Lucas's response didn't convince either of them. Both are intelligent and know that he's not being honest. After all, even though his words make sense, who makes important decisions based on popular sayings? Nobody.

Thabata thought that maybe there was something he couldn't say in front of her, or he simply didn't want to be honest. Violette, on the other hand, found the situation quite familiar as his response seemed very much like his constant refusal to talk more about himself.

Every time she asks something personal, like about his family or how he got so many scars, he refuses to talk. The current situation is so similar that she felt like she had déjà vu.

The room fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. After observing them for a few more seconds, Thabata decided to continue with her agenda.

"First, let's start with you, Lucas. Could you describe how you felt when you started acting aggressively towards Violette? I'm not talking about when you had sex, but since you first met. From what she told me, you were cold to her from the beginning, and then gradually adjusted that coldness."

Lucas seemed uncomfortable with the question as he shifted on the sofa after hearing it. It took him a few seconds to respond.

"Our first encounter wasn't friendly. She filmed me having an intimate moment with another woman. When I found out, I was upset, and I wanted to delete the video for fear it would harm my partner. I approached her and asked her to delete the video."

Before he could continue, Violette interrupted and corrected him.

"No, you didn't ask me to delete it; you asked me to hand over the phone. When I asked if you were stealing from me, you said I could label it however I wanted. When I said I would scream, you said you wouldn't let me, and when I tried, you covered my mouth with your hand, pushed me to the ground, took my phone, and deleted the video."

Lucas shook his head and shrugged, agreeing with her account. Thabata asked upon hearing this.

"Don't you think you were too cold with her? You even used violence to take the phone from her."

Shrugging once again, Lucas explained his behavior.

"Someone filmed me in an intimate moment, a video that could be harmful not only to me but also to the person I was with. When I asked for the phone to delete the video, the person who knew what they had done refused to let me delete it. Obviously, she had ulterior motives."

Lucas then looked at Violette, who turned away and remained silent. Thabata asked about her intentions when she refused to hand over the phone, and she responded.

"I was going to use the video to blackmail him if I needed to."

Lucas coldly laughed upon hearing this but didn't say anything. Intrigued by her words, Thabata asked.

"Why do you think you would need to blackmail him with an intimate video?"

Violette remained silent for a while and, after thinking for a moment, decided to explain while looking at Thabata.

"Look, the school I attend is like a jungle, where the strongest reigns. I don't know if other high schools are the same, but at least where I study, there are many rich and powerful people, and the person at the top of that school is me."

She seemed proud as she spoke. After all, there are many people at the school who come from families as powerful as hers, but she's at the top of the social pyramid, which is indeed something to be proud of. She firmly believes in this since she worked hard to make it possible.

"Because of that, I always need to be in a position of power over others. This wouldn't be the first compromising video I have of someone. One of the ways I stay on top is by having something to use against that person. That way, no matter who tries to mess with me, I can easily and quickly mess with them using these methods."

The more she explained her actions, the more satisfied Violette seemed with herself. She put a lot of effort into being above everyone else in school. It may seem like a matter of power, how the Martin family is so powerful that no one dares to challenge them, but the truth is she needs to use numerous different strategies to maintain her power.

If she shows weakness even once, it could be dangerous to her image. That's why when she filmed the video of Lucas, she wanted to keep it just in case.

Thabata remained silent for a while, thinking about how to continue this conversation, but she realized that, no matter what she said, she couldn't fully explore this dominant side of Violette without a few good hours of conversation.

But this confirmed her previous thoughts that this is one of the key points about Violette and maybe the reason why Lucas almost gave up on having a relationship with her. What confirms it even more is how Lucas is looking at her right now.

Even if only for a moment, she could feel the coldness in his gaze as he listened to Violette's words.

This made her seriously consider how to approach this.

After thinking for a few seconds, she looked at Lucas and decided to focus on him for now.

"Why were you so cold with her? I understand you must have been furious when she refused to hand over the phone, but don't you think you could have handled it differently?"

Lucas thought for a moment about how he felt and acted that day, and after reaching a conclusion, he explained.

"I don't think I could have handled it differently. She herself explained what she wanted with that video."

Thabata interrupted with a question.

"But you couldn't know what her intentions were. From your perspective, she's just someone who refused to hand over her phone. You could have dealt with it differently."

Lucas shook his head and smiled sarcastically.

"No. I knew she had filmed me, and she knew I knew. So when I asked for the phone, it was obvious I wanted to delete the video. When she refused, her ulterior motives were clear. When she tried to scream, from that moment, I already knew what kind of person I was dealing with."

Thabata raised an eyebrow at Lucas's analysis, intrigued by his thought process. When she asked what kind of person he was dealing with, he replied with a cold smile.

"An egomaniac."

The room fell silent for a few seconds. Violette didn't show much reaction to his words, while Thabata was intrigued by how Lucas arrived at this conclusion with such a short interaction with her.

The most impressive thing is that he was completely right in his conclusion.

Although it's not possible to diagnose Violette so quickly, it becomes apparent after some time of interacting with her. She radiates this quality.

But one thing is to radiate, another is actually being an egomaniac. To make a diagnosis like that, it requires many hours of therapy and numerous tests; it's not something you discover on a first encounter, in just a few minutes.

What Thabata didn't know is that Lucas is used to dealing with this type of person. Whether it's his clients as a hitman, his targets, or even at home with Katia, the Spartan mother who controlled him like a puppet, he has dealt with people who believe the universe revolves around them his whole life.

That's why he almost instantly perceived it. It's not foolproof; to begin with, it's more of an instinct, but Lucas shot and hit the target when he assumed Violette was an egomaniac.

Of course, he couldn't explain this to Thabata, so he responded simply.

"I've seen many people like that."