"However," Aren said, his gaze turning serious. "You can do better. Let me tell you how."

Lisa nodded, her expression serious and ready to learn.

Aren studied her for a few moments before speaking.

"Your problem isn’t the dialogue."

Lisa nodded, asking curiously, "Then what is it?"

"You’re trying to act rich." He said plainly, as if stating something obvious. "And that is exactly why it looks false."

Lisa blinked.

Aren leaned back again, folding one leg over the other.

"Listen carefully." His tone turned measured. "An arrogant person doesn’t think she is arrogant."

Lisa went still.

"A superior person doesn’t wake up and decide—today I will act superior."

He lifted a hand.

"They simply believe they are superior."

He let that sink in.

"That belief changes everything."

"Their gaze."

"Their posture."

"The way they pause before speaking."

"The way they look at someone beneath them."

He pointed at her.

"You’re performing superiority from the outside."

"But Elise lives it from the inside."

Lisa’s brows slowly knitted together, as if something was beginning to click.

Aren stood.

"Stand up."

She obeyed immediately.

"Now," he said, walking around her as if assessing a student. "Show me how you held that handbag."

Lisa lifted her arm and mimicked the scene.

Aren shook his head instantly.

"No."

He took a few steps closer.

"That is how someone holds a handbag when they want others to notice it."

He reached toward the imaginary bag in her hand and adjusted her wrist.

"Elise doesn’t want people to notice it."

"She expects they already will."

Lisa stared at him.

The distinction hit harder than she expected.

Aren stepped back.

"Again."

She tried.

This time, it was less deliberate, yet still wrong.

"No."

Aren moved in front of her.

"Your chin."

He lightly gestured upward.

"Too forced."

He demonstrated.

When he lifted his chin—

It didn’t look proud.

It looked dismissive.

Almost natural.

As if the room itself had lowered in value.

Lisa’s eyes widened slightly.

Then Aren said—

"And stop trying to look offended when she insults Ava."

Lisa frowned.

"But Elise is angry there."

"No."

Aren shook his head.

"She is not angry."

He paused.

"She is insulted."

"There’s a difference."

Lisa remained silent.

"When common people fight," Aren continued, "they get angry."

"When someone born at the top is offended..."

His gaze sharpened.

"They become cold."

The words sent a small chill through her.

Aren took two slow steps.

Then—

Something changed.

His posture shifted.

Almost invisibly.

His shoulders loosened.

His spine straightened.

His gaze lowered half an inch.

And suddenly—

He wasn’t himself anymore.

Lisa felt it instantly.

He became someone else.

Someone expensive.

Someone untouchable.

Aren looked at an imaginary classmate in front of him.

Then at an imaginary handbag.

His lips curved faintly.

Almost pitying.

And he spoke.

Softly.

"What a cute imitation."

Lisa froze.

The line wasn’t even in the script.

But the way he said it—

It was devastating.

It wasn’t loud.

It was not mocking either.

Worse. It was disdainful.

Then he took an imaginary bag from his arm.

Casually.

Almost absentmindedly.

As if it held no value to him.

"This?" He glanced at it once.

"My driver uses this brand for his daughter."

Lisa’s mouth parted.

Aren continued.

He didn’t raise his voice.

He didn’t exaggerate arrogance.

It was just effortless dominance.

"And you were flaunting this fake brand so proudly?"

Silence.

Complete silence.

Lisa was staring.

Her heartbeat had quickened.

Because she had not seen acting.

She had seen Elise.

No—

Someone even sharper than Elise.

Aren let the moment linger.

Then just as suddenly—

He returned to his usual self.

The pressure in the room vanished.

Lisa stood frozen.

Then whispered—

"How..."

How was it so effortless for him?

It wasn’t even a male character, and yet, he played the female role better than her.

She had tried the same scene, so she knew how hard it was, and yet, for Aren, it wasn’t even worth mentioning.

While she stared at him, Aren sat back down.

"Did you notice?" he asked.

She nodded slowly.

"You weren’t trying to dominate or act arrogant."

"Exactly."

He pointed at her.

"That’s your mistake."

"If you try to show power..."

"It looks like performance."

"But if you believe the other person is beneath you..."

"Power appears on its own."

Lisa lowered her gaze.

Repeating the thought in her head.

Believe it.

Don’t show it.

Believe it.

Aren added—

"Also..."

He leaned forward slightly.

"Stop treating the handbag as the symbol of superiority."

Lisa looked up.

"It isn’t?"

"No."

He smiled faintly.

"You are."

The words struck her harder than everything before.

Then, after a moment of silence, a slow smile appeared on Lisa’s face.

"I understand now."

Afterward, Aren left her room to allow her to practice and absorb the understanding she had gained thanks to him.

There was still half an hour left until the trial began, and hence, he began scrolling through the internet to see how the public was reacting.

[You won’t believe, but more than half of my office took leaves today just to watch the trial.]

[Hmph, that’s nothing. My office announced today as a holiday just for this trial.]

[For the first time in a long while, my whole family is watching something together. They are all excited to find out the results of the DNA tests and to see the arguments given by both sides.]

Meanwhile, another section of netizens was busy speculating on what will happen in the trial.

[What do you guys think? How will the DNA test turn out?]

[Amelia’s reaction to the DNA test is all over the internet. Anyone can guess what will happen.]

[Yeah, but I’m more excited to see the reactions when it will be revealed. She was trying to sound so loyal before.]

[But why is this trial taking so long? It’s obvious Neil Valcourt is the culprit. The bodyguard was obviously taking the blame on himself. Also, from Amelia’s reaction, it is clear they are having an affair, and he must’ve killed the CEO as well.]

[It doesn’t work like that in law. You need definitive evidence to prove someone guilty. Although all the facts point towards Neil Valcourt, you still need evidence to announce his punishment.]

[I think this is all pointless. Anyone with a brain and common sense can see that Neil Valcourt is guilty.]

[Sometimes I think the law is made to defend criminals instead of punishing them.]

Scrolling, time passed, and the trial’s live streaming began.

-----------------------------------

(A/N -Thanks for reading. ^..^)