He marched directly towards Hera, forcefully pushing through the crowd, heedless of those he jostled and nearly causing some to stumble to the ground in his single-minded determination to reach her. Fueled by indignation over thepetition’s oue andpounded by Hera’s evasion of his underhanded tactics, his fury was palpable.


    He now harbored a suspicion that Hera had been privy to something, which exined her guarded demeanor and her sessful interception of his sneak attack. As it turned out, his assumptions weren’t entirely unfounded.


    He shifted all the me onto Hera and her friends for his failure to clinch the championship this time. Fuming with indignation, he felt robbed of the spotlight, having meticulously arranged interviews on esteemed shows to elevate his own poprity. Little did he foresee his humiliating defeat.


    He couldn’t bring himself to ept it, refusing outright to acknowledge the reality before him. Frustrated and unwilling to face defeat, he resorted to throwing his weight around.


    But before he could reach Hera, Zen and Xavier swiftly stepped forward, forming a protective barrier around her. They sensed his palpable hostility towards Hera, fueled by his bitter defeat. Perhaps he saw Hera as an easy target because of her gender, but Xavier and Zen were resolute in their defense, unwilling to let himy a finger on her.


    "Fuck off!!!" The man’s voice thundered, his eyes aze with fury as heunched himself towards Xavier,pletely unhinged. "You damn cheater! You’re not worthy of any des or acknowledgment!"


    The entire crowd watched in disbelief as the man made a spectacle of himself, his punches easily dodged by Xavier, who skillfully tripped him, causing him to crash to the ground, his chin taking the brunt of the impact.


    Amidst themotion, Hera found a moment to mock the man, herughter echoing through the chaos. "Maybe you’re projecting yourself," she taunted, her eyebrows raised in amusement as she stood over him with her arms crossed. Xavier and Zen nked her like vignt sentinels, ready to protect her at any moment.


    The man lifted his head from the ground, fixing a menacing re directly on Hera. Though his shouting ceased, the intensity in his eyes suggested he was mentally willing to harm her. "Be mindful of who you cross," he warned, his voice dripping with menace. "Or you may find yourself meeting an unexpected end. You better confess your cheating, otherwise..." His threat hung in the air, the unspoken implications clear to all who witnessed the confrontation. Anger rippled through the crowd at his audacious threat, as if he regarded no one with any value.


    But Hera remained unfazed. "Otherwise, what?" she challenged, punctuating her words with a rhythmic tap of her index finger against her arm. "Actually, there is something I need to confess," she admitted, allowing her words to linger momentarily in the air.


    Thinking that Hera had sumbed to his threat, he smirked triumphantly as he attempted to rise. But Hera’s next words stopped him in his tracks. "Earlier, as I approached the finish line, he attempted to attack my horse with a whip rigged with needles," she exined with a hint of sadness, her shoulders slumping. It became evident that her earlier bravado had been a facade, now shattered by the reality of his threat, which had instilled genuine fear in her.