Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 496: Secret Revealed

"If that's the case," he replied softly, "then I can rest easy."

After chatting the way they always did, both of them eventually went to bed.

.....................................

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

It was finally time for Mary and Adam's wedding.

Because of the ongoing court case, their marriage had been postponed again and again.

This time, however, they had received special permission. No more delays.

When they arrived at the venue, Mary and Adam were immediately swallowed by preparations.

The place buzzed with activity, voices overlapping, and footsteps echoing.

Aurora barely had time to breathe. She still needed to manage her companies, so Emily stepped in to coordinate everything.

Emily. Aurora. Adriana. Theodore. Olivia. Lucas. Jules. Even Adeline and Alex were present.

Everyone pitched in.

Watching the children bustling around, handling decorations, arrangements, and logistics, Mary and Adam finally let out a sigh of relief.

Adam turned to Mary and asked softly, "Are you happy?"

Mary looked at the group of children, her eyes slowly filling with warmth.

"I am," she replied quietly. "I really am."

There was a time when she never thought she would reach this point. Never imagined she could stand here and say she had survived everything life had thrown at her.

She leaned gently against Adam's shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Adam chuckled.

"There's no need to thank me," he replied. "If anything, I should be the one thanking you. You chose me when I had nothing."

Mary laughed softly.

"You're still the same," she said fondly. "Honestly, I chose you because… for the first time after everything I'd been through, my heart fluttered again."

Adam laughed too, his voice warm.

"And for me," he said, "being with you was like finding the light of my life. Without you, I don't think I would've survived either."

They thought about the hardships they had endured together. The endless struggles. The nights when life felt unbearable.

Once, their world had seemed impossibly heavy.

Now, it felt lighter.

Not easy... but livable.

Mary hesitated, then asked softly, "Do you know when everything started to change?"

Adam frowned slightly, listening.

"Our lives were a mess," Mary continued. "We were drowning in debt. I was trapped in my trauma with Alex. The children were bullied constantly. Our jobs were miserable. Even our daily lives felt like hell."

She shook her head slowly.

"Now, when I look back… I don't understand how everything changed so suddenly."

Adam thought for a moment.

"Maybe," he said slowly, "it was Emily."

Mary straightened, surprised.

"Emily?" she repeated. "She did help us financially, and yes, that helped clear our debts. But… how could it all be because of her?"

Adam reflected before answering.

"She adopted Aurora as her goddaughter," he said. "From that moment on, everything shifted. She helped us financially. She introduced better opportunities. She changed our lifestyle."

Mary nodded slowly.

"That's true," she murmured. "Without her… I don't know where we would be right now."

.............................

Outside the room, Emily stood quietly.

Her fists clenched at her sides.

She remembered clearly.

'It wasn't me.'

It had always been Aurora.

Aurora had planned everything. Aurora had acted. Aurora had taken risks and borne the pressure. Yet now, listening to their conversation, she realized Aurora had received no credit at all.

Bitterness welled up in her chest.

She couldn't accept it.

'That child's efforts can't be erased like this.'

Emily made a decision.

She knew she was going against Aurora's wishes. Aurora never cared about recognition. She never asked for it.

But Emily believed something firmly.

Everyone deserved their rightful credit.

And someone like Aurora deserved it more than anyone.

Hence, the very next moment, she stepped inside the room, the door creaking softly behind her.

Adam and Mary both lifted their heads, only to see Emily standing at the entrance.

For a heartbeat, the two of them were stunned, their expressions frozen, before Adam exchanged a glance with Mary and a small, awkward smile curved on his lips.

"You've come at just the right time," Mary voiced softly, her tone carrying relief. "We were just talking about you."

Hearing that, Emily inclined her head in a small nod, her eyes steady.

"I know," she replied evenly. "You were talking about me."

She paused, her fingers brushing the edge of the door as if grounding herself. "But there's something I need to clarify. My conscience won't allow me to stay silent any longer."

Those words hung heavily in the air. Adam and Mary exchanged puzzled looks, confusion flickering across their faces.

Without another word, Emily closed the door behind her, the dull thud echoing through the quiet room. She turned back to them, a faint smile playing on her lips, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Have you ever wondered," she continued gently, "why I approached you in the first place?"

Silence followed. Adam's brows furrowed, and Mary's lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. Seeing their reaction, Emily moved forward and calmly took a seat across from them.

She let out a soft chuckle, almost nostalgic, before lifting her gaze again.

"You might think our encounter was nothing more than a coincidence," she went on, her voice smooth yet firm.

"I even presented it as though you were my saviors. But the truth is, I knew very well that you weren't." Her smile deepened, tinged with something unreadable. "Because the entire thing was staged."

At those words, Adam and Mary's eyes widened in disbelief, their breaths catching almost in unison.

"And no," Emily added, lifting a hand as if to stop them from interrupting, "it wasn't me who staged everything." Her gaze sharpened. "It was your daughter... Aurora."

Confusion washed over their faces. Mary's hands clenched on her lap, while Adam shook his head instinctively. 'That's impossible,' his mind screamed. Aurora's face flashed before him, young and fragile.

"How old was Aurora," Emily pressed calmly, "when she had her first accident and when I met you both?" She tilted her head slightly. "Fourteen. Just fourteen years old." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Adam swallowed hard. "How could a fourteen-year-old even manage something like that?"

His disbelief spilled into his voice. "Staging so many things… it doesn't make sense."

Seeing their reaction, Emily leaned back, utterly composed, and let out another soft chuckle. "You might not know this," she continued, "but even the gold bars you received, even the penthouse you're living in now, those were all arranged by Aurora."

Adam's breath hitched.

"She started taking hacking jobs from the age of twelve," Emily added quietly. "Between twelve and fourteen, she accumulated a huge sum of money. When she realized her family wasn't wealthy at all and was buried under debt because of medical expenses, she began return everything, slowly, carefully, to her own family."

The words landed like thunder. Adam and Mary stared at her, shock etched deeply into their expressions.

Adam shook his head repeatedly, his voice trembling. "That's impossible. If Aurora had that kind of money, why wouldn't she use it directly?"

Emily laughed softly, though there was no mockery in it. "Because if she had done that," she replied, "she wouldn't have been able to do half of what she did. And more importantly, your family might not have been ready to accept it. Her parents might have rejected it, and her siblings could have felt overshadowed."

Adam leaned back, his chest tightening. 'All this time…' His thoughts felt loud, chaotic.

"I don't know why Aurora hid so many things," Emily continued, her voice lowering. "Maybe she never wanted credit. But I've been by her side. I've seen everything. And I can't bear to watch that child's efforts go unnoticed."

She turned her gaze directly to Adam. "Even the company you're working in right now belongs to Aurora."

Adam froze.

"The CEO who appeared out of nowhere and handed everything over to you," Emily went on, "that was arranged by her." She paused deliberately.

"Your performance did put you ahead of the others. Your growth was your own capability. But the opportunity itself was given by Aurora. She acquired the company so you could learn."

Adam's hands began to tremble. His heartbeat roared in his ears, so loud it felt like it might burst out of his chest.

'I can't breathe,' he thought, panic creeping in.

"The criticism you faced," Emily continued calmly, "the pressure, the dirty work you were forced to do in the company... it wasn't meant to make things difficult for you. It was Aurora's order. She wanted to make sure her father learned everything."

Adam clenched his fists, his vision blurring. "How much…" he muttered hoarsely, "how much did she do for me… in secret?"

Emily then turned toward Mary, her expression softening. "And you," she smiled gently.

"You must have wondered why you can enter any library you like, barely do any work, yet have more than enough. Why does no one question you when you take half-day or full-day leaves?"

Mary's breath caught. Her lips trembled, but she said nothing. 'I already knew,' her heart whispered, though she had never dared to say it aloud.

Emily nodded, as if confirming her thoughts. "Yes," she concluded calmly. "That too… was because of Aurora."