THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 1003

It was breathtaking.

The students of Third Platoon were all stunned, standing as if frozen.

"Damn. The goddess isn't just beautiful, she's a total badass!" they thought.

"Oh my god, Caitlin is amazing!"

"I thought Caitlin was this delicate, graceful type, but I never expected her to be so cool!"

"The visual whiplash is like watching a porcelain doll field-strip an AR-15!"

"Goddess! A true goddess!"

"I'm a girl, and even I have a crush on her."

"Looks like Caitlin is about to become the new campus queen!"

"…"

In truth, it wasn't just the students who were stunned; Adler was as well. For a moment, he even forgot to maintain discipline.

Adler had initially thought Caitlin was just a special case looking for an easy way out. Now, he realized something wasn't right. What kind of person with connections was this capable?

Listening to everyone praise Caitlin, Charis felt sick to her stomach. A knot of anger tightened in her chest, leaving her breathless. She had never regretted anything more than mentioning Caitlin to Adler. Adler was a simple, straightforward guy. If she hadn't specifically brought Caitlin to his attention, he might never have even noticed her. But now? Not only had he noticed her, he was *focused* on her, letting Caitlin steal all the glory. That spotlight was supposed to be hers.

Adler led the platoon in marching drills for another hour before finally calling a break. "Alright, that's enough marching for now. Take a ten-minute break. Get some water."

The students immediately broke formation, some grabbing water, others chatting amongst themselves.

Adler walked over to the adjacent platoon.

Seeing him approach, Seth, the other instructor, met him halfway, lowering his voice. "I saw what happened. That model cadet of yours is really something!"

Adler nodded. "She certainly is."

Seth glanced in Caitlin's direction, his eyes full of appreciation. "Kingsward University really is full of hidden talents. Looks like we found ourselves a real prodigy, sharp in both mind and body."

Even from a distance, Seth could tell that girl was no ordinary student.

Back in Third Platoon, Elsa and Gertrude went over to Caitlin. Elsa handed her a bottle of water. "Catie, you were incredible just now! You have no idea how much everyone admires you."

Gertrude nodded eagerly. "Yeah, Catie, you were amazing!"

When Charis was eleven, Adler had told her that girls should learn some self-defense. Every time he was on leave, he would personally teach her, and he even hired a professional coach for her. But combat was incredibly difficult. After three years, Charis had only learned the bare minimum. Even with Adler's direct guidance, she couldn't grasp it. Eventually, Adler gave up on her as a student.

She couldn't even learn it, yet Caitlin was claiming she knew how? The nerve! Charis's eyes filled with scorn. "Just wait."

She would expose Caitlin's lies and make her a laughingstock in front of everyone.

"Hi, Caitlin," a boy said, walking up to her and handing her a slip of paper. "This is my number. Could you add me after the boot camp is over?"

Phones were not allowed during training and were kept in lockers until dismissal, so the boy had to resort to writing his number down.

"I'm sorry, but my boyfriend would get jealous," Caitlin replied, politely declining.

Boyfriend? Caitlin had a boyfriend? The boy's face fell with disappointment, and he reluctantly took back his note.

Yvette and Nicolette happened to walk over to Charis with water and chocolate just in time to see this.

Yvette frowned. "Miss Gonzales, look at that Caitlin. She's so manipulative! The moment she becomes the model cadet, she starts flirting with guys. And she pretends not to add his number. I bet she's just playing hard to get, using the boyfriend excuse to show everyone how popular she is!"

Nicolette nodded. "Exactly! Someone asks for her number in front of all these people, and she turns him down. Caitlin must be feeling so smug right now."