Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 510: Competitor

He had investigated her background thoroughly, cautiously and methodically, making sure she wasn’t like the other girls who approached him because of his father’s influence and wealth.

But what he found had stunned him.

On the surface, the Waters family looked poor, almost like an impoverished rich family, barely holding themselves together.

But beneath that fragile exterior lay a different truth.

Every single one of them was a millionaire.

Not flashy, not arrogant, but secure enough to live comfortably even if everything else failed.

As that realization returned to his mind, Louis couldn’t help but think of Olivia.

’It was never about money or status,’ he admitted to himself.

What drew him in was her aura, her presence.

She was straightforward, honest to a fault, yet cunning in ways that mattered. Her decisiveness was sharp, her judgment quick.

Though impulsive at times, she was equally intelligent, balancing emotion with logic in a way few could.

He had been attracted to her from the very first sight.

That was why he had constantly lingered around her, finding excuses to stay close.

Later, because of issues within his own company, he had deliberately kept his distance.

Still, his curiosity never faded.

On a deeper investigation, he uncovered something even more astonishing... Olivia had once been a special member in cybersecurity.

A rare achievement, especially at her age.

She was barely twenty-one.

A gifted painter. Academically excellent. Valedictorian of her class.

Highly skilled in cybersecurity. She was brilliant... the kind of brilliance that was painfully rare, especially among people who hadn’t been given access to elite education or powerful mentors.

Louis clenched his jaw slightly.

’I had countless experts guiding me,’ he thought. ’But she had no one.’

She fought alone. Learned alone. Excelled alone.

She built an image from nothing and led it to success, earning recognition through sheer ability.

The more he learned, the more admiration crept into his heart, quiet but undeniable.

His mother walked closer.

"I still feel," she said carefully, "that it would be better if Olivia maintained her distance from you."

Louis lifted his gaze to her, then smiled slowly, though there was no warmth in it.

"You’ve misjudged this completely," he replied. "Olivia never once approached me. Not even once. I was the one who kept going to her, during these past days, during the first time I met Always me."

He suddenly changed the topic and said.

"It might sound ridiculous to you, but I’ve already safeguarded the Waters family. I’ll continue to block every attack coming from our side, because they’re innocent. So, stop meeting and threatening Olivia."

His mother froze.

She knew then that he knew about her private meeting with Olivia.

Her lips parted instinctively, ready to defend herself, but before she could speak, Louis raised his hand.

He straightened slightly, his eyes darkening.

"But if you keep dragging Olivia’s family into our affairs, I’ll make sure you lose your status entirely. As long as I don’t live in this mansion, your position is unstable. All those illegitimate children will rush to Father, begging him for acknowledgment."

His tone remained composed, mercilessly so.

"I can survive with the small company I’ve built. You can’t."

The room fell into suffocating silence.

Louis’s mother felt her legs weaken, her toes turning cold, her face draining of color. She said nothing.

Satisfied, Louis rose calmly from the sofa, adjusted his suit with elegant precision, and walked away without looking back.

Though he was only nineteen, his presence was like a seasoned CEO who had already learned how to wield power without mercy.

Recently, Lucas’s life had become unbearably busy.

Even though his company seemed to be slowly regaining its former hype, something felt off from the very beginning.

At first, everything had gone smoothly. The growth was steady, the clients were satisfied, and his monthly income had climbed all the way to nearly a hundred thousand dollars.

But then, without warning, it began to fall.

One month it dropped to fifty thousand.

The next, it plunged straight down to ten thousand.

The sudden decline hit him like a cold slap.

At first, Lucas had no idea what was happening.

He spent sleepless nights staring at spreadsheets.

’Did I miss something? Did we make a mistake somewhere?’

His temples throbbed as the numbers refused to make sense.

The truth surfaced only when his employees hesitantly brought up a new competitor.

"There’s a company that just entered the market," one of them said carefully. "They’re offering the same services... but at much lower prices."

When Lucas finally understood the situation, he didn’t panic.

Instead, he leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, eyes calm but sharp.

’Price wars never last forever,’ he thought. He decided to wait and observe.

He was confident the other party wouldn’t be able to sustain such a strategy for long.

After all, their product was almost identical to his, just cheaper, and cheaper always came with hidden costs.

Their services only looked decent on the surface.

They didn’t provide real-time solutions, nor did they involve true professionals.

Compared to Lucas’s company, which operated entirely on expert teams supported by heavy prior investment, the opponent’s system was clearly downgraded.

But just as his confidence settled, bad news arrived.

The competitor backing this reckless pricing strategy wasn’t ordinary.

They had support from a very powerful figure.

That meant this battle wouldn’t end in months; it could drag on for two, maybe even three years, before customers finally recognized the difference in quality.

Lucas’s chest tightened.

’I don’t have two to three years,’ he thought, his vision blurring.

He pressed his palm against his eyes, suppressing the frustration in his heart.

’And I don’t even know if Ms. Dawn would be patient enough to wait that long.’

At first, he tried to handle everything alone.

He cut costs where he could, worked longer hours, and pushed himself until exhaustion became routine.

But as time passed and more information surfaced, a chilling realization struck him.

The company opposing him was operated by none other than Nick.

The moment Lucas learned that name, his heart sank.

He knew then that this wasn’t just business competition... it would turn into a prolonged legal and strategic war.

Lawyers would get involved. Delays would be inevitable.

Which meant one thing.

He needed to explain everything to Ms. Dawn.

Even though she had always been lenient with him and often looked out for him, that didn’t change the fact that she was an investor.

One day, she would demand results, a report proving her money had been placed wisely.

If Lucas failed to produce that report, the responsibility would fall squarely on him.

Rather than hiding things like Alex preferred to do, Lucas chose honesty.

’I’ll face it head-on,’ he decided.

As soon as he learned that Ms. Dawn was free to meet the day after tomorrow, he immediately began preparing.

He reviewed documents, rehearsed explanations, and barely slept the night before the meeting.

When the day finally arrived, he dressed carefully, straightened his tie, and entered the private room. The door closed softly behind him.

Ms. Dawn was already there, lounging comfortably in her chair.

The sight of her made him relax unconsciously.

Even he didn’t understand why. In front of someone who made others tremble with fear, he felt strangely at ease, as if he were sitting across from someone he had known for a long time.

She glanced at him, her expression calm and unreadable.

"So," she said lightly, "what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

Lucas didn’t hesitate. He laid out the core problem in full detail, his voice steady despite the tension tightening his chest.

After listening, she nodded once.

"Have you thought of any solution?"

Lucas looked at her with sincerity, his hands clenched slightly on his knees.

"Honestly, I haven’t," he admitted. "That’s why I came here. I need guidance."

A faint smile curved her lips. "Then you came to the right person."

She leaned forward slightly, her tone unhurried.

"There are many alternatives," she said. "But for now, I’ll give you one. A price war only remains a price war when there are fewer products."

Lucas frowned slightly, listening intently.

"As long as there are many offerings," she continued, "even your opponent needs time to analyze them and replicate them. And by then, even if they sell at a loss, the base price will already be higher."

Understanding dawned in his eyes. "But we’re a service-based company."

She smiled. "Then offer more services."

Lucas blinked.

"Create additional services," she explained. "Add value. If you provide combo services, your clients will be thrilled. Think about it."

Lucas nodded quickly, scribbling notes as realization settled in his mind.

She went on to point out the opponent’s weaknesses one by one, analyzing the report as though she had studied it for years, even though it was her first time seeing it.

When she finished, she looked up at him.

"Are all your doubts cleared?"

Lucas smiled, relief washing over him. "Yes."

"I’m looking forward to your performance," she said as she stood and began walking toward the door.

Lucas rose instinctively, but as Ms. Dawn passed by, his gaze fell unintentionally on her calves.

He froze.

There was a birthmark.