Chapter 3 Oliver Actually Had Some Interest In Clara

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

The shock barely had time to settle before a fierce need to take control flooded him, making him clamp his arms around her waist as he kissed her back with wild intensity.

Even though Clara had memories from a whole other life, she had little real experience with closeness like this.

Still, when Oliver pressed forward, she didn't retreat. Instead, she accepted his challenge, determined not to let him take charge of her body so easily.

Their mouths battled, lips and teeth crashing together in a storm of passion and tension, every second brimming with electric defiance and a trace of warmth.

Their struggle became a heady, exhilarating battle.

But when Clara suddenly bit down on Oliver's lips, the metallic tang of blood stained both their mouths.

Only then did she shove Oliver away, slamming him against the wall to regain control.

Oliver stayed silent, but his eyes burned with a hungry longing he tried to hide.

Clara wiped the blood from her lips, locking eyes with Oliver's dangerous glare. Her voice rang with a frosty pride as she declared, "If I truly intended to sleep 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 examine the nasty wound on his abdomen.

With calm efficiency, she used her dagger to open the skin beneath the wound, watching dark blood spill out.

She cleaned the injury, dusted it with medicine, then ripped the inner lining of her wedding dress to create a makeshift bandage.

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, he ran a finger over the cut at the edge of his mouth, his expression hardening. "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 fresh cut on 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 let her bite his lip.

Everyone knew that women who dared approach Oliver rarely escaped unscathed.

But for some reason, the woman who stole a kiss from him wasn't met with his usual ruthlessness.

Did this mean Oliver actually had some interest in Clara?

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 backwater 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 from the countryside. I..." Eric said, his voice thick with scorn.

Clara's eyes hardened, and without hesitation, she struck him with a sharp, ringing slap.