Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 494: Cheater

Her voice trembled as she continued.

"And the strangest part is... there’s something inside me. A voice. It keeps pushing me to open the door. I don’t understand it. I really don’t."

Tears blurred her vision.

"It makes me feel like I’m cheating on you," she whispered. "Even though I don’t want him. Even though I hate this feeling."

Lucas fell silent.

Jules’s emotions finally overflowed.

"I’m not a cheater," she cried. "I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel like I’m going crazy. I feel like I don’t even deserve you."

Her chest tightened painfully.

"My past was so dark," she sobbed. "So empty."

As Lucas listened, his heart sank. Only now did he realize how serious Jules’s situation was.

He had thought things were improving, that everything was finally moving in the right direction.

’I overlooked it,’ he realized grimly. ’I overlooked too much.’

"Jules," he said softly, "don’t cry."

Those words were enough to break her completely. Her sobs grew louder, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Lucas stood up immediately.

"Listen to me," he said firmly but gently. "You didn’t do anything wrong."

He grabbed his keys.

"I’m coming to you right now."

Jules gasped.

"Stay on the call," Lucas continued. "I’ll be there soon."

As he drove, he kept talking, his voice never wavering.

"You’re better than any girl I’ve ever met," he said sincerely. "You’re beautiful, Jules. Not just your face, but everything about you."

Jules listened, her breathing slowly evening out.

"Your personality, your kindness, your strength," Lucas went on. "Everyone in my family already accepts you. To them, you’re already their sister-in-law."

Just as Jules continued listening to Lucas’s voice, the sharp chime of the doorbell rang again.

She froze.

The sound sliced through the air, shrill and insistent, making her blood run cold. Lucas’s voice immediately tightened on the other end of the call.

"Don’t open the door," he said firmly. "Whatever you do, don’t open it."

Jules didn’t answer.

Her fingers trembled around the phone, and then, without warning, she stood up.

It was as if her body no longer belonged to her. Her legs moved on their own, slow and unsteady, carrying her toward the door.

"Jules?" Lucas called sharply. "Jules!"

He could already hear her footsteps.

The sound of her name, loud and urgent, cut through the haze in her mind like a blade.

Jules stopped abruptly, her whole body jolting as if something invisible had snapped.

She dropped into a crouch, her back sliding down the wall. Her breath came out uneven, shallow and panicked.

"What’s... what’s wrong with me?" she whispered, her voice small and broken. "Why did I do that? Why couldn’t I stop myself?"

Lucas’s tone softened instantly, wrapping around her like an anchor.

"It’s okay," he said calmly. "You’re safe. I’m coming to you right now. You don’t need to worry about anything."

His words steadied her racing heart. Jules nodded weakly, even though he couldn’t see it, and sank fully onto the floor, pressing her knees to her chest.

Outside, Nick grew restless.

The doorbell rang again. And again. Rapid, impatient, as if he were daring the door to defy him.

’He’s getting desperate,’ Jules thought faintly, her palms damp with sweat.

Then, suddenly, the noise stopped.

Moments later, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Lucas arrived.

The instant he saw Nick standing there, his expression hardened.

There was no hesitation, no questions. His fist connected with Nick’s jaw before Nick even had time to react.

Nick stumbled back, shock flashing across his face.

Lucas didn’t stop.

Aurora had once warned them. After learning about the assassination attempts on her family, she had discreetly insisted that everyone learn some form of self-defense. Lucas had taken that advice seriously.

When he was sixteen, after learning how Adriana had nearly been bullied beyond endurance, he had started training relentlessly.

Fighting techniques. Self-defense. Control.

By the time he had enough money, he had invested not only in business skills but also in combat training.

And now, facing someone four or five years older than him, Lucas moved with frightening precision.

Nick didn’t stand a chance.

He was driven backward, crashing against the wall, barely able to block the blows raining down on him.

Maya, who had arrived with Nick, stood frozen in shock.

’Who is this man?’ she thought wildly. ’Why is he so... strong?’

She rushed forward, forcing softness into her voice.

"Stop!" she cried. "What are you doing? Why are you hitting him like this?"

She reached out, trying to grab Lucas’s bicep.

Lucas shoved her away without a second thought, his expression filled with undisguised disgust. His eyes flicked to her, sharp and cold.

"Think before you act," he snapped. "Touch me again, and you’ll regret it."

Maya recoiled instantly, fear flashing across her face as she staggered back.

Meanwhile, Nick glared at Lucas, his eyes bloodshot, hatred twisted across his bruised features.

"This is all because of you!" he spat. "If you hadn’t shown up, I would’ve succeeded!"

Lucas felt something inside him snap.

’This man manipulated Jules,’ he thought darkly. ’Tormented her. And he still dares to say this?’

His fists clenched again.

Before things could escalate further, the apartment door suddenly flew open.

Jules rushed out.

The moment she saw Lucas, she didn’t hesitate. She ran straight into his arms, clutching him tightly, her face buried against his chest.

"I’m here," Lucas murmured instinctively, wrapping his arms around her.

The warmth of her embrace grounded him. His anger eased, and he slowly stepped back, placing himself between Jules and Nick.

Nick stared at Jules as if she were something he had obsessed over for far too long, his expression warped with fixation.

Maya watched the scene unfold, jealousy burning fiercely in her chest.

’Why does she get to have him?’ she thought bitterly. ’Why does she get someone like him?’

Unable to hold herself back, Maya stepped forward, her voice dripping with accusation.

"You’re going too far," she said sharply, glaring at Jules. "Shouldn’t you keep your distance? You already have a fiancé, don’t you? Yet you’re clinging to another man while still calling your ex over and over. Isn’t that shameless?"

As she spoke, her eyes flickered toward Lucas, gauging his reaction.

’He should feel disgusted,’ she thought. ’He should back away.’

But Lucas didn’t.

He shot Maya a cold glare, then turned back to Jules without hesitation and pulled her into his arms again. The way he held her was protective, intimate, unyielding.

For a moment, Maya couldn’t look away.

’He’s... dazzling,’ she thought unwillingly.

Lucas stood tall and composed, his presence overwhelming. Compared to him, Nick looked utterly pathetic, crumpled and powerless.

Maya shook her head sharply, forcing herself back to reality.

’Focus,’ she scolded herself.

She opened her mouth to speak again...

"Lucas!"

Nick suddenly shouted his name.

Everyone froze.

Nick glared at him, fury and disbelief twisting his features.

"What are you doing here?"

Lucas let out a short laugh, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.

"Isn’t it obvious?" he replied calmly. "I came to take care of what doesn’t know how to leave."

He was here because Jules was his fiancée.

That much was clear.

So the real question was... why was Nick here?

Nick was her ex-husband. Jules had already made it painfully clear that there would be no relationship between them in the future, not now, not ever.

And yet, he lingered near her door, refusing to leave no matter how many times she tried to make him go away.

Lucas’s gaze turned ice-cold.

"Since she’s my fiancée," he said evenly, "maybe you should explain why you’re still standing here."

Nick ignored him completely.

Instead, he turned to Jules, his eyes burning with stubborn obsession.

"I won’t leave," he declared, "unless you have dinner with me."

Jules inhaled sharply, about to refuse without hesitation...

"I will be there too," Maya cut in quickly, her smile sweet and reassuring. "So you don’t need to worry about anything."

Jules turned her head slowly and looked at Maya. Her expression was calm, but her voice carried unmistakable firmness.

"That’s exactly the problem."

Maya’s smile faltered.

"I can’t be in the same space as Laurie," Jules continued. "Who knows what kind of trick she’ll pull."

The words hit like a slap.

Maya panicked internally, her breath hitching. At the same time, Nick frowned in confusion.

"Laurie?" he repeated, turning toward Maya. "Where’s Laurie?"

Jules didn’t raise her voice. She didn’t need to.

"Maya is Laurie," she said plainly. "She underwent plastic surgery."

The air seemed to freeze.

"After what she’s already done," Jules went on calmly, "I have every reason to worry that she’ll use another trick to ruin my reputation again. So I’ll be keeping my distance."

As if to emphasize her words, she stepped closer and hugged Lucas tightly.

Lucas’s arm wrapped around her waist instinctively.

His gaze shifted to Maya, sharp and warning, then flicked briefly toward Nick.

"Keep your dirty schemes to yourselves," he said coldly. "And stay away from her."

With that, he bent down slightly and lifted Jules into his arms without effort. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Jules gasped softly, instinctively clutching his shoulder.

Lucas turned and walked away, carrying her as if there were no one else in the world.