Aren scanned the scene in front of him.

He could see that the roles of the bully and the bullied had reversed.

But the question was... should he intervene?

From the situation alone, Aren could discern what must’ve happened in the time he was away dealing with Titan Crest Entertainment.

It was clear that the current situation was all thanks to him, or more specifically, due to the downfall of Titan Crest Entertainment and the Valcourts.

After Neil was proven guilty of murder, the first thing to take hit was his reputation.

Thanks to that, the students must’ve begun to despise Selene as well. She was Neil’s daughter after all.

Next, the Valcourts also lost all their wealth and assets, now relying on Amelia for survival.

Since Amelia was Ariana’s mother, she held the power now.

With those 5 billion in hand, her standing had risen above Selene, allowing her to bully the previously powerful Selene Valcourt.

Yes, the students must know that Ariana was Neil’s daughter as well, but she could’ve just acted like a victim to appear nicer compared to the wicked Valcourts.

Some might’ve sympathized with her as well since her father, Aren Frost, had died at the hands of her biological father.

Understanding all this, Aren was perplexed whether to intervene or just let it continue.

’If I ignore this, Selene will continue to suffer. This child isn’t evil like her father. She didn’t commit any wrong to deserve this. Even when she bullied Aria, it was simply out of jealousy. There was no malice in her actions.’

He looked at the downcast Selene, feeling pity for the poor child. He had seen her grow up from a toddler to the girl she was now.

How could he feel nothing for her?

’If I intervene, I might be able to get some answers to my questions. Aria might reveal how she feels about her situation.’

He wanted to know.

Did she feel grief over Aren’s death?

Did she hate Neil for killing Aren?

Was she bullying Selene just to express her anger over Neil?

Aren knew that he couldn’t just ask these questions to her, and thus, intervening in the current situation was the optimal choice.

There were more benefits than harm.

"Hey Selene, why are you collecting that ruined food? Don’t tell me..." Ariana eyed her with amusement. "Are you going to eat that?"

The boy beside Ariana laughed. "Hahaha, Lady Ariana, she might be trying to eat what her father would be getting in the prison."

Hearing that, Ariana shot him a glare, causing him to purse his lips. She didn’t seem pleased with that remark.

She then returned her focus to Selene, who had been ignoring her all this time.

"It seems you really like ruined food. Why don’t I let you have some more?" She smirked, picking up another bowl of noodle soup to pour over Selene.

Selene knew what was coming her way as she shut her eyes close, bracing herself for the feeling of the hot soup and noodles sticking to her, burning her skin.

However, she only heard a few footsteps, feeling someone tall looming over her.

She then heard Ariana’s cold voice, asking, "What do you think... you are doing?"

To check what was happening, she opened her eyes, finding Aren grabbing Ariana’s wrist, which was holding the bowl of noodle soup.

She could see Ariana’s crimson eyes glaring at him, despite requiring her to lift her head upwards due to the height disparity.

Ariana was tall, standing at 1.74m, but compared to Aren’s 1.89m height, she still needed to raise her head to look at his face.

Aren, noticing the bowl of noodle soup shaking in Ariana’s grip, first pulled it away from her.

Due to his high strength, thanks to the Athleticism stat currently at B, he didn’t feel any resistance from Ariana.

After placing the bowl on the nearest table, Aren turned to Ariana and asked, "You both are sisters. Why are you harassing her?"

Ariana struggled to free her wrist, revealing a pained expression.

Noticing her expression, Aren immediately let go, not wanting to hurt her.

She rubbed her wrist, looking at Aren with disdain. "What is it to you? You are the last person eligible to lecture me. It is thanks to you that she is in such a pitiful state. If only you didn’t put my father behind bars."

Aren’s eyes widened as if lightning struck his whole being.

He couldn’t believe his ears.

Had he heard her correctly?

She called Neil her father, and that too, without any hesitation or awkwardness.

But then, he came up with reasoning himself.

’Neil must’ve forced her to call him father after I died. It must be out of habit.’

He then noticed Selene struggling to get up with the plate in her hand. He crouched to help her; however, as soon as he touched her, she yanked his hand away.

"Don’t touch me." She yelled, "You’ve ruined my and my family’s life."

Seeing this, Ariana laughed. "Hahaha, Selene. At least you are smart enough to refuse your enemy’s help."

Aren could understand Selene’s anger directed at him, but why was Ariana acting this way?

He had never seen her act in such a manner.

The Ariana he remembered was cute, kind, and loving. Not like the version he was witnessing right now.

Even then, he wanted to find the answers to his questions, and thus, he turned to Ariana and asked:

"Do you hate me as well? Didn’t I help you by uncovering the truth behind your father’s murder? You are bullying Selene because her father killed yours, right?"

Ariana stared at Aren dumbfounded before her expression changed to amusement.

"And what gave you that idea? Do you think I cared about my fake father? My mother had already told me the truth about my real father when I turned ten. I always knew who my real father was. I could’ve inherited so much wealth if only you didn’t appear and ruin everything. Do you even know how much I’ve lost thanks to you?"

"Y-You always... knew?..."

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