Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System

Chapter 627: Crushing Defeat

Not even for a single second did he believe any of it.

He knew Adriana far too well.

She spent most of her time quietly focusing on her career without bothering anyone unnecessarily.

How could someone like her possibly go around offending countless people unless somebody was deliberately targeting her?

The moment Peter voiced his thoughts, however, Mr. Richardson instantly rebuked him.

"I’m not in the mood to hear excuses!" he shouted furiously.

His face had already turned red with anger as veins bulged visibly on his forehead.

"You still refuse to see reality even now? Until you solve this problem completely, don’t bother coming back here ever again!"

Peter could only release a tired sigh.

Arguing further would clearly achieve nothing so he returned to his office.

The moment Adriana saw him enter, she immediately rushed toward him anxiously.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly. "Did you find out the reason?"

Peter did not hide anything from her.

Instead, he calmly revealed the entire conversation.

Once he finished speaking, Adriana narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"This feels extremely suspicious," she murmured softly. "Don’t you think so, Peter?"

Peter slowly nodded in agreement.

Adriana looked at his visibly fatigued face, and guilt immediately surfaced inside her heart. She stepped forward and gently hugged him around the waist.

"I’m sorry," she whispered quietly. "This is happening because of me."

However, Peter immediately shook his head before pulling her directly onto his lap.

"No," he replied firmly while wrapping his arms around her protectively. "None of this is your fault."

His voice softened slightly as he looked into her eyes.

"I know what kind of person you are."

Adriana froze slightly.

Peter gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear before continuing.

"You’re the kind of person who would donate blood to complete strangers without expecting anything in return. How could someone like you possibly go around intentionally offending people?"

His eyes became warmer and more determined.

"And even if you really had offended someone," he whispered softly, "I would still love you exactly the same. It’s my fault that I don’t have power to protect you."

The moment those words entered Adriana’s ears, her eyes trembled slightly.

Peter leaned forward and kissed gently near the corner of her eye.

"So don’t worry," he murmured. "I’ll find a solution somehow."

Although Peter continued reassuring Adriana, reality remained cruel.

No matter how many connections he approached, nobody was willing to help him anymore.

At the same time, there was still absolutely no movement from Ms. Dawn’s side.

This situation caused Mr. Richardson to become increasingly impatient.

Every day, he pressured Peter repeatedly.

"Go seek help from Ms. Dawn! You’re connected to her through Adriana! If she steps in, this situation can still be fixed!"

However, Peter continuously ignored those demands.

Although Ms. Dawn had once told him that she would support him as long as he treated Adriana well, Peter never truly intended to rely on her.

In his eyes, she had already provided him with more than enough opportunities and investments. Asking her for help again now would simply feel shameless.

Unfortunately, Mr. Richardson viewed things completely differently.

Without hesitation, he personally contacted Ms. Dawn and desperately requested a meeting.

Meanwhile, the moment Aurora received the message, she finally understood why Adriana had looked so depressed these past few days.

Aurora remained silent for a long while.

Then, slowly, a dangerous scheme began forming inside her mind.

In the end, she agreed to meet Mr. Richardson personally.

The moment Mr. Richardson received confirmation, excitement immediately filled his heart. He genuinely believed salvation had finally arrived.

When he reached the luxurious meeting location, he immediately put on a flattering smile upon seeing Ms. Dawn sitting elegantly across from him.

"Ms. Dawn," Mr. Richardson began politely, "I’ll keep things simple and direct. You already know the terrible condition our corporation is facing right now."

He leaned forward slightly.

"So how about this? If you help us overcome this crisis, the Richardson family will definitely remember your kindness forever."

Across from him, Aurora calmly lifted her teacup.

"Well..." she replied thoughtfully, "about that..."

She paused briefly before calmly dropping the bombshell.

"I actually can’t help you."

Mr. Richardson froze.

Aurora calmly continued sipping her tea before speaking again.

"In fact, I’m even considering boycotting Peter myself."

Several seconds later, Mr. Richardson suddenly forced out an awkward laugh.

"You must be joking," he said stiffly.

Aurora slowly shook her head.

"I prioritize profits over personal relationships," she replied calmly. "So I won’t invest a single penny into a losing business. Is there a problem with that?"

Mr. Richardson’s face instantly darkened with fury.

Unable to control himself anymore, he slammed his hand violently against the table.

"If that’s truly your decision," he snapped angrily, "then I’ll simply remove Peter from his position entirely!"

In truth, he intended to threaten Ms. Dawn indirectly into helping them.

However, the moment he saw her calm and completely indifferent expression, uncertainty slowly crept into his heart.

For the first time, he began wondering whether abandoning Peter might truly become a possibility.

Meanwhile, Peter continued working tirelessly inside his office.

That was when Nexi suddenly arrived.

The moment she entered and saw Peter’s exhausted appearance, satisfaction flashed through her eyes.

"How are you holding up, brother? Do you need my help?" she asked sweetly.

Peter only replied coldly.

"I’ll manage."

However, this time, Nexi had not come to comfort him.

She had come specifically to mock him.

For a very long time, she had been suppressed by Adriana’s presence.

But now, after discovering that Adriana’s greatest supporter had refused to help, Nexi finally felt she could humiliate her openly.

With a smug smile, she casually sat down across from Peter.

"Well, well, well," she began mockingly. "Brother, I genuinely pity you a little."

She crossed her legs elegantly before continuing.

"But honestly, what else could you expect? You were the one who chose someone like Adriana."

Her lips curled with disdain.

"She’s nothing more than a low-class nouveau riche woman at best. Seriously, why did you even choose her? If only you had listened to me back then..."

Before she could continue further, Peter directly picked up the phone.

"Security," he said coldly. "Escort her out immediately."

Nexi’s expression froze instantly.

Moments later, she was forcibly dragged out while shouting furiously.

After the office finally became quiet again, another person suddenly entered.

Eugene.

At first, Peter assumed even he had come to console him.

However, Eugene’s expression instead looked unusually guilty.

"I think..." he began hesitantly, "this situation may actually be related to the institute."

The moment those words entered Peter’s ears, his entire expression changed slightly, almost as though sudden enlightenment had struck him.

Eugene continued quietly.

"I’ve been secretly investigating recently, and I discovered that this entire attack was most likely orchestrated by the institute."

He lowered his gaze slightly.

"And because this situation somehow involves me too... I feel responsible."

Peter remained silent while listening carefully.

Taking a deep breath, Eugene looked at him seriously.

"How about this?" he offered softly. "I’ll mobilize all my forces to help you."

Peter only gave a faint nod.

Then Eugene hesitated briefly before speaking again.

"If you want..." he murmured carefully, "I can personally explain everything to Mr. Richardson."

However, Peter merely shook his head slowly.

"If my father were truly being manipulated or deluded," he said quietly, exhaustion evident in his voice, "then by now, he would have taken action. Instead, he threatened me."

He lowered his gaze briefly before continuing.

"That alone proves he already knows Adriana is innocent," he muttered bitterly. "He simply values the corporation more than her."

"I still carry a huge part of the responsibility," Eugene whispered softly. "If I hadn’t gotten involved with the institute sooner... maybe this confrontation wouldn’t have happened so early."

Peter only gave a faint nod.

He was too mentally exhausted to comfort anyone anymore.

After Eugene left, Peter buried himself back into work once again.

Day after day, he visited clients personally, contacted old partners, and tried desperately to salvage the collapsing business.

Yet every attempt ended in failure. No one was willing to help him.

Meanwhile, another corporation had quietly begun dominating the market.

Light Corporation.

Within an incredibly short period of time, the company had become one of the most famous listed corporations in the entire country.

Its valuation climbed rapidly into the trillions, making it one of the most profitable companies in existence.

Everyone rushed desperately to buy shares.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Most of the shares had long since been purchased by a mysterious hidden force.

Since nobody could identify who controlled the company behind the scenes, countless wealthy individuals could only watch helplessly as this golden opportunity slipped through their fingers.

Peter had briefly considered approaching Light Corporation for cooperation.

However, he quickly abandoned the idea.

’A company of that scale would never bother helping someone like me,’ he thought bitterly.

Thus, he could only continue relying on his remaining clients.

But every attempt still failed.