Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 231: Bullying

Henry nodded slowly. "Yeah. I do. You want that respect, right? You want people to look at you the way they look at Adriana? I’ll make it happen."

Lucy stared at him, her lip trembling. Then, like a switch flipping, her face lit up with an almost childlike smile.

"I wasn’t even sad!" she said quickly, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I-I just got overwhelmed. That’s all."

Henry blinked. "You were crying like someone just..."

"Nope! I was just thinking, you know? But it’s all good now!" She smiled wider, as if nothing had happened at all.

Henry stared at her, speechless.

A second ago, she was sobbing like the world had ended. Now, she was grinning like he’d promised her a pony.

"...You’re weird," he muttered.

Lucy giggled, brushing dust off her skirt. "You’re the one who said he’d give me everything I wanted. I’m just excited."

.......

Lucas gently helped Adriana onto the couch, guiding her to sit with slow, careful movements. Her body felt light, almost limp, and she didn’t speak—just leaned against him as if all her strength had drained away.

He patted her back softly, whispering comforting words under his breath. "It’s over now... You’re safe. I’m here." Over and over again, he repeated those quiet reassurances until her tense shoulders began to ease and her breath slowed.

It took half an hour before Adriana finally fell asleep, her head resting on his shoulder, tear streaks still visible on her pale cheeks.

Lucas sat frozen, staring at her face.

His hands clenched into fists.

Henry.

That bastard.

Lucas wanted to get up, hunt him down, and punch him until he couldn’t even say Adriana’s name again. He wanted every single person who had laughed at her, mocked her, cornered her... he wanted them to pay.

She was the victim. And yet she was the one who suffered the most.

Just then, the door burst open.

"A-Adriana!" Aurora’s voice called out in panic as she rushed inside.

Lucas’s eyes widened as she ran straight to the couch, kneeling beside Adriana and gently brushing hair away from her face.

"What happened to her? Is she okay? Why is she crying?"

Lucas blinked. "Aurora? What are you doing here?"

Before he could finish, Olivia and Theodore followed close behind, their faces pale and anxious.

"Where is she?" Olivia asked, eyes darting around the room before they landed on Adriana. "Oh no... is she hurt?"

"What happened?" Theodore demanded, already looking like he was ready to fight someone.

Lucas stood slowly, still trying to process what was happening. "Wait... how did you all know she was in danger?"

Olivia looked at him, still catching her breath.

"Emily told us. One of the guards she hired to keep an eye on Adriana after... well, after last time, he noticed that Adriana didn’t leave the university even though her lectures were over."

Aurora nodded, still watching Adriana’s sleeping face.

"He called Emily when something felt off. And Emily found out what happened. She told us to come here immediately."

Lucas let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Then you probably know... it was Henry."

Olivia’s eyes darkened. Aurora’s lips pressed into a thin line. But Theodore... he exploded.

"That scumbag! He did this again? After everything he already put her through?" Theodore’s face turned red with fury. "I’m going to fix him. Right now."

Lucas didn’t stop him.

He stood straighter and looked Theodore in the eye. "I was thinking the same. I can’t just sit here after what he did to her. Not again."

He turned to Aurora and Olivia, his voice softening. "Stay with her. Make sure she’s okay while we’re gone."

Aurora raised a hand, stopping them. "Wait."

Lucas frowned. "Don’t try to stop us. He needs to pay."

Aurora shook her head. "I’m not stopping you. I’m just telling you where to find him."

Both men paused.

Aurora continued calmly,

"Emily found out he’s hiding in an isolated cabin at Maple Crest Park. He thought he could lie low there until things calmed down."

Lucas’s expression hardened. "Good. That makes it easier."

Theodore cracked his knuckles. "Let’s go."

Olivia glanced at Lucas and Theodore, her voice low but sharp with suggestion. "I heard some of the thugs downstairs are really looking for work. Ten bucks, and they’ll handle anything."

Lucas raised his eyebrows slightly. Theodore smirked.

"Got it," Lucas said, already stepping toward the door.

"We’ll be back soon," Theodore added, his eyes still burning with rage.

As the two men disappeared out the door, Olivia let out a quiet breath and turned back to Adriana, who still lay asleep on the couch, her face pale and damp with dried tears.

For a long moment, Olivia just stood there, her expression unusually serious.

"...Did you really go through all that?" she asked softly, not expecting an answer, but needing to say it aloud. "All of it... without telling anyone?"

Adriana didn’t stir.

Aurora sat beside her, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her usually confident, sharp eyes looked dim and glassy. She had always prided herself on being observant, on knowing her sister—but this?

This she never knew.

This she had missed completely.

A lump built in her throat.

She wanted to cry.

She wanted to sob into her hands and scream at the universe for being so cruel to the girl who had once braided her hair and carried her on her back when she had scraped her knee.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she stood up slowly.

"I need to use the restroom," she said quietly.

Olivia nodded without question, sliding a blanket gently over Adriana’s shoulders.

Aurora walked into her room. Once the door shut behind her, she moved quickly—her fingers trembling as she opened her laptop and typed furiously. Her screen flickered to life, and soon, line after line of code flooded across the display.

She bypassed firewalls, cracked into encrypted archives, and tunneled into the surveillance system of Adriana’s former school.

Her heart thudded as footage began to load—clips stored years ago, grainy but enough to see faces. Enough to see the truth.

It didn’t take long.

There they were.

The group.

Their names appeared beside student files she hacked into:

Darren Kingsley, the ringleader. Son of a wealthy businessman, used to getting whatever he wanted.

Jessica Vale, his girlfriend. Jealous, entitled, and petty. The one who wanted the cheerleader spot.

Mason Troy, Darren’s right hand. Loud, cruel, always the first to throw something or push someone.

Caleb St. John, the one who always smirked, even when others screamed.

Ayla Monroe, another cheerleader, Jessica’s best friend. She mocked Adriana every time she cried.

Aurora scrolled further, her face growing colder.

It had started after Adriana won the cheerleader spot Jessica wanted. From that day, the bullying escalated, from tripping her in hallways to locking her in storage rooms.

Then it got worse.

Much worse.

At fifteen, Adriana was followed by some of the boys, Darren, Mason, and Caleb. They cornered her. Touched her. Grabbed her uniform. Whispered threats in her ear.

And it happened more than once.

She watched as they kissed her forcefully. She watched as they clicked photos of her and made it seem that Adriana was seducing them.

Aurora watched her eldest sister... who was once a teenager and was scared of those bullies but yet she kept her mouth shut.

Every time she said no, they threatened to leak photos. Photos they had taken of her during practices, and later, when they had tricked her into undressing by promising to back off if she followed orders.

Aurora’s hand flew to her mouth.

She kept watching.

And then, finally, Lucas appeared in the footage.

His face was thunderous. Furious. Protective.

He had found out. He had stormed into the principal’s office with evidence. Filed a complaint. Contacted the parents. Even prepared to drag the entire matter to court.

But then...

Aurora paused the video as another document loaded.

Statement of Withdrawal.

Adriana had begged Lucas to stop.

She had refused to let the matter go to court.

She didn’t want her parents to know.

She had been so scared. So ashamed.

Lucas, helpless, had relented. He had arranged a quiet settlement, forcing the rich families to pay a hefty compensation, hush money, to avoid a scandal.

Aurora’s hands trembled as she dug deeper.

There it was.

The transferred amount.

But Adriana had never spent it.

She had sent it to... an anonymous account?

Aurora followed the digital trail.

The account belonged to St. Grace Memorial Hospital.

She froze.

That was the hospital Aurora had been admitted to when she was younger, when she had that life-threatening condition and needed surgery.

Their parents hadn’t been able to pay the full bill. The debt had been quietly covered by an unknown donor.

No one ever told her who.

Now she knew.

It had been Adriana.

Adriana had taken the money given to her for being molested, for being broken, and had used it to save herself.

Aurora stared at the screen, barely breathing.

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