Clarissa’s expression darkened. Her grip on Clementine’s hands tightened. "Mom, what the hell are you talking about?"

  "You’re my mother. How could I possibly leave you? Or do you want to leave me again?"

  Clementine paled. The breath hitched in her throat as she frantically shook her head. "No, no, no! I would never— I just…"

  "Then stop making excuses." Clarissa softened, squeezing her hands.

  "I want to stay, Mom. This is my decision. For seventeen years, you’ve protected me. Now it’s my turn to take care of you."

  Clementine’s lip trembled. "Clarissa…"

  "You don’t have to be afraid anymore." Clarissa smiled, her voice gentle. "I don’t hate you. From now on, we’ll live a good life together."

  Clementine couldn’t stop the fresh wave of tears that fell. She pulled Clarissa into another tight embrace, her sobs raw and unfiltered. "I’m so sorry, Clarissa. I’m so, so sorry…"

  Clarissa, thinking it was just tears of relief, simply continued patting her back. She didn’t realize. She didn’t notice the shadow that never left Clementine’s eyes.

  Time passed quickly, and soon, the day of the final exam arrived.

  Once the results were out, the entire school was buzzing—Clarissa and William had once again taken the top two spots in their grade.

  But this time, there was a twist. Last semester, Clarissa had trailed behind William by over thirty points. This time? She was only three points short. Naturally, the school’s online forums exploded with chatter.

  "Damn, Clarissa’s a beast. She almost caught up to William this time."

  "I heard she also won first place in the piano competition. And wasn’t she, like, two thousand votes ahead of the last number one in the school beauty ranking?"

  "So what? She’s still just a fake daughter. No money, no status, and dumped by the young master of the Harrington family. If she doesn’t work her ass off, she’s got nothing."

  "Lmao, jealous much? Fake daughter or not, she’s got real talent. She’s beautiful, smart, and capable. That’s her flex. Meanwhile, you’re just here bitching about it."

  "No need to get so aggressive, dude. I’m just stating facts."

  "And so am I."

  The online discourse quickly became polarized—half the students admired her, while the other half just couldn’t let go of her past.

  Clarissa, however, paid little attention to the drama. She had no interest in being the school’s main character. All she wanted was to live quietly and focus on her studies.

  Sitting alone in an empty classroom, she opened the lunchbox Clementine had prepared for her. As she ate, she absentmindedly scrolled through the forum posts.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  The cafeteria food was garbage, and Clementine’s home-cooked meals were a hundred times better. So recently, she’d been bringing her own lunch, keeping to herself.

  Life had become incredibly simple. School. Home. Repeat. All the so-called "friends" she used to have? Gone.

  The original Clarissa—the one from the novel—had been hated by nearly everyone. Maybe only a sweet, virtuous heroine like Lyra could be universally adored, constantly surrounded by allies, and blessed with good fortune at every turn.

  But wait. Clarissa had been deliberately laying low… so why did it feel like she was more popular than the heroine now?

  Meanwhile, Lyra’s love life was thriving.

  With Clarissa, the "evil supporting character," no longer in the picture, she and Dorian were inseparable. The guy was filthy rich and pulling every romantic cliché in the book—luxury cars, candlelit dinners, rooftop fireworks, the whole goddamn fairy tale package.

  Clarissa debated whether she should be even more low-key to avoid any unnecessary trouble. But at the same time… why should she?

  She was just studying. Working hard. Minding her own business. As long as she didn’t interfere with the main couple, nothing should happen… right?

  Just as she was lost in thought, footsteps echoed outside the classroom.

  She checked the time. Weird. Everyone should be at lunch right now. Clarissa was about to pack up and leave when the classroom door swung open.

  William. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and black school pants, he stepped inside—his presence as cool and effortless as ever.

  They were in the same class, but aside from that one awkward bathroom incident, they’d never really interacted. In the original novel, their only connection was that William always seemed to catch Clarissa in the middle of bullying Lyra.

  And if she remembered correctly, William was a total clean freak. Without hesitation, she grabbed her lunchbox and stood up. "I was just leaving."

  She moved toward the door, planning to slip past him—

  "Stay." His voice was calm, indifferent. "I’m just here to grab something."

  Clarissa blinked.…That’s it? She watched as he picked up a stack of papers from his desk and walked out without another word.

  Clarissa shrugged it off, sat back down, and finished her meal. After washing her lunchbox outside, she suddenly heard a phone ring. She instinctively reached for her own, but before she could check, the ringing stopped— And then—

  "Yeah, I’m free this weekend. Give me the job. Thanks, and sorry for the trouble." The voice was cool and steady, flowing like a mountain spring.

  Clarissa turned her head slightly. It was William.

  Clarissa’s gaze instinctively drifted toward the sound.

  William was sitting in the gazebo not far away, casually flipping through a stack of documents while eating a sandwich.

  His eating habits weren’t exactly refined—he was tearing through the sandwich like he was on a timer, finishing more than half of it in just a few bites. But, of course, he was William—effortlessly good-looking—so even his rushed eating didn’t come across as sloppy.

  Clarissa smirked to herself. The student council president must be seriously busy if this is the only time he can eat.

  Not only was he working while eating, but from what she overheard on the phone, he was also picking up extra work on the weekend.

  Right… his family isn’t well off. Just as she was lost in thought, William suddenly looked up. His sharp, icy gaze locked onto her.

  Caught. Clarissa stiffened, feeling a rush of embarrassment. She hadn’t meant to stare—it wasn’t like she was spying on him or anything.

  She quickly forced an awkward smile and raised a hand in half-hearted surrender. “Uh… sorry, I wasn’t—”

  But before she could finish, William’s expression shifted—just for a fraction of a second. The coldness in his eyes eased ever so slightly.

  Then, just as quickly, the moment was gone. His indifference returned, and without another glance, he turned back to his documents.

  Clarissa: “…”

  Well, okay then. Not that she was expecting a warm response, but… damn.

  She’d heard plenty of girls at school fawning over William, some even going as far as stalking him after class. If he ever dared to show up in the cafeteria, he’d probably be mobbed. So, yeah—maybe he assumed she was another one of those love-struck idiots.

  Clarissa sighed, too lazy to explain herself. She turned to leave— And right on cue, her phone rang loudly from her pocket.