CHAPTER 3 — THE MAN DEMON NEVER FORGOT
The man who stepped through the ranch gate didn't look frightened.
He looked annoyed.
His expensive boots kicked up clouds of dust as he walked toward the arena, flanked by two security guards carrying long metal poles.
The moment Demon saw him, the bull let out a deafening roar.
His massive body trembled with fury.
He slammed his hooves into the ground again and again until cracks spread across the dry earth.
The spectators gasped.
"What is happening?"
"Why is the bull reacting like that?"
The boy's expression changed instantly.
He had never seen such fear—and such hatred—in an animal's eyes.
"Stop!" the boy shouted.
"Don't let that man come any closer!"
But the stranger ignored him.
He laughed loudly, as though the entire situation amused him.
"So," he sneered, "the beast finally found himself a little friend."
Don Mateo stared at him in disbelief.
"Rafael?"
"What are you doing here?"
The man smiled coldly.
"I heard someone finally managed to tame your problem."
"I came to see it with my own eyes."
The old ranch worker Esteban suddenly turned pale.
His hands began to shake.
"It was him..." he whispered.
"I knew it."
Don Mateo frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Esteban pointed a trembling finger toward Rafael.
"After Gabriel disappeared... Rafael was the one who took charge of the animals."
"He hated Demon from the beginning."
The crowd fell silent.
"He chained him."
"He beat him."
"He shocked him with electric prods whenever he refused to obey."
"He wanted to break the animal's spirit."
Women in the audience covered their mouths.
Children stared in horror.
The boy looked from Esteban to Rafael.
"Is that true?"
Rafael shrugged.
"He was just an animal."
"You train animals through pain."
The words had barely left his mouth when Demon exploded.
With a thunderous roar, the bull charged straight toward Rafael.
The security guards dropped their poles and ran.
Rafael's confident smile vanished.
He turned to flee—
—but stumbled over the loose dirt.
He hit the ground hard.
The bull was only seconds away.
The entire arena erupted into screams.
"No!"
"He's going to kill him!"
But instead of running away, the fifteen-year-old sprinted directly toward the charging bull.
People thought he had lost his mind.
The distance closed rapidly.
Thirty feet...
Twenty...
Ten...
At the very last second, the boy stepped between Demon and the terrified man.
"DEMON!"
The single word echoed across the arena.
The bull skidded through the dirt, stopping inches from the boy's back.
The force of the stop sent dust flying high into the air.
For several seconds...
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Then the enormous bull slowly lowered his head and gently rested it against the boy's shoulder.
The audience burst into stunned applause.
Even Rafael, still lying on the ground, couldn't believe he was alive.
But the boy wasn't smiling.
As he stroked Demon's neck, he quietly whispered,
May you like
"You're not angry..."
"You're afraid."
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