Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 470: Nick

But for now, that plan would have to wait.

She looked back at the mansion longingly. She had once lived there, basking in its warmth and luxury. All of it had slipped from her grasp because of Jules.

Lowering her head, she muttered inwardly, ’One day, I’ll make you pay.’

Then she turned and walked away.

Inside the car, Annie’s hands trembled as she dialed her maid.

"Go to Laurie’s room," she instructed quietly. "Search carefully. Bring me anything unusual."

It didn’t take long.

The maid returned with a small, worn diary hidden behind a row of books. She handed it over silently.

Annie opened it. With every page she turned, her face drained of color.

Laurie had written about Jules’s excellence, her brightness, her warmth, her effortless charm. She wrote about Jules having a wealthy boyfriend, about how that made her burn with envy.

She confessed that she had tried to seduce him, only to fail because he never once responded to her hints.

Another page followed.

Laurie wrote about stealing credit for Jules’s work, about how Jules’s boyfriend treated her like a savior afterward, never knowing that Jules had been the one who truly helped him.

Annie’s entire body began to shake.

Her breath came out ragged as she continued reading. Laurie described how she bullied Jules, how she manipulated others into believing Jules was mischievous and dishonest.

She wrote proudly about how Jules could no longer even speak freely to her own mother.

Tears streamed down Annie’s face.

She pressed the diary to her chest as sobs tore from her throat. ’I did this... I helped destroy my own child.’

Regret crushed her heart.

She remembered the moment Jules had once tried to end her life. The darkness her daughter must have endured. The loneliness. The despair.

Annie covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking violently as guilt consumed her completely.

After crying for a long while, Annie finally managed to steady her breathing. Her eyes were swollen and burning, her chest still aching with every inhale.

She lifted her gaze toward the driver and spoke in a hoarse voice,

"Take me to where Jules is living now."

The driver hesitated.

His hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel. He had watched Jules grow up.

He remembered her quiet smiles, her polite greetings, the way she always thanked him sincerely.

The thought of witnessing her being hurt again made his throat feel dry.

Seeing his hesitation, Annie slowly closed her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, stripped of authority.

"I know the truth now. I won’t harass her anymore. I’m going there to apologize."

Annie knew that the driver was one of the rare people who had asked her to let go of her hatred and punish Jules. And for that she was grateful and felt that he was way more sincere than all the other friends she had.

The driver let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Still, he glanced at her through the rearview mirror and spoke carefully,

"I don’t want to overstep, Madam... but this time, you truly crossed the line."

Annie didn’t interrupt.

"Even if Jules had some responsibility in Laurie’s death, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve happiness. From what I know, she isn’t the type to deliberately harm anyone. If something happened, it was most likely an accident." His voice lowered. "She didn’t deserve to be punished like this."

Then, almost as an afterthought, he added quietly,

"I saw it with my own eyes. After her divorce, Jules tried to end her life."

Annie’s heart clenched painfully.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of her coat as she whispered, "I know..."

Hearing that, the driver finally nodded and started the car.

Soon, they arrived at the apartment building where Jules had been living. Without hesitation, Annie stepped out, her legs trembling as she entered the building and took the elevator to the familiar floor.

She stood in front of the door.

Her hand shook as she rang the bell.

No response.

She rang it again, more urgently this time, anxiety crawling up her spine. Just as the door finally opened, she let out a shaky breath and started, "I’m sorry..."

The words froze in her throat.

Standing in front of her was a completely unfamiliar elderly man.

Annie stared at him, visibly flustered. "Who... who are you?"

The old man smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping her up and down without any attempt to hide his assessment.

"I’m the one who rented this apartment. And who might you be? What brings you here?"

Annie didn’t even register the way he looked at her. Her mind was already racing.

"Does a woman named Jules live here with you? Or did she live here before?"

The man shook his head slowly.

"The previous tenant was indeed named Jules, but she moved out a long time ago. Her boyfriend came to pick her up just the day before yesterday."

Annie’s heart skipped violently. "Where did she go?" she asked, her voice tightening.

The old man shrugged.

"I don’t know. From what I heard, her own mother kept harassing her. The girl was scared, so she left."

He snorted softly.

"From what the neighbors said, that mother was truly shameless. Ruining her own daughter’s life like that."

Then his eyes narrowed slightly as realization dawned on him.

"You’re not... her mother, are you?"

Annie nodded stiffly.

The warmth vanished from the old man’s expression instantly.

Any interest he had earlier disappeared as he reached for the door.

"People these days," he muttered, "don’t even hesitate to destroy their own children."

The door closed in her face.

Annie stood there, staring at the wooden surface as dizziness washed over her. Her knees weakened, and she had to lean against the wall to keep herself from collapsing.

’So she left... without a word.’

Even after learning the truth, even after regretting everything, Jules still chose to disappear.

That meant only one thing.

Jules truly believed Annie was dangerous to her life.

Her lips trembled as she whispered, "I’m sorry... I’m so sorry..."

But this time, no one was there to hear her.

She slowly made her way back downstairs and into the car. Her shoulders slumped, her gaze hollow.

"Take me back to the mansion," she murmured.

On the way back, the driver hesitated before speaking again. "How... did the meeting go?"

Annie remained silent for a long moment before suddenly asking, "Do you know where Jules is?"

The car fell into silence.

After a while, the driver shook his head.

"I tried to keep in contact with her. I even saw her three days ago. But she asked me to stop looking for her."

Annie’s eyes lit up faintly. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated, then continued,

"I used to secretly check on her whereabouts. When she found out three days ago, she contacted me and met me in person. She thanked me... and transferred fifty thousand dollars to my account."

Annie’s breath caught.

"She asked me not to look for her anymore," he added quietly. "She said she didn’t want any contact with any of you."

His voice grew heavier.

"I asked if she would stay at the apartment she owned. She said yes, and I believed her. I thought... we could still see her if needed."

He shook his head slowly. "I didn’t expect she was lying."

Annie’s last bit of strength crumbled.

Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed silently in the backseat, her body shaking. The car remained parked for nearly thirty minutes before she finally stepped out, her expression utterly defeated.

When she entered the mansion, she lifted her head, and froze.

Standing inside was Maya.

And beside her was someone whose mere presence made Annie’s blood boil with uncontrollable rage.

Standing beside Maya was none other than Nick, Jules’s ex-husband, the very man who had tormented her relentlessly in the past.

The moment Annie’s eyes landed on him, a chill crept up her spine.

Once upon a time, whenever she saw Nick standing near Maya, she had mistaken him for a pillar of support, someone dependable who stood on the "right" side.

Now, however, a horrifying thought surfaced in her mind.

’What if he knew everything all along?’

’What if he still supported Maya because he liked Laurie... from the very beginning?’

That single possibility made Annie’s fingers curl tightly into her palms. For a brief, dangerous second, she felt an overwhelming urge to slap Nick across the face.

Nick noticed her arrival and immediately rose from his seat. He walked toward her with measured, deliberate steps, his posture calm, almost rehearsed.

When he stopped in front of her, he offered a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"How are you doing?" he asked gently.

Annie forced herself to remain composed.

’I can’t expose anything yet,’ she reminded herself. ’Not until I know the whole truth.’

She curved her lips into a polite smile.

"I’m doing fine," she replied evenly. "What brings you here?"

Nick hesitated. A flicker of hope flashed through his eyes before he spoke again,

"I heard... that you know where Jules is."