Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 498: Marriage

’So that’s why,’ he thought bitterly.

When he had been struggling, when he had believed he would never make it in the industry and was destined to fail, a light had suddenly appeared.

A prestigious contract. An exclusive position under one of the most resourceful entertainment companies. He had thought it was luck.

Now he knew better.

Everything he had gained, the stability, the peace, the confidence with which he now acted, had all been because of Aurora.

She had arranged resources for him. She had cleared the path. She hadn’t asked for credit. She had helped him in silence.

And yet, when he had once asked her what she had done for him, she had only smiled.

For a moment, an intense urge surged within him.

’I should confront her,’ he thought. ’I should ask her why she stayed silent when I asked her directly.’

She should have told him. He would have thanked her. He would have revered her, praised her, treated her like a savior.

But she hadn’t.

Instead, she had acted indifferent, as if none of it mattered.

He had once believed she never saw his sacrifices or his struggles. Now he realized that she had seen everything and had even found solutions for him.

That was when it struck him, the stark difference between the feelings he had for Eleanor and for Aurora.

He had once thought Eleanor was kind, simply because she offered him a few motivational words now and then.

But looking back, Aurora had always been there. When he cried. When he felt inferior.

When he doubted himself. It had been Aurora, his siblings, and his family who stood by him.

She had even gone so far as to build a company for him using her own connections and resources, making sure he knew nothing so he would never feel burdened.

’Why are you so good to me?’ he wondered, his chest aching.

Unlike Eleanor, who only offered words, Aurora had invested in him emotionally and financially.

It proved that even if Eleanor liked him or was a good person, Aurora was the one who had truly loved him all along.

She was the sibling who had always been there.

Tears slid down his cheeks as he clenched his fists.

In his heart, he made a silent vow. ’One day, when I stand on a grand stage and receive an award, I will praise her. I will give her the credit she deserves.’

For now, however, he knew what he had to do.

He wiped his tears and steadied his breathing. ’I have to act as if I know nothing,’ he decided. ’Only then will Aurora believe she’s safe... and that she doesn’t need to leave.’

With that thought settling in his heart, Theodore slowly stood up.

He wiped away the remaining tears, the back of his hand brushing roughly against his damp cheeks, and took a steadying breath before walking toward the room where the siblings had gathered.

They were discussing various arrangements, their expressions relaxed and peaceful.

In the middle of it all, Aurora occasionally spoke, offering her opinions with calm confidence.

Watching her like this, Theodore felt something warm bloom in his chest.

’How could I not notice before?’ he thought, a trace of bitterness lacing his fondness.

The more he looked at her, the more his affection grew. Aurora truly was a blessing in his life.

’If not for her,’ he reflected, ’I might have long ago fallen for Eleonora.’

He would have accepted her without hesitation, allowed her to step into his life, and believed every sweet word she fed him.

Without the stability he had now, he would have been emotionally and mentally weak, blind enough to let Eleonora’s fake affection wrap around him like a comforting lie.

Thanks to Aurora, he had been able to see Eleonora’s true colors.

The more he thought about it, the firmer his resolve became.

’I’ll make her proud,’ he decided quietly, his gaze lingering on Aurora’s calm profile.

Meanwhile, Aurora remained completely unaware that Adam and Mary, Theodore, and even Alex already knew her secret.

Oblivious to everything, she continued working tirelessly on the details.

It took a full two days before they were finally able to pull off the wedding Adam and Mary had long wished for.

During those two days, however, Adam and Mary were unusually subdued. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Their first reaction upon learning the truth hadn’t been pride in their daughter’s achievements.

It had been sadness. Deep, suffocating sadness.

They had never imagined that their daughter carried such an immense burden on her fragile shoulders, all while presenting herself as the most carefree among them.

As they thought back, they remembered how often she had fallen sick, how pale she looked at times.

Now, they understood. It was likely because she had been constantly juggling investments, transferring assets under their names, earning money while exhausting herself in the process.

The more they thought about it, the more distressed they became.

To the point that even the siblings noticed something was wrong.

Adam and Mary had grown so inattentive that they almost forgot about their own wedding.

They followed Aurora everywhere, reminding her to eat properly and to rest, occasionally pressing a hand to her forehead to check her temperature.

Their concern was constant, almost suffocating.

Even Aurora was astonished.

She enjoyed the attention, of course, but at the same time, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was too much.

Finally, unable to ignore it any longer, she decided to confront them.

When she found herself alone with them, she didn’t hesitate. "What’s going on?" she demanded gently.

"Why are you taking such care of me?"

Adam and Mary fell silent.

After a moment, Mary forced a smile. "We noticed that you’ve been falling sick more often after waking up from the coma," she said softly.

"We’re worried there might be some hidden ailment still troubling you."

Aurora didn’t doubt her for a second.

Ever since she was young, they had always worried about her like this.

It was the same reason Adam had once gone so far as to risk everything just to bring different color cars to her school so she wouldn’t feel left out.

She knew this much... they were genuinely worried.

Yet at the same time, Aurora could sense that something was being hidden.

Her eyes lingered on them, silently urging them to tell the truth.

Finally, Adam spoke, his voice calm and steady.

"We’ve realized that there have been many accidents lately. We’re afraid that if something happens again, you, being the weakest among us, might suffer the most."

Hearing that, Aurora let out a quiet sigh of relief.

’So they’ve noticed,’ she thought. She nodded reassuringly.

"There’s no need to worry. I’ve already hired bodyguards. I’ll make sure no one can take advantage of me or hurt me because of my condition."

Adam and Mary nodded, their expressions relaxing slightly. Only they knew that it was a lie... one meant to protect her.

And believing that lie, Aurora finally relaxed and shifted her full attention back to the wedding.

When the wedding day arrived, Adam and Mary found themselves unexpectedly nervous.

At first, their minds had been consumed with worry for Aurora, leaving little room for anything else.

But now, standing at the edge of the aisle, about to take those final steps, a strange mix of excitement and anxiety surged within them.

Their hands felt cold. Their hearts raced.

For the first time in a long while, they experienced what it meant to have cold feet.

As they began to walk down the aisle, soft music floating through the air, they saw their children cheering from both sides.

For a fleeting moment, both Adam and Mary felt as though they had returned to their youth.

’Back then, we had dreams too,’ they thought almost in unison, ’dreams of getting married, of holding a grand ceremony.’

But in those days, they had no money. No lavish venue. No extravagant decorations.

They had only each other and a handful of quiet wishes buried deep in their hearts.

Even so, they had yearned for a wedding like this, one that felt almost unreal, like something torn straight from a fairy tale.

And now, standing here, hand in hand, they were finally living that dream.

From their perspective, the wedding was flawless. Every step felt steady, every smile sincere.

What Adam and Mary did not know was that behind the scenes, chaos had been brewing.

Not far from the aisle, Aurora stood still, her gaze cold as she stared at the arrogant man in front of her.

He waved a thick bundle of cash in his hand, the sharp smell of money and cologne mixing unpleasantly in the air.

His expression was smug, as though he were some kind of savior bestowing charity upon beggars.

Beside Aurora stood Olivia and Adriana, while Theodore and Lucas remained slightly behind. All of them were watching the man in silence.