Oliver couldn't believe what he was seeing; Clara's boldness caught him completely off guard.

He pressed forward, while she didn't retreat. Instead, she accepted his challenge.

Clara locked eyes with Oliver's dangerous glare. Her voice rang with a frosty pride as she declared, "If I truly intended to have my way with you, you'd be powerless to resist."

Oliver locked eyes with her, the air thick with tension.

Clara held his gaze, her voice steady and cool. "Don't forget it. My name is Clara Jones, and you owe your life to me."

Before he could do a thing, Clara struck him sharply on the side of the neck.

After confirming that he was unconscious, she tore open his shirt to treat him.

After making sure the bandage was secure, she pulled out her phone and called the police before walking away.

Unbeknownst to her, just ten minutes after she vanished, a team of ten bodyguards in black suits tracked Oliver down and quietly removed him from Veiled Mountain.

The moment he was back in the car, Oliver snapped awake.

As soon as he realized what had happened, his expression hardened. "Find out everything there is to know about a woman named Clara Jones."

Josh James, Oliver's right-hand man, turned in surprise at the command, instantly noticing the swelling of Oliver's lip. His eyes went wide in shock.

What could have possibly happened?

Most of the time, Oliver never allowed women to get anywhere near him, so it was unthinkable that he'd not only let someone close but also kiss them.

Did this mean Oliver actually had some interest in this Clara girl?

Oliver shot Josh a freezing glare.

That look made Josh freeze up immediately; he shoved aside all distractions and quickly pulled out his phone to start the investigation.

While this was happening, Clara made her way back to Jones Manor.

She reached the front gate just in time to spot Emily and Eric getting out of a car, chatting and laughing together.

Stopping for a moment, Clara then headed straight toward Eric.

Their attention shifted when they heard footsteps behind them.

The moment he realized it was Clara, Eric hurriedly moved away from Emily.

He considered going over to explain their outing, hoping Clara wouldn't be upset.

But as soon as he remembered that Clara had proposed to Robert today, he bit back his explanation and said nothing.

Frustration flared, and Eric turned away, pretending not to notice Clara at all.

Emily felt a sting of resentment when Eric put distance between them so abruptly.

No matter how hard she worked to win Eric over and act like a devoted sister, the truth remained that, deep down, he saw only Clara as his sister.

What an ungrateful little thing!

And Clara, this troublesome girl, was just a nobody brought back from the countryside. Still, being the only biological daughter of their father meant she overshadowed Emily at every turn.

Emily couldn't stand it.

The jealousy ate away at her, but she covered it up with a sweet, innocent smile.

She hurried over, putting on a bright face as she said, "Clara, we went hiking today! You should have seen the mountain view, absolutely stunning!"

Clara answered with a cold stare.

In the past, she might have actually thought Emily was genuinely trying to share something with her.

But things were different now; Clara understood that Emily was only bragging, hoping to create trouble between her and the rest of the family.

"Clara, aren't you going to say anything? Please don't be upset. Eric didn't mean it..." Emily, noticing Clara's composure, felt annoyed and tried to provoke her even more.

While Emily waited expectantly for Clara to lose her temper and start yelling, Clara paid no attention to the bait. Instead, she walked directly up to Eric, her gaze filled with longing.

Bathed in the warm glow of dusk, Eric's face still carried traces of boyhood.

A light breeze played with his hair, revealing a smooth forehead and eyes that sparkled with life.

She felt a rush of gratitude just seeing her brother alive and well.

Eric grew uncomfortable under her stare and snapped, "What are you looking at?" He glared at her. "Clara, have some dignity, will you? Don't bring those habits into our home. You're always picking on Emily, and it's disgusting!"

His harsh voice echoed through the yard, loud enough for the maids to peek out from inside the villa.

Clara caught the way Eric tried to push her away. Her soft features turned hard in an instant.

She met his eyes and replied in a cold, steady tone, "Eric, is this really how you treat your own sister?"

"Sister? Don't make me laugh! You're just some nobody. I..." Eric said, his voice thick with scorn.

Clara's eyes hardened. "Shut up!"

Eric froze, completely thrown by Clara. For a moment, he just stood there, dazed and motionless.

Emily, equally shocked, rushed to pull Eric behind her, her voice rising with outrage. "How could you treat Eric like that?"

Before Emily could finish, Clara shoved her.

The bustling entrance of Jones Manor instantly fell into a heavy silence.

Every servant who had been watching from the sidelines was now gripped by fear.

Emily completely cast aside her usual poise and shouted in fury, "Are you crazy?!"

Clara's eyes stayed cold. "As the eldest sibling, it's my job to set you straight. If you show me disrespect, is there anything wrong with me correcting you?"

Clara understood that Eric was at an age where pride came easily and rebellion was to be expected.

But that was exactly why he needed someone firm to keep him on track.

Otherwise, he would fall into the same traps as before, thinking he could do anything he wanted, racing recklessly, crashing, and ending up with an injury that left him mentally impaired.

Now that Clara had a second shot at life, she was determined to keep Eric from repeating that fate.

And as for Emily, putting her in her place was just something she wanted to do.

Emily was shocked, unable to move.

In the past, whenever Eric and Emily went out without Clara, she would feel hurt and distant from the Jones family, but she kept those feelings to herself.

Today, however, Clara refused to stay silent.

"You-" Emily said, her body trembling with anger.

At that moment, Clara's father, Brad Jones, and her stepmother, Ramona, pulled up and stepped out of the car.

They froze, shocked by the strange scene unfolding at the entrance.

"Mom! Clara's lost her mind!" Emily ran into Ramona's arms, sobbing and looking pitiful.

Ramona could hardly believe it. "What? There must be some mistake."

Ramona remembered how Clara had always tried to fit in with the Joneses, continually making efforts to please both Eric and Emily.

"I'm not lying!" Emily sobbed.

Eric turned to Brad and complained, "Dad! Can you discipline Clara? She shouldn't act so rudely..."

At first, Brad felt angry, convinced Clara had overreacted.

But when he glanced up and saw Clara's eyes filled with tears as she looked at him, his heart softened.

Hearing Eric's words, Brad scolded him, "How dare you speak of your sister that way! Apologize to her right now! If you make her cry again, I'll deal with you!"

Seeing Brad's reaction, Clara could no longer hold back her tears.

She rushed into his arms and cried out, "Dad..."

She wanted to apologize to him.

In her previous life, she had been far too trusting, letting Emily manipulate her and constantly fighting with Brad over Robert, that worthless man.

Things only got worse after Brad bailed her out of jail. Emily tricked her into signing a confession, and Clara ended up turning herself in, which made Brad so furious that it affected his health.

In the end, Ramona and Emily's plotting left Brad in a coma.

Clara couldn't shake the feeling that she had let him down as a daughter.

"What happened? Were you really bullied?" Brad wrapped his arms around her, startled and worried.

Ever since Clara came back into the family, she'd always kept her distance from him, rarely speaking unless it was to blame him for losing her and failing to find her back for so long.

But now, she was clinging to him, openly crying.

There was no doubt she was hurting.

Brad turned a stern gaze on Eric. "Eric! Did you upset your sister again?"

Eric tried to defend himself, but being blamed made him even more frustrated. "Dad! You're always siding with her! She's the one who..."

Brad cut him off. "Your sister was setting you straight for your own good! And Clara is my one and only precious daughter. If you think that's unfair, too bad!"

Eric had nothing to say.

To Brad, his daughter meant the world!

And he, as the son, was simply unwanted.

Meanwhile, Ramona and Emily stood nearby, their faces turning sour.

His only precious daughter?

Where did that leave Emily?

Clara quickly pulled back from Brad and wiped her tears. "Dad, this isn't about Eric," she said softly. "Eric spoke to me disrespectfully, so I put him in his place right away."

Taking a steady breath, Clara looked Brad in the eyes. "Dad, I want to break off my engagement with Robert."

"Break off the engagement?" Brad stared at Clara in shock, convinced he hadn't heard her right. "What did you just say?"

He couldn't process it at first.

In the past, he'd watched Clara lower herself over and over, always following Robert, swallowing every humiliation but refusing to let go. It had always pained him to see her that way.

And now she was the one choosing to end things?

Clara didn't hesitate; she made her decision perfectly clear.

Suddenly, a huge smile broke out on Brad's face. "Clara, you've finally come to your senses! I always told you Robert wasn't worth it. You deserve someone so much better! This is wonderful. I..."

Before he could finish celebrating, Ramona quickly cut in, wearing a stiff smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her voice, however, left no doubt about her real feelings. "Brad, don't pay attention to Clara's outburst. The Cooper family and us are just about to finalize the western district project. If you break off the engagement now, people might say we're unreliable. If the deal falls through, our losses will be huge!"

She shot Emily a meaningful look as she spoke.

Picking up her cue, Emily jumped in, her eyes rimmed with red, feigning concern for Clara. "That's right. Clara, please don't make a scene! Robert is such a perfect match for you. If you call things off, do you really think you'll find someone better? And after everything you've done for him, wouldn't ending things now just make you look impulsive and capricious?"

Their words sounded like advice, but Clara could tell they were really warnings.

Everyone already knew about Clara's long pursuit of Robert.

If she broke things off now, it would only be the Jones family's reputation that took the hit.

Clara's eyes were cold as she watched Ramona and Emily working together, unable to hide her contempt.

She had seen this exact act in her previous life. Whenever she even thought about stepping away from Robert, Ramona and Emily would corner her, talking endlessly about family obligations, public opinion, and how she'd never get a better match, scaring her with worst-case scenarios until she caved.

But now, Clara found it all ridiculous.

Clara let out a cold laugh. "By ending this engagement, I'm just giving you and Robert what you've always wanted, aren't I? Or is it that you two just crave the rush of sneaking around behind my back?"

Emily stiffened on the spot, her face flaring with panic before shifting into one of hurt innocence. "Clara, how could you accuse me of something so awful? Robert is your fiancé, and I haven't even said a word to him..."

Ramona, drawing on years of experience, didn't flinch. "They always say being a stepmother is difficult, and I'm beginning to see why. Clara, you still refuse to see Emily and me as your family. If that's how it is..."

There was a heavy accusation hidden in her words.

If gossip started, people would say Clara was ungrateful, unwilling to accept her stepmother and stepsister, painting her as spiteful and small-minded.

Brad's expression hardened in response. "If you two can't talk respectfully, then just keep quiet."

Clara almost wanted to laugh.

Brad had always been the kind of father who showed his love by providing, never really getting involved in the arguments at home.

But if his kids were under attack, he wouldn't hesitate to defend them.

That thought brought a genuine warmth to Clara's heart. She looked at Brad and spoke sincerely. "Dad, I'm not breaking off the engagement just to make trouble. I've thought it through. I know this puts our family in a difficult position, and I don't want you to worry about handling the fallout. I'll take responsibility for ending things myself."

Brad felt a mixture of pride at her growth and pain for her struggles. "If you're sure about this, I won't get in your way. But if you run into trouble, come to me and I'll stand behind you."

Clara smiled at him. "Thank you, Dad! You really are the best!" With that, she leaned against Brad's shoulder, feeling a rare sense of comfort.

Ramona and Emily exchanged glances, each one puzzled by how quickly things had shifted, but neither said a word.

A short while later, all five stepped inside the house, and no one dared to mention Emily's possible affair with Robert again.

Exposing Emily and Ramona completely was not part of Clara's plan for today.

She despised them with every fiber of her being, but exposing it all now would be too soon.

What she truly wanted was for Emily and Ramona to pay dearly for what she and her family had suffered in her previous life.

So she intended to peel back their masks slowly, revealing their deceit to everyone.

At dawn the next day, Clara rose earlier than usual.

She pulled out a concealed vial of potion and laid out the tools she needed to wipe off her makeup.

Bit by bit, she washed away the horribly applied cosmetics, unveiling a flawless, breathtaking face beneath.

With her appearance restored, she realized time was slipping away.

After coming downstairs, she greeted Brad as he ate breakfast, then drove off to school.

From inside Jones Manor, Brad watched her leave, stunned by how beautiful she had become.

...

Thirty minutes later at Pehville University, Clara paused at the classroom door.

Her steady gaze swept over the familiar threshold, and a cool smile curved her lips.

This time around, she wasn't the helpless girl everyone could walk all over.

Anyone who had humiliated or bullied her before would now face the consequences.

Holding her spine straight and keeping her composure, Clara walked in with quiet confidence.