Having a group of burly soldiers get taken down one by one by a young woman was a serious blow to their collective ego.
Commander Reed grabbed one of his subordinates and whispered urgently, "Go find Mr. Thompson. Tell him to get over here and save us from this embarrassment."
"Mr. Thompson's too busy for this nonsense. Besides, we've got plenty more guys who haven't gone up yet. We might not lose."
"Both Victor and I lost. You guys going up there would just be feeding her another win," Commander Reed said with a sigh.
"She's just one girl. If we take turns, we can wear her out..." Before he could finish, Commander Reed smacked him on the back of the head.
"You've got a lot of nerve, don't you? A whole platoon of grown men taking turns against one young woman? Do you want our entire military district to become a laughingstock?"
Commander Reed finished his tirade with a kick to the private's rear.
The soldier dodged and scrambled away to find reinforcements.
On stage, Yvonne had just won another match. She hadn't had a good, satisfying fight in ages and was feeling more energized with each opponent.
"Who's next?" she asked, an eyebrow arched. She shone like a little sun, radiating confidence.
Just as the words left her lips, a man in a crisp military uniform was suddenly standing before her.
His features were sharp, his dark eyes as still and deep as a bottomless well.
Yvonne froze, her expression a mixture of shock and confusion as she stared at Bennett, who had appeared out of nowhere. Her heart gave a painful, involuntary squeeze.
"We meet again," Bennett said, his voice flat.
"Yeah, what a coincidence," she replied, forcing a smile that took all her effort.
"How do you want to do this?" he asked, cutting straight to the point without any small talk.
"Your choice," Yvonne said, her confidence unwavering.
Her dad Morgan had trained her in combat since she was a child, and Bennett had always been her sparring partner.
They had fought for over twenty years, and Bennett had never once won.
"Hand-to-hand. It's your specialty," Bennett said. He methodically undid the top button of his uniform, shrugged off his jacket, and tossed it to someone below the stage.
Yvonne's eyelashes fluttered, and she instinctively looked away.
She had seen him unbutton his collar countless times, but almost always in bed, in moments filled with intimacy.
“I'll give you the first three moves,” Bennett said, taking half a step back. His cool voice snapped Yvonne back to reality.
Yvonne didn't hesitate, launching a clean, swift punch.
Even in a fight, the sight of the handsome man and beautiful woman together was captivating.
Their skills seemed evenly matched. Yvonne had the advantage in agility, but every surprise attack she launched was effortlessly countered by Bennett.
At the same time, Yvonne seemed to know Bennett's every move, preemptively blocking and dodging his strikes. The crowd cheered them on.
"Go, Yvonne!"
"You got this!"
"Mr. Thompson is a beast!"
For a while, they were locked in a stalemate. But in any prolonged fight, men have a natural advantage in stamina and endurance. Yvonne soon began to the, her breathing growing heavier.
"Shouldn't Mr. Thompson have won by now? Why is it still going?" Captain Lee whispered to Commander Reed.
The amateurs saw a spectacle, but
the experts saw the truth. They knew Bennett's capabilities. The girl's energy was clearly spent yet Bennett seemed to be toying with her drawing out the fight.
"He's probably worried she'll cry if she loses too quickly," Commander Reed replied.
He kept his eyes on the stage. This
was supposed to be a sparring
match but there was an odd lingering tension between them shook his head, telling himself he was just imagining things,