Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 508: Correcting

Her voice trembled slightly.

"There’s so much I couldn’t do for him before. Now that we’ve finally fixed things, this is all I’m asking."

Adeline could only smile and nod. Inside, something felt uncomfortable, heavy. But she didn’t argue.

When Alex later found out, his brows knitted together. "Bring your food here," he said immediately.

Adeline waved her hand lightly. "It’s nothing special. Aunt Mary’s cooking is better."

Alex cut her off. "That’s not the point," he said quietly.

"You don’t need to explain anything to her. Just bring what you made."

She paused, then finally complied. Her fingers relaxed as she placed the container in front of him.

Watching Alex eat with clear enjoyment, she felt a soft warmth spread through her chest. She couldn’t help but smile.

After finishing her food, Alex glanced at the other container.

He took a few bites of Mary’s cooking, then leaned back slightly. "I’m full. I’ll eat the rest later."

The day dragged on. By the time Alex finished work, Mary had arrived at the office.

He had completely forgotten that her food was still mostly untouched.

When Mary walked in, he stood up with a smile, about to greet her. She beamed back at him.

"Did you like the food?" she asked eagerly. "I made it exactly the way you like."

Her smile was so hopeful that the words caught in Alex’s throat.

Alex faltered when Mary asked that question.

For a split second, his fingers tightened at his side before he forced a smile onto his face.

"I... I had some," he replied awkwardly. "It was amazing."

Mary’s face immediately lit up. The tension in her shoulders eased as she reached for the tiffin box.

"That’s good," she said warmly. "I’ll make more for you next time."

Then she hesitated, her smile dimming just a little.

"I won’t be able to come tomorrow," she added softly. "So... you don’t have to ask Adeline to prepare anything special."

As she lifted the tiffin, Alex’s heart sank.

He instinctively covered his face with one hand, already sensing what was about to happen. The box felt too heavy.

Mary noticed it instantly. Her movements slowed. She opened the lid.

Inside, the food was almost untouched. At most, there were two small bites missing.

The smile on her face vanished. She closed the lid quietly and looked at Alex, confusion flickering in her eyes.

"Why is there still so much left?" Her voice wavered. "Did you... not like it?"

Alex swallowed. He finally met her gaze, his voice low and embarrassed. "I did like it," he said.

"I really did. But... Adeline cooked for me today. It was the first time. I wanted to try her food."

The moment those words left his mouth, a faint hurt flashed through Mary’s eyes.

She lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening around the tiffin handle. "If that’s the case," she said quietly, "then I won’t cook for you anymore."

"No," Alex said quickly, shaking his head. "It was just this once..."

Mary didn’t reply. Her lips pressed together, a trace of restrained anger visible in her expression.

She turned, gripping the tiffin, clearly ready to leave.

Just then, Adeline stepped into the office.

The moment Mary saw her, the bitterness in her chest surged. ’I humbled myself,’ she thought painfully. ’

I practically begged her to let Alex eat my food first.’

And yet, her food hadn’t even been touched.

Her thoughts twisted darker.

’Did Alex hear a completely different story from her? Otherwise, why would he avoid my food like it was contaminated?’

Mary rushed toward Adeline, her voice sharp with emotion. "What did you say to Alex?"

Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Alex hurried forward and grabbed Mary’s arm gently.

"This is a misunderstanding," he insisted.

Mary shook him off and looked at Adeline, anger burning in her eyes.

"I understand everything now," she said coldly.

"From what I can see, you’re deliberately causing trouble between us and making me look like the villain."

Adeline’s face went pale. She shook her head immediately.

"I never meant for this to happen," she said, her voice trembling.

"I respect you. I never imagined you’d misunderstand me like this."

She clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. Without another word, she turned and ran out of the office.

Alex stood there, torn for only a second before instinctively chasing after Adeline.

Watching him leave, Mary’s heart shattered completely. Tears blurred her vision as she turned and fled from the company as well.

When Mary reached home, she locked herself in her room and cried until her chest ached.

That evening, when Adam returned, he immediately noticed her red, swollen eyes.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

She forced a smile. "I watched a drama," she murmured. "It was emotional."

Adam took her hand firmly. "Tell me the truth."

She stayed silent. Even when others noticed her eyes at the dinner table and asked again and again, she kept quiet.

Finally, the dam broke. Mary sobbed and told them everything.

When she finished, the room fell into a heavy silence.

Lucas was the first to speak, his voice sharp.

"Alex was wrong," he said firmly. "He didn’t even talk to you properly. Instead, he defended someone else."

Adriana nodded in agreement.

Theodore, who had been observing quietly, added, "If Alex cared, he could’ve explained himself clearly. He didn’t even try."

Olivia remained silent, while Aurora frowned deeply.

She glanced at Adam, who had been quiet all along. "What do you think?"

Adam sighed. "Alex and Adeline were wrong."

Aurora’s frown deepened as she realized everyone was siding with Mary.

She looked at Mary carefully, then made a decision. ’This will hurt... but she needs to hear it.’

Before Aurora could speak, Olivia shook her head. "You’re all siding with the wrong person."

Everyone turned to her in shock.

Olivia looked straight at Mary. "What I’m about to say will hurt," she said calmly. "But you need to hear it."

Her voice steadied.

"When Alex was a child, you left him without hesitation. You couldn’t face him because you saw him as your molester’s son. You never reached out. You only loved him from afar."

Mary stiffened.

"Now that you’ve reunited," Olivia continued, "you want to fix everything. But you’re hurting because Alex isn’t responding the way you want."

Her gaze sharpened. "That’s unfair."

She looked at Mary directly. "You’re seeing everything from your own perspective. Did you ever stop to think about what Alex might be feeling?"

Mary broke down in tears, her shoulders shaking as she spoke through sobs.

"I know Alex is hurt," she cried. "That’s why I’m trying so hard to make things right with him. I’m putting in effort, I really am. But if someone is playing the villain here..."

Before she could finish, Lucas cut in sharply. "Mom, no."

Everyone turned to him. His expression was firm, unusually calm. "Adeline isn’t the one at fault here."

Mary stared at her son in disbelief, as if she had misheard him.

Lucas continued steadily,

"That was the first time Adeline ever cooked for Alex. Of course she wanted him to eat her food. That’s normal."

He paused, then added bluntly, "The decision was Alex’s."

He exhaled slowly. "If Adeline had truly forced anything, Alex wouldn’t have even touched your food. But he did. He took a few bites."

Lucas’ eyes darkened slightly. "That means he was trying to please Adeline, and in doing so, he sidelined your food. That was his mistake."

Mary’s lips trembled.

"Adeline did exactly what you asked her to do," Lucas went on. "If anything, Mom... you were also a little wrong."

The words landed heavily.

"You competed with her," he said quietly.

The room fell silent. Adam didn’t speak.

Neither did the others. Mary sat frozen, unable to believe what she was hearing.

She had never imagined that her own children would stand against her like this.

Aurora watched Mary carefully. In that moment, she finally understood why, in the original book, Mary had been painted as a villain.

Back then, Mary and Alex were never truly reunited, so every attempt she made was misunderstood and twisted.

In this life, Mary had tried to restrain herself, to soften her actions, yet the cracks still showed.

Perhaps reuniting with Alex had only made her guilt surface deeper, turning her love into something suffocating. But it was already too late.

Alex had met Adeline.

And now, he had placed all his hopes on her.

Maybe once, Alex had craved his mother’s love so desperately that he accepted even her silence, her neglect.

But now he loved Adeline more, and naturally, he chose her first.

Aurora turned to Mary and spoke calmly, her voice gentle but piercing. "Let me ask you something."

Mary looked up slowly.

"If one day Father and Lucas both cooked for you," Aurora continued, "and you had to choose whose feelings to prioritize, who would you choose?"

Mary pressed her lips together, understanding dawning in her eyes.