Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 482: Manipulating

Without another second of hesitation, he turned around abruptly and dumped the lily bouquet into the nearest trash bin, the sound of stems hitting plastic echoing sharply in the quiet space.

When he returned, he was holding a box of chocolates.

This time, by sheer luck or memory, it happened to be the brand Jules used to love.

He placed it carefully on the table, pulled out the chair across from her, and sat down with an ingratiating smile plastered on his face.

"I’m sorry... I’m really sorry," he repeated, his voice almost overly gentle. "I didn’t know you’d react this strongly." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Jules inhaled slowly, the faint scent of chocolate lingering in the air left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Her voice remained calm when she replied, but there was a sharp edge beneath it.

"In the future, if you ever see gardenias at my wedding banquet, don’t feel disgusted."

The color drained from Nick’s face once again. Gardenias. Of course.

Once, long ago, they had planned to decorate their wedding venue entirely with gardenias.

They had talked about it endlessly, about white petals and soft lights and vows spoken under flowers.

But when the wedding actually happened, there were no flowers at all. No grand ceremony. No guests. Just a silent marriage so discreet that hardly anyone knew they were husband and wife.

Now, Jules was talking about marriage again, but her words made one thing painfully clear.

She was not talking about marrying him. She was talking about another man.

And in that man’s wedding, she would use gardenias. She was deliberately mirroring the same disgust he had inflicted on her for years.

Understanding finally dawned on Nick, and he forced a wide smile.

"I know," he began, "I’ve made a lot of mistakes. But I promise I’ll redeem myself. I’ll beg for your forgiveness if I have to. Even if it means kneeling."

Jules smiled faintly, then looked straight at him. "I’m not here to listen to your bullshit."

The moment the words left her mouth, a strange sense of empowerment washed over her.

Her shoulders felt lighter, her breathing steadier. Nick, on the other hand, froze in shock. He had never imagined Jules would speak to him like this.

"Why are you talking so rudely?" he blurted out.

Jules raised her hand, stopping him mid-sentence. Her tone remained eerily calm.

"You tortured me throughout our marriage. Just because I didn’t document everything doesn’t mean I can’t put you behind bars now. So stop harassing me and stop this drama."

Nick’s face went completely pale. Jules continued, her gaze distant, as though she were speaking to someone she never wanted to acknowledge again.

"Whether you’re truly repentant or just acting, I don’t care. I’ve built a life of my own. If you dare to threaten that life, I won’t hesitate. I’ll go as far as making sure we both die. So what if I end up behind bars for killing you? At least I’ll know I ended the person who kept trying to interfere with my happiness."

Her words hit Nick like a physical blow. He was utterly stunned.

He had expected tears, accusations, maybe hatred.

The worst he had imagined was her swearing never to give him another chance.

But this was different. Jules sounded cold-blooded, detached, as if murder was nothing more than a distant possibility she had already accepted.

It was clear she did not want even the smallest piece of him left in her life.

Nick clenched his fists, his eyes dropping to the floor.

’This isn’t how it was supposed to go,’ he thought desperately. ’It shouldn’t have ended like this.’

A strange image flashed through his mind, vague and fleeting, as if he had seen something important but couldn’t quite grasp it.

Before he could steady himself, Jules spoke again. "Our conversation is over. I’m leaving."

She stood up, pushing her chair back.

"Do you really want to leave now?" Nick asked, his voice suddenly cold.

Jules let out a soft chuckle and turned away without hesitation, already taking a step forward.

Then Nick’s voice cut through the air once more.

"If you dare to walk away, I’ll send pictures of us meeting today to your current boyfriend."

Lucas, who was seated just a short distance away, clearly heard Nick’s words, and an uncontrollable urge to laugh rose in his chest.

’What a snake,’ he thought coldly.

This man was actually threatening his girlfriend, trying to imply that a few photos could twist reality into some cheap scandal, as if Jules were secretly having an affair behind Lucas’ back.

The mere idea of sending pictures from an ordinary meeting to fabricate something so filthy was revolting.

Lucas leaned back slightly, his fingers brushing against the cool surface of the table, and fixed his gaze on Nick. He decided to wait and see just how far this snake would crawl before striking.

At the same time, Jules laughed out loud, her laughter crisp and unapologetic.

She already knew Lucas was nearby. If he saw her standing with Nick, at most he might feel a flicker of discomfort, but never, not even for a second, would he think there was anything between her and that man.

’Bringing Lucas today was the right decision,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, who knows what twisted nonsense this snake would have tried.’

She looked straight at Nick, her eyes steady. "Go ahead," she said calmly. "Send whatever you want."

With that, she turned and started walking toward the café entrance, her steps unhurried and firm.

Just then, the glass door was pushed open with a soft chime, and Maya walked in, looking slightly disheveled, as if she had rushed over without stopping to fix herself.

The moment her eyes landed on Jules, a flash of hatred flickered within them, sharp and instinctive.

However, she suppressed it almost immediately and hurried over, grabbing Jules’ hand with both of hers, her expression filled with false worry.

"Jules, are you alright?" Maya’s voice trembled just enough to sound sincere. "I heard you were meeting Nick today. I was so worried. I even called Lucas to tell him you were here."

Jules laughed softly. If she did not know better, she might have believed Maya was a genuinely concerned friend.

But reality was far uglier. This was her own younger sister, a woman who had gone as far as altering her face just to crawl back into Jules’ life and ruin it.

Taking a slow breath, Jules pulled her hand back and looked at Maya, faint disgust surfacing in her eyes.

"So, are you here to put on a show?" she asked coolly. "To remind me that I’m marrying Lucas and that I shouldn’t be thinking about Nick?"

She let out a short, humorless chuckle.

"You don’t need to worry. In my eyes, Nick is nothing but trash. If you want him, you’re welcome to take him."

With that, she shoved Maya aside and walked past her without sparing another glance.

Maya stared after her, indignation burning in her chest. She had expected fear, shock, maybe even panic.

Instead, Jules’ reaction had been flat and dismissive, making Maya feel ridiculous, like an overinflated balloon that had suddenly lost all its air.

Clenching her jaw, she turned around and spotted Nick standing not far away. It was obvious he had heard everything.

Her expression stiffened, but she quickly composed herself and walked up to him, lowering her voice.

"I understand that you were disappointed in Laurie that day," she said softly.

"But that doesn’t mean Jules is completely innocent. Who knows, maybe she did something too. Otherwise, why would Laurie go as far as framing her and stealing her credit?"

Nick paused for a brief moment, his gaze darkening.

"Even so," he replied calmly, "it doesn’t justify Laurie taking Jules’ credit."

He hesitated slightly before continuing, his eyes sharpening as they fixed on Maya.

"And I checked something recently. The real Laurie is still alive. She’s still out there."

Maya’s heart slammed violently against her ribs. For a split second, she was convinced he already knew the truth.

Her fingers curled tightly into her palm, nails biting into flesh.

’Impossible,’ she repeated to herself. ’No one knows. No one can know.’

Maybe Nick was just testing her.

She immediately forced a shocked expression onto her face, followed by an exaggerated look of delight.

"Really? If Laurie is alive, then that’s wonderful news," she said eagerly. "We should try to find her."

As she spoke, she reached out to hold Nick’s hand, but he sidestepped her touch effortlessly.

"You’re my brother’s girlfriend," he said coolly. "Not mine. Don’t act as if we’re close."

He straightened, his tone distant.

"I only spoke to you because I thought you and Laurie were acquainted. But now that I think about it, even if you are, it doesn’t matter. You’re distant at best. It would be better for us to keep our distance."

With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

Maya stood frozen for a second before her hands clenched tightly at her sides, hatred twisting her features.

"I’ll kill her," she muttered under her breath. "I’ll kill Jules."