"Shadows of Favoritism"

DDG was confused, what would Duke do that Kai wouldn’t, I mean Kai was the University Dean while Duke was just a professor. Ray, who seemed to have been forgotten by everybody but himself, turned to Duke and was about to tell him that nothing had happened, but before he could get the chance, Kai spoke with a grin. "Ah, Duke, I think you'll be particularly interested in this situation," Kai said, his grin only growing. Duke raised a brow, DDG looked even more confused and now nervous, while Ray tried to deescalate the situation to hopefully save DDG. "Dean Kai, I-" "You see, Duke," Kai interrupted, his voice teasing, "DDG here was about to make a life-threatening mistake." DDG's eyes widened in confusion, and he took a step back, his face pale. "What do you mean, Dean Kai?" he stammered. Kai's grin grew even wider. "I mean, DDG was going to hit my precious Ray," he said, his tone dripping with amusement. Duke's expression changed instantly, his face darkening with anger. It wasn't like nobody could tell; even somebody who couldn’t see could tell that Duke was seething with anger. He stepped toward DDG, his fists clenched. DDG, as if having no survival instincts, quickly spoke up. "He was misbehaving, and I was trying to discipline him," he said, trying to defend his actions. Duke's anger seemed to grow even more, his face reddening. He took another step forward, his eyes blazing with fury. Just as it seemed like Duke was about to attack DDG, a small body pressed against him, stopping him in his tracks. Ray had hugged Duke around the waist in an attempt to stop him from attacking DDG. The sudden physical contact seemed to snap Duke out of his rage, and he froze, his body rigid.