Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 286: Refund

Everyone shook their heads.

"Nope," Lucas said while flipping a magazine.

"I didn’t even go into the kitchen," Adam mumbled, sipping tea.

Even Mary, their mom, looked confused. "Are you sure you didn’t misplace them?"

Just then, Jean, who was sitting on the couch painting her nails, perked up with a big grin.

"Oh! That stuff was yours?" she asked happily. "I made a pizza with it last night. It was so good! I was hungry, and I found all the ingredients right there! I didn’t know they were yours."

Theodore slowly turned to her, staring like he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

"You... made a pizza?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

"Yeah," Jean said, smiling. "And I ate the whole thing. Sorry, I didn’t share. I was really hungry."

Theodore looked at her with a complicated expression. "Jean... I bought those ingredients in advance. Just for me. I saved up money for weeks. That was my diet food."

Jean blinked, then gave a sheepish smile and waved her hand like it was no big deal. "Oh, come on. Don’t make such a big fuss. I’m your elder, remember? It’s just some food."

Theodore’s eyes narrowed. He looked at Mary, his mom, and said seriously, "You all know that ever since I got better, I’ve been picky about what I eat. I don’t even let people touch my food. Those ingredients were mine. And she didn’t even ask."

Jean, now a little nervous, made a sweet face and said, "Don’t be so dramatic. It’s just food. I’ll bring back the ingredients later. No big deal."

Theodore crossed his arms. "If it’s no big deal, then bring it back. Now."

Ruby, who had just walked in, rolled her eyes and said, "Ugh, Theodore, you’re being too picky. She said she’ll get it later!"

Jean quickly turned to Mary and pouted, "Mary, do something. He’s being so strict!"

Theodore didn’t even look at Mary this time. He looked straight at Jean and said coldly, "Don’t talk to Mom. Talk to me. I’m the one you stole from."

Jean flinched.

Theodore continued, "Second, I have my own diet. Those ingredients cost me $600. The cheese you used? That wasn’t normal cheese. It was the diet cheese that I had to wait for weeks to get. It was supposed to last me a month, not disappear in one night."

Jean’s mouth fell open. "W-What?! $600?! Just for breakfast?!"

"Yes," Theodore said. "Because it wasn’t just breakfast. It was diet food. Healthy food. It’s hard to find, and it costs a lot."

Jean looked down, feeling a little guilty, but only because she had used something expensive. If she had known it was worth that much, she wouldn’t have eaten it. She would’ve tried to sell it instead.

She looked back up with a weak smile and said, "Okay, okay, someday I’ll make pizza for you too. Happy now?"

Theodore frowned even more. "You’re still not getting the point. You took something without asking. It’s not about making a pizza. It’s about respect."

Just as their voices started rising, Aurora, who had been sitting quietly, spoke in a calm tone.

"Theodore, calm down," she said gently.

He turned to her immediately. His face softened a little. Whenever Aurora talked, he always calmed down.

Jean thought that she was going to take her side and was delighted.

But instead, Aurora turned to her and said,

"You should bring back the ingredients."

Then she added with a perfectly calm voice,

"Or reimburse Theodore. $600 for the food, plus $15 for emotional tax."

The whole room froze.

Jean’s mouth dropped open like a fish. "WHAT?! Why should I pay him $615?! That’s crazy!"

Aurora blinked and tilted her head. "Well, you ate it. You said you’d replace it. $600 is the cost. The $15 is for shouting at him earlier and acting like it was no big deal."

Jean looked like someone had stepped on her tail. She jumped up, waving her arms. "This is robbery! Daylight robbery!"

But Aurora stayed calm. "Then don’t eat what isn’t yours."

Ruby exploded like a firecracker. She looked furious, her hands on her hips, and she pointed at Aurora.

"You all are being so dramatic!" she yelled. "It’s just cheese! Just $600! Can’t you people forgive her already? Our mom has always helped Mary when they were young. Isn’t that worth something? Can’t you just let it go?!"

Aurora raised an eyebrow. Her voice was calm but sharp, like a cold wind.

"Oh?" she said. "And how long do you and your mother plan to use that excuse? Are you planning to take this house too because she helped in the past?"

The moment Aurora said those words, both Jean and Ruby froze. Their eyes went wide. They didn’t speak. They didn’t even blink.

Aurora was shocked, too. She had just said that to shut them up, but from their frozen faces, she realized something.

’Wait... could it be...? They really are planning to take the house?’

The rest of the Waters family looked at them, too. The room became very quiet.

Jean suddenly stood up and started waving her hands. "No, no! I wasn’t thinking that! Don’t think like that!" she said quickly.

"I was wrong, okay? I shouldn’t have eaten Theodore’s food. I’ll pay him back! Please don’t think badly of me!"

She pulled out her purse and started counting dollar bills.

Her hands were shaking a little, and her face looked like she was in pain with every dollar she gave up. Slowly, she counted $413 and handed it to Theodore.

"This is all I have right now," she said with a fake smile. "I’ll give you the rest later."

Theodore stared at the money.

He knew in his heart that he might never see the rest. He opened his mouth to say something sarcastic, but Aurora gently held up her hand to stop him.

"That’s even more interesting," Aurora said with a small smile. "If you’re giving him the rest later, you’ll have to add interest. That’s how debts work, right?"