Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 520: Naive Aurora

Theodore frowned. "Even if you’re jealous of me," he retorted, "you should at least restrain yourself."

Olivia rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Funny you say that," she replied. "Because there’s something I haven’t told you yet. And it might actually make you jealous instead."

Theodore turned instinctively toward Aurora. "What is it?"

Olivia glanced around at her family, licked her lips nervously, and pulled out a photograph along with a letter.

She unfolded it and placed it in front of everyone.

They leaned in, reading in silence. Five long minutes passed before the realization hit.

Lexy, one of the top three internationally renowned painters, had accepted Olivia as her direct disciple.

Meaning that from now on, Olivia would be painting under Lexy herself.

The terms outlined in the letter were overwhelmingly in Olivia’s favor.

For a moment, no one could believe what they were seeing, especially Aurora.

Her eyes widened in shock. ’I was planning to negotiate more,’ she thought.

’I even considered raising the price.’

Who would have imagined that Lexy would agree so easily and secretly send Olivia an invitation?

As soon as Aurora processed it, genuine happiness welled up from the bottom of her heart.

She had been worried about finding a suitable teacher for Olivia, afraid that Eleanor might one day use her real identity to humiliate her sister.

And now, Olivia had already become Lexy’s disciple.

’This couldn’t have turned out better,’ Aurora thought. Especially if Olivia’s painting improves by leaps and bounds from here on.

The room remained silent until Adriana suddenly pointed at the letter, eyes wide.

"Am I seeing things? How did Olivia become Lexy’s disciple? Lexy... the top artist on the international stage?"

Olivia nodded, smiling honestly.

Adriana rushed over and patted her back. "Congratulations!"

Tears gathered in Olivia’s eyes as she smiled.

She patted Adriana back gently. "I honestly don’t even know why she chose me," she murmured.

"There were so many people competing. Thousands who are probably better than me. Maybe... it was just luck."

Her voice wavered, and she almost cried.

Seeing that, Adriana laughed through her own tears.

"You really know how to ruin the mood," she said, crying tears of joy.

With that, she added lightly that it must have been Olivia’s consistency that finally moved Lexy’s heart, and that was why such a generous offer had been made.

"Let’s see how far you go from here," she finished with a faint smile.

Olivia only nodded, her eyes bright, and offered a grateful smile to Theodore and Lucas.

Soon, however, her gaze slowly drifted toward Aurora.

Almost instinctively, Adam and Mary followed, their eyes settling on Aurora as well.

Aurora snapped back to reality the moment she felt those gazes on her. A flicker of confusion crossed her face.

’Why are they all staring at me like that?’ she wondered, a strange unease creeping up her spine.

It was as if they were looking at the person behind everything, even though she had tried so hard to stay hidden.

For a brief, terrifying second, she almost felt exposed, as though they already knew her true identity.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. ’Did Emily tell them? Out of guilt... or kindness?’

She immediately dismissed the thought.

’No way. If that were true, they would’ve questioned me long ago.’

Relief washed over her. She let out a soft sigh and patted her chest lightly.

’I really do overthink too much,’ she scolded herself.

Then she lifted her head and smiled at them, feigning complete innocence, as if she had no idea what had just passed through her mind.

When Adam, Mary, Theodore, and Lucas saw that expression, they nearly burst out laughing.

’Does she really think she’s hidden everything that well?’ they thought in unison. ’She’s so naïve... and oddly adorable.’

For a fleeting moment, they even felt like throwing a separate banquet just for Aurora.

But they held themselves back, knowing that doing so would only confirm her suspicions that they already knew far more than they let on.

So, they wisely stayed silent.

Seeing the attention finally shift away from her, Aurora turned toward Olivia with a gentle smile. "All the best."

Olivia’s eyes curved into crescents.

"If I ever become a very famous artist," she said playfully, "I’ll give you my signature."

"A signature?" Aurora nodded solemnly. "I’ll frame it, sell it, and live a wonderful life."

Everyone knew she was lying through her teeth.

After all, she had already poured in far more money than a mere signature could ever be worth.

Why would she care about that? Still, her shamelessly exaggerated tone made everyone chuckle quietly.

Adriana smiled along with the rest, but deep in her heart, a heavy bitterness took root. ’I’m the most disappointing one here,’ she thought.

Mary had become a librarian and supported the family.

Adam had climbed his way into the corporate world and become a CEO.

Theodore had struggled relentlessly and finally gained recognition, his net worth skyrocketing into the millions.

Olivia had been accepted by a world-renowned painter. Lucas had already founded his own company.

Even Aurora had carved her own path, becoming a skilled hacker while juggling freelance work.

’And me?’ Adriana’s gaze lowered. ’I haven’t achieved anything yet.’

A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes, but she masked it quickly.

’It’s fine,’ she reassured herself.

’As long as they succeed, that’s enough.’

She told herself that their success was her success, that it didn’t matter if she stood in the shadows.

Still, the bitterness refused to fade.

Among all of them, Adriana had sacrificed the most.

Yet she had kept silent, time and again, just to maintain peace. Or at least, that was what she told herself.

Aurora, who had been smiling and glancing around, suddenly noticed Adriana’s expression.

The moment she connected the dots, regret hit her hard. ’I should’ve offered her the contract earlier,’ she thought.

The company Aurora had been desperate to acquire had finally been secured.

The contract was ready; it only needed to be signed.

Aurora had planned to present it next week after some final preparations.

Who would have thought that the delay would make Adriana feel inferior to her siblings?

Aurora knew Adriana better than anyone.

They had spent much of their childhood together.

To Aurora, Adriana was almost like a second mother.

She had been scared of her at times, inspired by her, and even tried to copy her in her younger years.

But one thing Aurora knew for certain, beneath that stern exterior, Adriana was the softest and kindest of them all.

By the time Aurora finished those thoughts, Adriana had already put on a smile, hiding her earlier emotions so well that no one else noticed.

That was Adriana.

Always preserving harmony.

Sometimes she would point out mistakes openly so others wouldn’t feel alone.

Other times, she would swallow her pain when she realized she was the only one hurting.

Olivia’s admission filled the household with joy, and soon everyone returned to their own routines.

Yet the Waters family began to notice something unsettling.

Adriana started staying up late.

Night after night, she worked relentlessly on her designs, often pushing herself beyond her limits.

Dark circles slowly formed beneath her eyes, and exhaustion clung to her like a shadow.

Aurora grew worried. She immediately pressured Emily to send the contract.

Left with no choice, Emily complied.

Even after receiving it, Adriana didn’t sign right away.

She read through every clause carefully, consulted a lawyer, and only after confirming that it was one of the best agreements anyone in the industry could offer did she feel stunned.

The company hiring her wasn’t well-known.

It was a reestablished firm, one that would undoubtedly struggle at first.

Yet they were offering her exceptional terms, placing immense trust in a complete newcomer like her.

She couldn’t understand their reasoning.

But when she saw the pay, nearly one hundred thousand dollars per month, her breath caught, her fingers trembling slightly as she held the document.

When Adriana was finally called to a specific location to sign the agreement, she insisted on taking Lucas along with her.

’Better safe than sorry,’ she thought. She wanted to be absolutely certain that nothing about this deal was a setup.

Only after the lawyer went through every clause again and again, patiently confirming each detail, did Adriana truly understand that she had landed a position in a genuinely well-established company.

The realization made her heart race. A faint glow of excitement appeared in her eyes, bright and unmistakable.

Yet, beneath that thrill, a question refused to leave her mind.

’How did they even notice me?’

And more importantly, ’why are they offering such an incredible salary?’

Her gaze drifted toward Kaylee, the person in charge who had first contacted her.

It had been Kaylee who decided to reach out, even though Adriana hadn’t formally proven herself yet.

What Adriana didn’t know was that Kaylee had already seen her designs long ago, designs that had quietly passed through internal channels, with Aurora working invisibly behind the scenes.

Ever since Aurora had recruited Kaylee as one of her subordinates, they had remained in close contact.

Just a week earlier, Aurora had even promoted Kaylee to a managerial position.