Aris Part 2

“Who do you think you are to offend my mothers or my origins?”
“Who do I think I am? I come from one of the wealthiest families in Thessaloniki.”
“Big deal...” This time, Lizzie retorted. “Aris Katsaros comes from one of the richest families in Greece, you idiot. If your measure is money, you’re picking a fight with the wrong person.”
That was an argument I would never use in a fight. My last name or the wealth of my adoptive family didn’t make me better or worse than anyone else. But I understood that Lizzie was just trying to defend me with the weapons she had at hand.
And it worked, because his expression changed completely.
“Wait... You’re Viktor Katsaros’s daughter?”
His friend, however, didn’t seem impressed by this.
“She could be the daughter of the British royal family, I don’t care. The point is: leave Dimitris Makris alone or you’ll be in serious trouble.”
I took a breath to respond, but my voice was drowned out by another, already familiar to me.
“Be clearer with your threats, Zoe. What kind of problems do you think I’ll let you cause her?”
I turned my face back, seeing Dimitris arriving at that moment. He stood right next to me, facing his Free Birds colleagues.
The blonde glared at him, furious. And her friend did the same, seemingly forgetting the fact that he had been impressed by who my father was.
And it was he who spoke:
“And, once again, Dimitris, are you going to side with your friends to defend this...”
“This what, Heber?” Dimitris interrupted him. “You’d better think very carefully about how you’re going to finish that sentence.”
“So it’s true, isn’t it, Dimitris?” Zoe asked. “You really are mesmerized by this little thing.”
“I expected more from you, Dimitris...” Heber continued. “I never thought I’d see you crawling for some cheap slut. But even if that happened, I expected you to choose someone better than this. Was it her sweet appearance that enchanted you and made you ignore all the trash she represents?”
Heber still took a breath to keep talking but couldn’t. Seemingly possessed by some kind of demon, Dimitris lunged at him, landing a punch to his face that made him stagger and almost fall backward. Heber counterattacked, and the two began a physical fight right in front of us.
Suddenly, people started gathering around us, some cheering for the fight and others shouting for help. But no one dared to intervene.
I knew I should do something, but I felt completely paralyzed by the scene. The hatred building in Dimitris’s eyes was something I had never imagined seeing there. Not to that extent. In seconds, he was already gaining the upper hand in the fight. And Heber was knocked out, falling on his back to the ground.
That was the moment Dimitris should have stopped, but he didn’t. Instead, he crouched down in front of Heber and continued punching his face, in a fury that didn’t even seem human.

If no one did anything, he would kill him.
Realizing that made me finally able to move. I ran to them and grabbed Dimitris by the shoulders. I heard Lizzie shouting my name, warning that it was dangerous for me to do that, but I didn’t think about any risk.
Dimitris didn’t seem to even feel me pulling him. I managed to get in front of him. He could have easily pushed me aside. Given how consumed by rage he was, I was at serious risk of him not registering my presence and accidentally hitting me. But he stopped as soon as he realized he might hurt me.
“Stop, Dimitris... please...” I whispered.
He continued to look at me. The hatred in his eyes slowly fading, replaced by something more like sadness.
Then, new voices reached us. The voices of the campus security.