Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 497: Tears

Emily let out a low laugh and leaned back slightly.

"Even the penthouse you’re living in now," she continued, her voice steady, "you probably don’t know this either. Aurora bought it before giving it to me and asking me to hand it you all."

The faint scent of tea that had long gone cold lingered in the room as Adam and Mary stiffened.

"She made it look like I was moving the entire Waters family into the penthouse," Emily went on, her lips curling faintly.

"All under the excuse that I was worried your lifestyle hadn’t improved and that you might not be living among decent people. So everything was hidden under the pretext that I was doing it for Aurora."

She waved her hand lightly, as if brushing away something insignificant.

"All the things you own, all the resources you have now... you might not even realize it, but you’re secretly millionaires."

The words struck like a thunderbolt.

Adam and Mary exchanged a stunned glance, their breaths shallow.

Emily laughed again, softer this time.

"Aurora has already bought multiple properties under your names. They’ve been transferred to you as voluntary gifts. Right now, every member of the Waters family is a millionaire in their own right. You just don’t know the deeds exist under your names."

The room seemed to tilt. Adam’s ears rang, and Mary’s fingers dug into the fabric of her sleeve.

’This can’t be real,’ both of them thought, almost in unison.

They had never imagined that the quiet child in their home, the one who rarely demanded anything, had done so much behind their backs.

"And that’s not all," Emily continued, her tone growing quieter. "Aurora started planning for you the moment she turned fourteen. Even now, after turning seventeen this year, she’s still planning for all of you."

Emily’s gaze softened, a hint of admiration flickering in her eyes.

"I’ve seen selfless people. But none of them come close to her. Even now, she doesn’t want you to know any of this. She’s afraid you’ll feel burdened, that you’ll think she’s done too much for you."

Emily exhaled slowly. "She didn’t want that, so she chose to stay silent and let me take all the credit. But I couldn’t bear it anymore. I couldn’t stand seeing her look so lonely and helpless when she was the one who arranged everything."

For the first time, Adam remained silent for a long moment. His throat felt tight, his chest heavy. Finally, in a trembling voice, he spoke. "What else... what else has Aurora done?"

Emily smiled faintly. "If I made a list, you’d probably need an entire day just to hear it."

She paused, then added, "But in short... she’s planning to gift a company to Adriana, or at least hire her as the chief fashion designer before handing the company over to her. She’s also the one who invested in Lucas and Alex’s company."

Adam’s shoulders sagged. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"And Olivia," Emily continued, "would be gifted with a famous painter teacher soon."

Silence swallowed the room.

Then Emily seemed to recall something and laughed softly. "The funniest one is Theodore. He once asked Aurora why she hadn’t done anything for him."

Her smile turned amused. "In reality, she already gave him a contract under a newly established entertainment company, one that she opened under his name."

Emily shook her head, half amused, half exasperated.

"If he ever looked closely, he’d realize he’s the real owner of that company. She’s doing everything she can to give her brother the best resources, even arranging things according to his wishes."

Her voice softened. "She’s done so much that even I sometimes wonder if such a sibling truly exists. In my next life, I honestly wish Aurora would be my sibling."

Adam and Mary remained silent, the weight of her words pressing down on them.

Emily stood up slowly. "I told you all this because I couldn’t bear to watch the Waters family stay so blind," she said quietly.

"You’re incredibly fortunate to have Aurora as your daughter..."

She turned toward the door and began to walk away.

"Emily," Adam suddenly called out, his voice hoarse. "If that’s the case, why did Aurora trust you so much? And why did you do all this for us?"

His hands clenched. "You had every chance to betray her when she was in a coma."

Emily stopped. Then she laughed, tears welling up in her eyes as she wiped them away. "Because I owe her my life," she replied softly.

She turned back, her expression unguarded for the first time.

"I didn’t come from a wealthy family. I was trapped in a toxic marriage. I didn’t even have enough money to raise my own child properly. There was a time when I almost gave up on everything."

Her voice trembled slightly. "I was desperately searching for acting gigs when I met Aurora. At first, I thought she wouldn’t be able to pay much."

Emily smiled sadly. "But she changed my destiny."

Emily inhaled deeply. "After staying by her side, I learned so much. I’ll be grateful to her for eternity. I would never betray her, even if the whole world asked me to."

Hearing that, Adam fell silent, his head bowed. Mary’s eyes brimmed with tears, which spilled down her cheeks.

Mary stood abruptly, her voice shaking. "I want to see my daughter," she whispered. "I want to hug her."

She rushed toward the door, but Emily immediately stepped forward and stopped her.

"You can’t," Emily said firmly.

Mary frowned, her brows knitting together. "Why?"

Emily’s voice softened again. "Because Aurora wants all of this to remain a secret. She asked me to hide everything."

Her gaze lowered. "I failed at that and told you the truth. If Aurora finds out, she’ll definitely be furious with me."

Emily looked at both of them earnestly. "So I need you to hide everything for now. Let her tell you herself, when she’s ready."

Adam and Mary remained speechless for a long while.

Before either of them could gather their thoughts or form a response, Emily spoke again, her expression turning unusually serious.

"In the future, Aurora might do even more," she warned quietly. "If you confront her now, there’s a high chance she’ll fire me at best."

Her gaze sharpened. "At worst, she’ll hide everything and leave you."

Those words made both Adam and Mary frown deeply.

"Why would you say something like that?" Adam’s voice carried disbelief and worry. "Aurora isn’t the kind of person who would leave us just because we know the truth."

Emily smiled faintly, but her eyes darkened as memories surfaced. ’If only it were that simple,’ she thought.

"I once had a conversation with her," Emily replied calmly. "She told me that she planned to hide everything forever. And if her family ever found out the truth..." She paused briefly, choosing her words carefully. "She said she would leave... for your own good."

Mary’s breath hitched.

"She didn’t explain much," Emily continued, "but I suspect she’s hiding far more than even I know." Her gaze hardened with resolve. "So if you truly want to keep Aurora safe, there’s only one thing you can do."

Adam and Mary waited, their hearts pounding.

"Keep your mouths shut," Emily stated firmly. "In return, I’ll continue telling you whatever Aurora is doing behind the scenes."

She looked at them intently. "I have only one request. Don’t stop treating me as the benefactor. Even though I’m not the one who helped you." Her voice softened. "It was your own daughter."

Adam and Mary nodded slowly, the weight of the decision settling over them. Silence fell again, heavy and solemn.

"Since I’ve said everything I needed to," Emily added quietly, "I’ll leave it at that."

She reached for the doorknob. Just as her fingers touched the cold metal, a faint sound reached her ears, the soft, uneven rhythm of footsteps somewhere outside.

Emily paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then a small, knowing smile appeared on her lips.

’Definitely a man,’ she thought. A woman would’ve slipped away without a sound.

Stepping outside, Emily glanced around the dim hallway, her heels clicking softly against the floor.

Finding nothing unusual, she smiled once more and walked away.

Behind the wall of the adjacent room, Theodore stood frozen.

His eyes were wide, his heartbeat so loud it felt as though it might betray him.

’So it was all true,’ his mind echoed in disbelief. He had never imagined that he would uncover such a truth.

From the moment Emily entered the room, he had followed a few minutes later.

He had stopped outside, only two or three minutes late, and that was when he heard everything.

Emily hadn’t whispered at all. Her voice had been clear, steady, loud enough for those inside to hear, and unfortunately for him, loud enough for those outside as well.

That was how Theodore learned everything.

His legs gave out, and he slowly sank to the floor. Trembling, he covered his face with both hands as tears welled up in his eyes.