“Could it be that Steven didn’t abuse the puppy at all, and Cooper framed him out of jealousy? That’s disgusting.”

“I can vouch for Steven; he was my classmate. He’s always been gentle and loved animals. That video must’ve been edited to smear him.”

“I work with Steven, too. He’s warm to everyone. Cooper’s the one who kept using his status as Tessa’s husband to oppress Steven, even stealing his projects.”

I didn’t even need to guess; those comments were obviously from trolls Steven had paid for.

Sure enough, with his orchestrating, the tide quickly turned. The crowd in the livestream began siding with him, tearing into me like wolves.

“People like him deserve to be punished.”

“What’s the delay? Release the dogs! Let them rip this manipulator apart; he’s an embarrassment to men.”

I had already made up my mind. My gaze turned cold as I looked at Tessa.

“I will never apologize.”

Steven, as if he’d been waiting for this moment, let out a smug, satisfied chuckle.

Tessa clearly hadn’t expected me to reject her so bluntly. Her hand lifted slightly, ready to give the order.

“Then let these Shiba Inus enjoy themselves.”

The second the words left her lips, the cages swung open.

The pack of ravenous Shiba Inus lunged out, eyes glowing a sickly green, tongues hanging, mouths open, locked onto me with a deadly hunger.

I stumbled back in fear as they closed in.

Above, Steven was already doubled over with laughter, practically giddy with amusement. Tessa, meanwhile, remained still and composed, entirely unfazed by whether I lived or died.

In a split second of distraction, one of the Shiba Inus lunged at me. I raised my arm instinctively to block, but its jaws clamped down, teeth sinking deep into my flesh. I shoved it off with all my strength, and a chunk of skin tore away.

“Ah!” Blood gushed down my arm as searing pain shot through me.

My scream echoed through the space, cold sweat pouring down my face.

Terror surged through me. I knew, if I didn’t fight back now, I’d be torn apart.

Spotting an opening, I bolted to the side, snatched up a metal rod from the ground, and swung it with all my might at the nearest Shiba Inu.

The rod struck its skull with a sickening crack.

It dropped instantly, twitching, whimpering, then went still, blood pooling around its muzzle.

The others howled in rage.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

I could see the hatred burning in their eyes, yet none dared to charge recklessly.

They began circling me, pacing low and slow, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

My hands were slick with sweat, the iron rod nearly slipping from my grip, but I couldn’t let down my guard.

I forced myself to stay calm. I had to hold out. I needed time.

Then, the big screen started up again, fueling the fire.

“Now we see Cooper’s true face, such a fraud. If he really cared about animals, he’d be like that monk who offered himself to an eagle. But what did he do? One bite and he killed a dog.”

“A dog’s life is still a life. That one was starving. Why did Cooper kill it just to survive?”

“He looked so kind in that old video. Now he’s exposed, ruthless when things turn real. So much for being an animal lover.”

How laughable.

Was I supposed to just stand there and be torn apart alive?

I admit that I wasn’t some enlightened monk.

I never claimed to be a saint.

I only wanted one thing: to live.

Was that such a sin?

From above, Tessa’s voice rang out again, sharp and smug. “Cooper, if you kneel now and admit your fault, I’ll let you go.”

I looked up at her, my eyes bloodshot, my voice flat and cold.

“Keep dreaming.”

“You—!”

Tessa’s chest rose and fell with fury, her words filled with venom.

“Didn’t you say you loved dogs? Now you’re fighting a pack of Shiba Inus just to survive? You already killed one. What now? Ready to kill another? A third?”

“So this is what you call compassion?”

I couldn’t believe she had the gall to question me at a time like this, as if none of this had been her doing from the very start.

I let out a cold laugh. “Tessa, tell me, what crime did I commit that makes you want me dead?”

My words made her pause, her expression stiffening. But before she could speak, Steven’s eyes lit up with something twisted.

“Ah!”

With a shout, he flung a piece of beef jerky toward me. It landed at my feet.

The pack, which had hesitated just moments ago, instantly caught the scent.

There was no stopping them now. They charged.

Even as I swung the iron rod with all my strength, I couldn’t hold off the frenzy.

The starved dogs came at me one after another, their eyes wild and bloodshot, their jaws snapping in desperate hunger.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

One bit into my arm, another clamped onto my waist, and as I struggled to move, a third leapt onto my back and sank its teeth in.

Pain tore through me from every side.

Just as I was about to be completely overwhelmed, I gritted my teeth and roared, “Ahhh!”

I swung the iron rod with everything I had.

A few of the dogs were knocked back, but not before they tore more flesh from my body.

Agony rippled through me as I stumbled backward, my clothes shredded, blood soaking through the fabric.

Sensing my weakness, the pack began to circle me again, paws twitching, eyes locked, waiting for the next chance to strike.

Upon the platform, Tessa gasped, her expression shifting to panic.

She spun toward her subordinates and barked, “Didn’t you say those dogs were trained, well-fed, and wouldn’t bite?!”

“I only wanted them to scare him! How are they attacking like this? Look at those wounds! Cooper can’t stand pain. This is going too far!”

“Stop them right now! Don’t let them bite anymore!”

The nearby bodyguards hesitated, unsure whether to act.

Steven stepped forward, his expression darkening, and clung to Tessa’s arm with a pitiful look.

“He’s your husband, huh? Starting to feel sorry for him now?” His voice trembled, but the bitterness was unmistakable.

“But he still hasn’t apologized to me.”

“These Shiba Inus were trained. The wounds just look bad, nothing but surface cuts.”

“So in your eyes, no matter what Cooper did to me, it means nothing, right?”

“I don’t matter. My pain doesn’t count.”

He lifted his arm, revealing the bandages, and let a tear slide down his cheek.

“Even if I was nearly pushed to death by the online hate, that’s fine, isn’t it?”

Tessa quickly put on a concerned face and gently wiped away his tears.

“There, there, you’re the one who matters most to me.”

“If you think he hasn’t been punished enough, let him stay with the Shibas a bit longer, until you’ve calmed down. How about that?”

Only then did Steven finally smile, looking pleased. Their voices echoed clearly through the loudspeakers, and I heard every word.

I stared at Tessa, bitter disappointment flooding through me.

She saw I was in real danger.

Yet all it took was one word from Steven for her to turn away, choosing to ignore my life like it meant nothing.

Maybe she felt my gaze, because she glanced over. For a moment, guilt flickered in her eyes.

“You brought this on yourself. Besides, they didn’t hurt you that badly… just a few scratches. Compared to what Steven went through, this is nothing.”

Meanwhile, comments scrolled across the big screen.

“So this was all just the president trying to scare Cooper? I thought it was serious.”

“She’s actually kindhearted, too bad about the poor Shiba that got killed.”

“If President Curran hadn’t said anything just now, I really would’ve believed Cooper’s expression. I thought he was actually dying.”

“I’m just here for the show. Let’s see what kind of drama Cooper pulls next. A man who only knows how to scheme, disgusting.”

My wounds ran deep, some down to the bone. Blood soaked through every layer of clothing.

Anyone with eyes could see these Shiba Inus weren’t just playing, they were out for blood.

But Tessa, blind in both heart and mind, convinced herself I’d only suffered a few harmless scratches.

So be it. If that’s how she wants it, then she can’t blame me for what comes next.

I glanced at the time on my watch, then made my decision.

Without hesitation, I gripped the iron rod tightly and charged straight into the pack of Shibas.

To the audience, it must’ve looked like suicide. They thought I’d finally lost my mind.

Tessa stared at me in shock, her eyes burning with panic. She shouted, "Cooper, what are you doing?! Do you have a death wish?"

"Those dogs were trained! They won’t seriously hurt anyone! But if you provoke them like this, they’ll attack! Are you out of your mind?"

I answered her with nothing but a cold smile, then charged straight into the pack.

In seconds, the Shiba Inus swarmed me.

The air filled with snarls, growls, and my screams, drowning out everything else.

Tessa finally lost it. She turned on the bodyguards, her voice sharp with fury. "What are you waiting for?! Get those dogs back in their cages! If this goes on, Cooper will die!"

The viewers of the livestream began to notice something was off.

"These Shiba Inus don’t look trained at all. If they were, they’d be circling him, not tearing him apart like that."

"Yeah, and look at Cooper’s wounds. That’s not just a scratch; he’s bleeding too much. Looks like chunks of flesh are missing."

"I’m calling it, this stream is rigged. Those people saying Cooper’s faking it? Definitely paid trolls."

Tessa saw the comments flooding the screen. Her brows furrowed as she glanced at Steven, but there was no time to argue. She kept shouting at the bodyguards to step in.

But they hesitated, shifting on their feet. One of them opened his mouth, then shut it again, guilt clouding his eyes.

That hesitation made something click in Tessa’s mind. Her voice rose sharply.

"What’s going on? Why are the dogs so vicious?"

"If you won’t speak, I’ll throw you in there myself."

One of the bodyguards finally broke. His face had gone ghostly pale.

"These Shiba Inus haven’t eaten in a week. Anyone who goes in will be ripped apart."

Tessa stumbled back a step, her balance faltering.

"What… what the hell is going on?"

The bodyguard glanced nervously at Steven behind him. Tessa followed his gaze and instantly understood.

Steven’s eyes were red, his voice trembling with false remorse. "I just wanted to blow off some steam, so I told the dog farm to starve the Shiba Inus for a week. I didn’t know they’d turn this aggressive from hunger. President, I never meant for this to happen. I was just angry, I didn’t think Cooper would actually get hurt."

Tessa looked at her assistant, his face full of guilt and helplessness. She couldn’t bring herself to scold him.

"I’m not blaming you. I just…"

"Forget it. You only wanted to let off steam. I don’t blame you."

Even as the Shiba Inus tore into me, vicious and unrelenting, I heard every word she said clear as day.

A strange numbness began to spread through me.

My body was riddled with bite wounds. My hand, bloodied and weak, could no longer hold onto the iron rod; it slipped from my fingers and clattered to the ground with a sharp clang.

Then came the wail of a police siren.

As the last of my strength drained away and the dogs pinned me down once more, tearing into my flesh, a cold, cruel smile tugged at my lips.

The one I had been waiting for had finally arrived.