Rebirth: My CEO Husband's Thoughts Are Too Shameless

[Flashback]

Clara had just finished her classes and was walking home with her backpack slung over one shoulder.

It had been another exhausting day. Not only had she been scolded by a teacher for something she hadn’t done, but several students had spent the entire day mocking and picking on her.

When she was younger, Clara had never truly understood why everyone looked at her differently.

It wasn’t until people started openly calling her an illegitimate child that she realized the weight of her birth.

At first, the words hurt. Now... she had learned to live with them.

They still stung, but she refused to let them define her. More importantly, she had something far more important to worry about.

Her mother.

Diana had been working herself to the bone just to provide Clara with a decent education and a comfortable life.

Every day she left early. Every night she came home exhausted.

Clara had noticed the dark circles beneath her mother’s eyes growing deeper with each passing week.

"I have to talk to Mom today."

She lowered her gaze to the pamphlet she was holding tightly.

"I can’t let her carry this burden alone anymore."

Without Diana knowing, Clara had been secretly searching for a part-time job that fit around her school schedule.

She knew Diana would never agree to it. That was exactly why she planned to keep it a secret until she had already started working.

Taking a deep breath, Clara nodded to herself. "Everything will be fine."

She turned into a narrow alley that served as a shortcut home. The moment she did... her footsteps came to an abrupt stop.

Three figures were waiting for her.

"We finally found you."

Clara slowly looked up. Two boys stood with their arms crossed, while a girl leaned casually against one of them with a smug smile.

Clara immediately recognized her. It was the same girl she had accidentally kicked in the stomach during an argument a few days ago.

The girl smirked triumphantly. "I told you I wouldn’t let this go."

She wrapped an arm around one of the boys and pointed directly at Clara.

"Babe, she’s the one who kicked me in the stomach."

The boy cracked his knuckles before glaring at Clara. "So you’re the one who made my girlfriend cry."

Clara instinctively tightened her grip on the pamphlet pressed against her chest.

Three against one. She quietly observed each of them.

She wasn’t scared. She was thinking. There was one promise she had made to Diana. Never get into fights unless she has absolutely no other choice.

Very few people knew that Clara had been learning Taekwondo since she was a child.

Years ago, when she was only ten, a boy had repeatedly mocked her for being a "bastard child."

She had endured the insults until she finally reached her limit. One perfectly executed kick had sent the boy flying several feet before he crashed onto the ground and fractured his arm.

Fortunately, the school’s security cameras had captured the entire incident. The footage proved Clara had acted in self-defense, sparing her from punishment.

But Diana hadn’t been relieved. She had been terrified.

She wasn’t afraid of what Clara had done. She was afraid of the cruel world that might one day refuse to see the truth, even when her daughter was innocent.

That was why Clara had promised her mother to avoid fighting whenever possible.

Looking at the three students blocking her path, Clara silently prayed she wouldn’t have to break that promise today.

There’s not even a security camera here to prove I’m innocent if they decide to file a complaint against me, Clara thought.

She let out a silent sigh.

Calm down, Clara. Mom told you not to fight unless you absolutely have to.

Suppressing every instinct telling her to knock the three of them flat, Clara forced a cheerful smile onto her face.

"Hehe... Hey, Siena. Fancy meeting you here." She even gave a small wave.

The three of them stared at her as though she had suddenly lost her mind.

Clara inwardly nodded.

Good. Confuse them first. Then sneak away when they’re distracted.

Unfortunately, none of them took the bait, and the smile on Clara’s face gradually stiffened.

"...Well, this is awkward," she muttered under her breath.

Siena slowly looked Clara up and down before her eyes landed on the pamphlet in Clara’s hand.

Without warning, she snatched it away.

"Hey—"

Ignoring Clara, Siena unfolded the leaflet and read its contents. A mocking laugh escaped her lips.

"Oh... so this is how you’re planning to support your mother." She raised an eyebrow before curling her lips into a sneer.

"What happened? Is selling her body not enough anymore?"

The two boys burst into laughter.

Clara’s fingers slowly tightened into fists at her sides. Her breathing became heavier.

She had heard insults far worse than this. People had called her every name imaginable. She could endure that.

But hearing someone insult her mother... that was different.

Her jaw clenched. Almost instinctively, she remembered Diana’s gentle voice.

"No, Clara. Don’t react. When a stray dog keeps barking, you don’t bark back. Just keep walking."

Clara slowly closed her eyes.

Mom’s right... Stay calm. She’s only trying to provoke you.

When she opened her eyes again, she forced herself to relax.

"I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that," she said quietly.

She reached out her hand. "Please give me my pamphlet back."

Instead of returning it, Siena laughed and took a deliberate step backward.

"Oh? You actually need this?" She waved the pamphlet in the air with a taunting smile.

"Tell me, Clara... if your mother is so desperate for money, why doesn’t she just find another rich man to cling to?"

The cruel words echoed through the empty alley. For the first time since the confrontation began... the smile completely disappeared from Clara’s face.

"Oh? What?" Siena sneered. "Did I say anything that wasn’t true?"

She folded her arms and laughed mockingly.

"Wasn’t your mother involved with a rich man who used her and then threw her away?"

Siena had no idea who that man really was. She was merely repeating the vicious rumors that had spread throughout the school, enjoying every word that left her mouth.

Across from her, Clara’s hands slowly curled into tight fists.

Her expression darkened, but she fought to keep her emotions under control. After taking a slow breath, she looked Siena straight in the eye.

"I’m going to ask you one last time." Her voice was calm, almost frighteningly so.

"You can insult me all you want. But don’t drag my mother into this."

The sudden change in Clara’s tone caught all three of them off guard.

For a brief second, silence filled the alley. Then Flint chuckled.

"She’s got some spirit." There was amusement in his eyes as he looked at Clara.

Siena immediately noticed it, and a wave of jealousy surged through her.

She grabbed Flint’s chin and forced him to look at her.

"Keep staring at her like that, and I’ll gouge your eyes out."

Flint instantly paled. "B-Babe, I wasn’t looking at her like that."

He let out an awkward laugh. "I was just making fun of her."

Siena narrowed her eyes before finally letting go.

"You’d better be."

Then she turned back to Clara, the corners of her lips curling into a cruel smile.

"No more wasting time." She glanced at the taller boy standing beside them.

"Marcus. Hold her. Today, I’ll teach her what happens when someone dares to lay a hand on me."

Marcus cracked his knuckles with a grin and stepped toward Clara.

Last time, Clara had escaped by kicking Siena. This time... Siena had made sure there was nowhere for her to run.

Marcus grinned as he cracked his knuckles and slowly advanced toward Clara.

"So, you’re still acting tough?"

Clara’s gaze remained fixed on him. Her fists tightened.

The moment Marcus reached out to grab her shoulder—

Thud!

Clara’s foot shot forward, striking him squarely in the stomach.

"Ugh!"

The unexpected kick forced Marcus to stumble back several steps, clutching his abdomen in pain.

Siena and Flint stared at Clara in disbelief.

"...What?"

For a moment, neither of them could process what had just happened.

The girl standing before them looked small and fragile. Yet she had just sent a boy nearly twice her size reeling backward with a single kick.

Clara slowly lowered her leg and stood her ground. Her eyes no longer carried their usual warmth. Instead, they had turned cold.

"I’m warning you one last time." Her voice was frighteningly calm. "This won’t end well for any of you."

A heavy silence settled over the alley.

Clara’s eyes briefly swept across her surroundings.

No pedestrians. No security cameras. No witnesses.

She quietly let out a breath.

There’s no surveillance here. If they decide to lie afterward, they’ll have no proof...

Another thought immediately followed. ... But neither will I.

She remembered Diana’s words telling her never to fight unless there was no other choice.

Clara closed her eyes for a brief second.

I’m sorry, Mom... I really tried to endure it. But they insulted you. And that’s something I simply can’t forgive.

When she opened her eyes again, the hesitation was gone.

She shifted her stance instinctively, ready for whatever came next.

"If you’re still determined to continue..." A faint, dangerous smile appeared on her lips. "...then don’t blame me for what happens next."

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