Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System
Chapter 71: Mary Arnold

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Mary Arnold

"Don’t be foolish," his aunt snapped. "A thief is a thief."

The next day, his cousin wouldn’t even look at him.

Adam had lost everything—his home, his family, his friends.

For an entire year, he lived in isolation. He stopped trying to explain himself because no one wanted to listen. No one cared.

And that was the moment Adam truly understood how cruel the world could be.

Life became meaningless to him.

Days passed, and Adam crossed each one of them, hoping that one day he might as well cross the remaining days he has left.

He would go to bed in hopes of waking up with a completely different reality. One where there would be no humans, only souls...he was afraid of humans.

Yet he lived.

Even Adam didn’t know why he didn’t have the guts to end his wretched life.

A life where everyone only held judgement for him.

Yet everything changed when one day a new trasfer student named Mary arrived.

Her beautiful red hair was tied into messy buns. Two strands of red hair locks kissed her fair cheeks. The mischievousness in her deep blue eyes could hardly be hidden.

A mesmerizing smile graced her lips as she introduced herself in her mellow voice,

"Hello everyone, I am Mary Arnold. I love beaches and want to become a famous actress, if I don’t end up as a famous motivational speaker. I don’t take injustice lying down. If anyone dares to bully me, be ready for snakes in your locker the next day."

With that, she giggled as if she had joked, but many of her classmates understood the underlying meaning behind her words.

Yet they smiled.

Beauty privilege is indeed dangerous.

Beautiful. Full of life.

Adam didn’t know what attracted him more...Mary’s beauty or her cheerful personailty, but he started to follow her unconsiously.

He made sure to stay hidden in the dark and never appeared in front of her. He didn’t want to taint her life with his name.

After Mary’s arrival, Adam’s life became much easier.

Unknowingly, everyone’s attention had turned to Mary, the shining star.

She was beautiful, talented in studies, had good acting and dancing skills, and had a creative approach to every problem.

Another reason for Adam’s easy life was...Mary’s intervention. Whenever she saw others treating Adam as a thief, she would lecture the person.

It wasn’t just Adam, she had helped many.

Yet for Adam, she was the ray of warmth.

The deep oceanic waves that were pulling him, tempting him toward darkness, seemed to have become unattractive for him.

Now, he was attracted to the shiny surface of the water. Craving it. Wanting to reach it.

Some called Mary noisy for interfering in other’s matters, but to Adam, she was a bright sun spreading warmth to the place where darkness always prevailed.

A year passed, and he reached 16. He had improved in a year. A lot.

From being the last scorer in the class, he had become an average student. He also developed an interest in fashion design and wanted to study it.

Knowing about his financial situation, he decided to study hard for the scholarship.

Maybe one day...if he became a famous fashion designer, he would be able to confess his feelings to Mary.

With that thought, Adam studied passionately.

Happiness never lasts long. Not enough to feel that it was enough.

Mary got together with the most popular guy in school, Ethan Carter.

He was the golden boy—tall, athletic, with a dazzling smile that could charm anyone.

He was also one of the people who had once bullied Adam, though never directly.

He didn’t call him names, nor did he push him around, but he never stopped others from doing so either.

He had simply watched from afar with amusement, occasionally throwing careless remarks that encouraged the torment.

Adam felt his chest tighten when he saw Mary laughing with Ethan, her arm casually looped around his.

They looked perfect together—like a couple straight out of a movie.

Suddenly, the light that had given Adam hope seemed to flicker.

He wasn’t foolish.

He had never expected Mary to return his silent affections, nor had he ever planned to confess.

But seeing her with Ethan made him realize something painful—she was part of a world he could never belong to.

Still, he reminded himself why he was studying so hard. It wasn’t for love. It wasn’t for acceptance. It was for the future.

Adam accepted that his heart had turned dark long ago.

He secretly fantasized about a future where Mary and Ethan wouldn’t be together.

That day, when he returned to his cousin’s house, he was stunned.

His father, mother, brother, aunt, uncle, and cousin, all of them were sitting on the sofa with a tensed expression.

His uncle was the first to break the silence. "Adam," he said, his voice edged with barely contained anger. "Where is it?"

Adam blinked. "Where is what?"

His aunt scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Don’t play dumb. My husband’s Rolex is missing. And guess where we found the receipt?"

She lifted a crumpled piece of paper and threw it at Adam’s feet.

Adam picked it up with shaky fingers.

The receipt had his name scribbled at the bottom, but the handwriting was unfamiliar.

He swallowed hard.

"I don’t know how this got here," he said evenly. "I didn’t take anything."

His mother’s face twisted in disgust. "Lies. Just like last time."

His father’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists.

"After everything, you still dare to steal?" His voice was dangerously low, like the calm before a storm.

"And now, you won’t even own up to it?"

Adam’s cousin sat in the corner, staring at the floor, while his brother shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Adam’s eyes.

None of them spoke up for him. Not that he expected them to.

His uncle leaned forward, his face dark with fury. "We let you stay here, fed you, gave you a roof over your head, and this is how you repay us?"

Adam remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Inside, however, something twisted.