Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System
Chapter 278: Real Peter

Chapter 278: Chapter 278: Real Peter

Ayla’s last sentence was like pouring gasoline on a fire.

Adriana’s hands clenched into fists by her sides. Her teeth gritted. That smirk on Ayla’s face, like she was proud of what she had done, was too much.

Adriana could feel her heart pounding. Her chest was tight. Her breath was shaky. That dark past, the humiliations, the endless bullying, Ayla acted like it was all just a funny little joke. Like it was something to be proud of.

Something snapped.

Without thinking, without planning, Adriana raised her hand and slapped Ayla right across the face.

SMACK.

The sound was loud enough to make a few heads turn in the café.

Ayla stumbled slightly from the force, her eyes wide in pure disbelief.

She looked at Adriana, stunned, one hand now covering her cheek.

"You..." Ayla hissed.

Before anyone could react, Ayla lifted her own hand and aimed it right at Adriana’s face, ready to slap her back.

But then—

Peter caught Ayla’s wrist.

Firmly. Coldly.

His face was emotionless, but his eyes were ice.

"I hate it when people raise their hand," he said calmly.

He let go of her wrist and, without saying another word, reached into his pocket and pulled out a clean white handkerchief. He wiped his own hand—the one that had touched her—like she was something dirty.

Ayla’s face turned red with rage.

"She started it!" Ayla shouted, pointing at Adriana. "She slapped me! Everyone saw it!"

Peter didn’t even blink. "You deserved it."

Ayla gasped. "What?!"

Peter looked straight at her, voice still quiet.

"You tried to humiliate her. You brought up things no one should say. If you dare pull anything like this again, I’ll personally make sure your family’s company goes bankrupt."

The café went quiet.

Ayla froze, eyes wide.

Then... she laughed.

Like she had just heard the funniest joke ever.

"You?" she asked mockingly, looking Peter up and down. "You think you can bankrupt my family? What are you, a waiter? You’re not even worth the dirt under my shoes!"

She laughed again and pointed at his clothes. "Look at what you’re wearing. Guys like you line up outside my mansion just to deliver things. And you want to threaten me?"

Peter just smiled.

He looked straight at her and said, cool as ever, "I’m Peter Richardson. Youngest son of Richie Richardson."

Ayla’s mouth dropped open.

"...Liar," she whispered.

Peter tilted his head. "Wanna test it?"

"No—no way," Ayla said, shaking her head quickly. "Peter Richardson is rich, handsome, and he was flirting with me for the last two months! I know him! I have proof!"

Adriana turned her head sharply. "What?"

Peter also blinked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Ayla smirked, confident again. "Let me show you."

She took out her phone and opened her messages.

There it was. A contact saved as "Peter" with tons of messages underneath. The chat showed "Peter" sending flirty texts, photos of gifts, and even offering to take Ayla to Europe.

Adriana’s heart dropped.

Her face paled.

Was this true?

Ayla looked at her with a smug smile. "See? Your little ’prince charming’ is nothing but a lying dog. I am the favorite of the real Richardson heir. You’re nothing next to me. If I want, I can make both of you disappear."

Peter’s face turned dark.

Adriana stared at him, her eyes cold now. Like she was trying to figure out if he had betrayed her.

Peter panicked. "Adriana—wait! I don’t know what she’s talking about! That’s not me!"

Ayla rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Don’t pretend now. Look at the messages!"

Peter pulled out his own phone quickly and called someone. "Get me the name of the person pretending to be me and texting someone named Ayla," he said sharply.

Ayla scoffed.

But within a minute, Peter’s phone buzzed with a message. He turned it around and showed it to Adriana.

It clearly said:

"That number is not you. Someone is impersonating you using your name. We’re tracking the account now."

Ayla’s eyes widened.

Adriana’s body relaxed slightly. She looked at Ayla and smirked, feeling her confidence returning.

"So now what, Ayla?" she asked coolly. "You still want to talk about power and favorites?"

Peter stepped forward. "You messed with the wrong people."

Ayla looked around, clearly panicking now. But she forced a sneer.

"One day," she growled, "you’ll fall out of favor. And when you do, Adriana, I’ll be there. I’ll make sure you suffer for every word."

Adriana chuckled.

She stood tall, strong, not afraid anymore.

"And when that day comes," she said, "I’ll make sure I already have a backup plan. Unlike you, I don’t rely on money and fake power to stand."

Ayla’s hands shook. Her face turned red.

Ayla’s face was burning red, her eyes full of anger and disbelief.

She pointed at Peter again and shouted, "This is all fake! I don’t believe you! There’s no way you are the real Peter Richardson! You’re just acting! Within minutes, your lie will be exposed!"

She turned sharply toward Adriana and sneered. "You’re such a fool, Adriana. You always were. He’s probably lying to you too. You’ll see. Don’t come crying to me later when he betrays you."

Adriana just rolled her eyes. "Ayla, you should really stop talking before you embarrass yourself more."

Ayla scoffed loudly and crossed her arms. "You think you’re clever now, huh? Don’t worry. I’ll teach you a good lesson soon."

But then, Ayla’s phone started ringing.

She glanced at the screen and her face lit up.

It said: Peter.

With a smug grin, Ayla quickly answered the call and flipped her hair. "Peter~!" she said in a sweet, flirty voice. "You won’t believe the fake standing right in front of me—"

But she froze.

Her smile vanished instantly.

From the phone came a panicked, shaky voice. "I... I’m not Peter... My name’s Mario! I—I’m sorry, Ayla! Please, you have to believe me! I was pretending to be Peter Richardson to impress you! I didn’t mean to hurt you, I swear! Please, just tell the real Peter not to destroy my life!"

Ayla’s mouth fell open. Her phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a soft clack.

The entire café was silent.

Her face turned pale. She looked slowly from the phone to Peter—the real Peter Richardson.

Peter just raised an eyebrow, looking amused but cold.

Adriana crossed her arms, watching Ayla like she was watching a comedy show.

"I-I..." Ayla stuttered, voice shaking now. "I didn’t know... I didn’t... I swear I didn’t know he was a fake..."

She took a shaky step forward. Then, to everyone’s shock, she knelt down in front of Peter and Adriana.

"P-Please," Ayla begged, her voice suddenly soft and pathetic. "Please, don’t ruin my family. I didn’t mean to do this. I didn’t know..."

Peter didn’t say anything at first. He just looked down at her like she was nothing important.

Adriana blinked in surprise, not expecting Ayla to drop so fast. But her heart didn’t soften.

Not even a little.

She remembered it all—how Ayla used to call her names, how she made her scrub her shoes in the middle of class, how she made her cry in the bathrooms, how she laughed when Adriana was shoved into the mud.

And worst of all, there had never been a reason.

Adriana had never even talked to Ayla at first. It was Jessica who started it. Jessica, the queen bee of the school, had told Ayla to "make Adriana cry," and Ayla had done it—happily. Every single day, like it was her job.

Now that same girl was on her knees?

Begging?

Adriana looked at her, calm and firm. "You know... I don’t remember ever doing anything to you. You just made me your target."

Ayla trembled. "I-I was young... stupid... I didn’t mean it..."

Adriana didn’t blink. "That’s funny. You sure looked like you meant it every single day."

Adriana looked down at Ayla still kneeling on the café floor and then turned to Peter, her eyes calm but sharp.

"She likes to threaten people so much," Adriana said softly but clearly, "maybe it’s time someone made sure she never has power again."

Peter’s eyes narrowed. He nodded without hesitation. "I’ll bankrupt her family’s company by the end of the week."

Ayla gasped loudly. "No! Please, don’t!"

But Adriana quickly raised her hand to stop Peter.

"No," she said, shaking her head slowly. "That won’t fix everything. She’ll still be arrogant. Still full of pride. Even if she has no money left."

Peter looked confused for a second. "Then what do you want me to do?"

Adriana sighed and looked at Ayla, who was now trembling. "Just... don’t go after her whole family. They weren’t the ones who did all this. It was her."

Ayla looked up, surprised.

Peter frowned. "But if they raised someone like her—"

"They tried to fix her," Adriana said, cutting him off gently. "I know it."

She looked down again, her voice a little softer now.

"I remember, one time... after one of the worst days she bullied me, I saw her parents outside school."