Black Belt Asked Maid's Daughter to Fight as a Joke – Her First Strike SHOCKED the Whole Gym
Chapter 2
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Todd Vance was in his late 30s with a build that was solid and powerful. His black belt was tied with practiced perfection, its ends hanging at just the right length. He carried himself with an air of supreme confidence—the kind that often tipped over into arrogance: he believed the dojo was his kingdom, and everyone in it was one of his subjects.Carol waited, staying near the edge of the large training mat. She dipped her mop into the bucket, wrung it out, and began cleaning the hardwood floor surrounding the padded area. She moved backward slowly, her eyes on her work, trying to remain a ghost.One of the students, a young man with a cocky smile, missed a step in the sequence Todd was teaching. He stumbled slightly.Todd stopped instantly. "What was that, Brian? Did you suddenly forget how to walk? We're not dancing the waltz here. This is a fighting art; it demands perfection." His voice was laced with scorn.The young man's face flushed. "Sorry, Sensei. I lost my footing.""You lost your focus," Todd corrected him sharply. "Focus is everything. The moment you lose it, you're vulnerable. An opponent will exploit that. A real opponent doesn't care about your excuses." He clapped his hands together, his voice echoing in the large room. "Again from the top. And this time, try to look like the black belt you claim to be."The students resumed their practice, their movements now more tense, more careful. Carol continued her mopping, her back to the class. She was almost finished with the perimeter.As she pulled her mop back for another pass, the long wooden handle bumped a small metal water bottle someone had left on the floor. It tipped over with a loud clang, rolled a few feet, and came to a stop just on the edge of the white mat.Every head in the dojo snapped in her direction; the students stopped moving. The sudden silence was deafening.Carol froze, her heart sinking. "I am so sorry," she whispered, her face growing hot with embarrassment. She quickly set her mop aside and hurried to pick up the bottle.Todd Vance turned slowly, a look of pure annoyance on his face. He stared at Carol as if she were a bug he had just found on his pristine floor. "What did you say?" he asked, his voice deceptively soft."I said, 'I'm sorry, sir,'" Carol repeated, a little louder this time. She held the water bottle in her hand, unsure what to do with it. "It was an accident."Todd walked toward her, his steps slow and deliberate. He stopped just a few feet away, forcing her to look up at him. "'An accident,'" he repeated, letting the word hang in the air. He glanced at her simple gray uniform, her worn-out cleaning gloves, and the bucket of murky water. A slow, condescending smile spread across his face. "This is a place of concentration," he said, his voice rising so all his students could hear. "We are practicing a deadly art. Distractions can be dangerous. Do you understand that?""Yes, sir, I do. It won't happen again," Carol said, her voice trembling slightly. She just wanted to disappear.