Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 463: 1% Percent

He picked up the document and stood up, straightening his back with forced confidence.

"Originally, I wanted to quote you a price," he added, "but I know very well that if I told you the number, you would never accept."

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "What number would make even you hesitate to say it out loud?" she asked.

Miller’s lips curved into a grin. "One hundred million dollars."

Aurora went still for a heartbeat. Then she simply turned her head, glanced at the door, and spoke in a calm, almost bored tone. "The exit is on your left."

She pulled out her phone and began scrolling through it casually, as if he had just said something mildly amusing rather than outrageous.

Her reaction stunned him. He had expected anger, shock, at least some attempt to negotiate.

Instead she looked completely relaxed, as though his presence no longer mattered.

He clenched his fists and turned toward the door. After taking a few slow steps, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

"If you like this problem statement that much," he insisted, "then you know it has the potential to earn millions. You should reconsider. We can meet in the middle."

Aurora did not even look up. "I already have several businesses that generate almost one hundred million dollars annually," she replied calmly.

"Why would I spend one hundred million just to buy a problem statement from you? I could easily purchase ten different problem statements for one million each. With a hundred million, I could probably build this entire startup and still have at least seventy million left to relax with."

Miller swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "Fine," he said, forcing a smile.

"I am ready to sell the problem statement for fifty million dollars. It is half the original amount, and I will not go a dollar lower."

Aurora finally looked up and laughed softly. "I will give you one hundred thousand dollars."

Miller’s expression darkened immediately. He jabbed a finger in her direction. "You are acting like one of those black-hearted rich people," he snapped.

Aurora’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

"If I truly wanted to act like a black-hearted wealthy person," she replied lightly, "I would not pay you a single cent. I would just claim I thought of the problem statement myself and leave you with nothing."

Miller’s jaw tightened. "I will lower the price again," he muttered. "Twenty-five million. That is my final offer."

Aurora rested her chin on her hand and calmly shook her head. "I am not moving even a cent from one hundred thousand."

Miller ground his teeth. "Then I will come down to ten million," he declared. "Anything less and you can forget about it."

Aurora tilted her head slightly. "Have you actually opened your own document and read it properly?" she asked.

Miller stiffened, a flicker of uncertainty flashing across his face.

Aurora’s tone remained gentle but firm.

"If you had, you would realize that the entire startup you described can probably be built with ten million dollars. Why would I give you ten million for a problem statement when I can use that money to build the entire company?"

Miller swallowed and finally lowered his head. His thoughts churned restlessly for a moment before he spoke again, voice quieter.

"Then... one hundred thousand does have value," he conceded. "However, I want a better deal. You give me one million plus a small percentage in the company you build."

Aurora chuckled and leaned back slightly. "Why do you still not understand?" she asked.

"If I wanted to be shameless, I could hire some random actor, give him a bit of money, and have him claim that he sold me this problem statement. You never presented this idea publicly. You have no patent. You have no proof. Problem statements cannot be trademarked as easily as you think."

Miller’s lips pressed into a thin line. For the first time, he truly grasped how weak his bargaining position was.

He exhaled slowly, frustration simmering in his chest. "At least one million should be the baseline," he muttered. "Anything less feels like an insult."

Aurora shook her head. "The price is one hundred thousand," she replied.

"Not a penny more. Honestly, I am starting to feel tempted to drop it to fifty thousand. If you reject it, I will simply walk away and find an actor."

Miller clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned pale. He stared at her for a long moment and then finally gave in. "Fine," he said through gritted teeth.

"One hundred thousand. However, you have to give me a small percentage of shares or dividends. Otherwise, I will make sure your company faces trouble at every stage."

Aurora laughed, the sound rich and amused rather than nervous.

"You seem to misunderstand something very important," she replied.

"I am a highly respected person. Many people in this circle owe me favors. Do you really think your vague threat of ’causing problems’ will scare me?"

Her confidence pressed down on him like a weight. He went silent.

Aurora tapped her finger on the table again. "Here is my final offer," she said.

"I will pay you ten thousand dollars in cash and convert the remaining ninety thousand into one percent equity in the company. That one percent will likely give you anywhere between five hundred thousand and one million dollars in dividends every year once the company stabilizes, assuming everything goes well."

Miller lowered his gaze and thought carefully.

Ten thousand upfront was far less than he had imagined when he walked in here.

However, one percent equity was no small matter.

If the valuation of the startup grew, that tiny percentage could turn into a reliable, long-term income.

He could even buy more shares later, slowly turning himself from a desperate opportunist into a small yet genuine shareholder. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

’If the company grows and even at the low end gives me half a million a year, that would still be more than forty thousand every month,’ he calculated inwardly, his pulse starting to quicken with a different kind of excitement.

’I could actually live off that, invest further, maybe even build something of my own for real.’

Aurora watched the shifting expression on Miller’s face, the flicker of temptation softening his earlier stubbornness.

She could practically see the calculations whirling behind his eyes. When she sensed that his resolve was beginning to crack, she allowed a small, serene smile to touch her lips.

"The choice is in your hands," she murmured gently, her tone calm but undeniably firm.

Miller hesitated for only a brief heartbeat before nodding.

His shoulders dropped slightly, the tension melting away as if he had finally accepted an unavoidable fate. "I agree," he said quietly.

Aurora let out a soft laugh, the sound airy yet controlled. "Good. Then I’ll have my assistant draw up the contract."

She lifted her phone and dialed Emily. The faint hum of the air-conditioning filled the private room while she waited.

When the call connected, Aurora spoke in her crisp Ms. Dawn voice, detailing the terms with clipped precision: ten thousand dollars, one percent equity, no resale without her approval, and binding confidentiality.

Emily arrived a short while later, heels tapping rhythmically against the polished floor.

She entered with the contract neatly clipped onto a sleek folder, the faint scent of printer ink trailing behind her.

Aurora motioned for Miller to take a seat again. He picked up the pen, his fingers trembling slightly as he scanned the dense text.

The room felt heavier, as though the air itself waited for his next action. With a slow breath, he signed.

Aurora took the pen afterward and signed with elegant, fluid strokes, her movements confident and final.

Emily collected the documents and bowed slightly. She slipped out of the room to file them, leaving Aurora and Miller alone once more.

Miller shifted in his seat and finally turned toward her. "What’s the catch here?" he asked, unable to hide the cautious suspicion threading through his voice.

Aurora raised an eyebrow, feigning innocent curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Miller leaned forward slightly.

"I feel as though you’re hiding something. Maybe you know something I don’t. Now that we’ve signed the contract, shouldn’t you at least tell me?"

Aurora’s smile was gentle, almost mischievous. "I cannot," she replied.

"If I told you, everything might unfold differently than I want. And that wouldn’t be ideal."

Miller exhaled sharply, frustration coloring his tone. "At least tell me this: can the solution to this problem earn more than a hundred million?"

Aurora remained silent, offering him nothing but a small, mysterious smile.

Her silence spoke louder than any words could have.

Miller swallowed, sensing both opportunity and danger pressing tightly against him. "We can discuss more now, right? After all, we’re practically half-partners."

Aurora shook her index finger slowly, amusement shimmering in her eyes. "We are not half-partners," she corrected.

"We simply know each other. You own one percent of my future company, nothing more. That puts you on the same level as any small shareholder from an average wealthy family."

The bluntness stung him. His jaw tightened, and he forced out a breath. "If that’s how you see it, then I don’t think I need to stay here any longer."