He was listening to these guys talking from the beginning. "If you promise them freedom or some benefits if they win, they will fight for real and you get your serious practice."

Jeff's eyebrow arched at Felix's suggestion and his expression turned pensive. It was obvious that he was already planning something.

After the announcement that he won, Corey closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm down his emotions. The thought that his future nearly disappeared due to a moment of carelessness, was mind-changing and he realized that life is fragile and every moment counts. 

Corey turned to Merve and met her gaze full of awe, and there was love in it as well. He liked the way she looked at him.

Corey smiled a little and moved toward Merve. Without a word, he took her hand in his and led the way toward the main mansion.

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