She smiled. "I thought you were a clean and upright person. It turns out that it’s just a facade. You're aiming for the big fish while disregarding the small fry?" Her tone dripped with contempt this time.

"Ms. Liora, why make such assumptions? Have I offended you in some way to deserve this treatment? It's rather impolite, don't you think?" I feigned innocence.

Since she had laid her cards on the table, I saw no need to dodge the issue.

"Heh... Is this considered impolite?" She let out a disdainful snort. "You'll do whatever it takes, won't you? Don't act all high and mighty while secretly groveling to the big shots."

"Oh?" I responded with a light chuckle, never breaking eye contact with Liora.

I had no intention of backing down. After all, I had already crossed her, and there was no way to avoid it. There was no need for reconciliation.

"In that case, I'd kindly ask you to go back and talk with Mr. Atticus about how I supposedly groveled before him. I'd love to hear about it."