Born Into Villain's Family: I Have a 200\% Rebate System-Chapter 126: Cafe

A young man with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes wearing a black hoodie strolled in front of the prestigious University of New York.

The young man had a delicate beauty to himself and exuded a fragile prince charm.

More than 10 women had asked for his number, but he had declined all of them with the statement,

"I am sorry. I have a girlfriend."

He kept on glancing in the direction of the entrance, repeatedly, as if he was waiting for someone.

Soon, a young lady with black hair and blue eyes emerged.

Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and she was wearing a green sweater with black skinny-fit jeans.

The young lady looked vibrant and beautiful. Without her realizing, she attracted the attention of many passersby.

The moment the young man saw the young lady, he shouted,

"Adriana."

Adriana looked over and spotted Henry standing at the entrance. Her heart was filled with joy.

Henry truly loved her.

Adriana smiled and walked quickly toward Henry. Her cheeks felt a little warm. She still wasn’t used to how sweet he was.

Henry grinned and opened his arms wide. "You took forever!" he whined playfully.

Adriana rolled her eyes but laughed. "I was only five minutes late!"

"Five minutes too long," Henry said, pouting.

Adriana giggled. "Drama king."

Henry grabbed her hand gently. "Come on, let’s go. I found a cute café nearby. You’ll love it."

Adriana blinked. "You planned a date?"

Henry scratched the back of his head. "Of course! I wanna spend time with my girlfriend." His ears turned a little red.

Adriana’s heart skipped a beat. She squeezed his hand. "Okay," she said softly.

Hand in hand, they walked down the street, both feeling warm and happy.

Henry and Adriana reached the small café, its warm lights glowing softly in the evening air. The sweet smell of coffee and pastries filled the space as they stepped inside. A waitress led them to a cozy corner by the window.

Adriana smiled as she sat down. "This place is nice."

Henry nodded, but before he could say anything, his phone started ringing. He glanced at the screen, and his expression changed.

Adriana leaned forward and saw the name on the screen—Mom. She looked at Henry and motioned for him to pick up.

Henry hesitated, his fingers tightening around the phone. Then, with a deep breath, he answered.

"Hello, Mom?" he said.

A choked sob came from the other side. "Henry... y-you need to arrange $5,000... immediately..." His mother’s voice was shaking.

Henry sat up straight, his heart pounding. "What? Why? What happened?"

His mother sobbed harder.

"Your sister... her condition got worse. The doctor said she needs another surgery... if we don’t do it, she... she won’t make it, Henry..."

Adriana froze. The phone speaker was damaged, so she could hear everything.

Henry’s face turned pale. His fingers dug into his jeans as he whispered,

"But... but I don’t have that kind of money, Mom... I already owe $10,000... My other friends already have refused to lend me more money...I—" His voice broke.

His mother sniffled. "I know, Henry... but I don’t know what to do. No one else can help us... If we don’t pay by tomorrow, they won’t do the surgery..."

Henry clenched his jaw. His hands were shaking.

"I asked my friends before, but now... no one is willing to lend me anything anymore..." His breath came out uneven.

"How... how am I supposed to get this money?"

His mother didn’t answer right away, only crying softly.

Adriana watched as Henry lowered his head, his knuckles white from gripping the phone. Her heart ached for him.

"Henry..." she whispered, reaching out to hold his hand.

Henry hung up the call, his hands trembling. He bit his lip, trying to hold back his emotions, but it was useless. Tears welled up in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. His shoulders shook as he covered his face with his hands.

Adriana’s heart twisted painfully. She had never seen Henry like this before. He was always the strong one, always smiling. But now, he looked so lost, so broken.

Without thinking, she reached for her phone. A sudden thought came to her—her bank account! She had some savings. It wasn’t much, but she could help.

"Henry," she said softly. "I’ll transfer you $1,000 right now—"

Before she could finish, Henry shook his head quickly. "No," he said, his voice rough. "I can’t take $5,000 from you."

Adriana stiffened. She hadn’t even mentioned $5,000 yet, but hearing his words, she realized something—if she only gave him $1,000, where would the rest come from?

He had already asked his friends, and they refused to help. His family had no other options. He needed all of it.

Adriana took a deep breath. "Then I’ll lend you the full $5,000," she said firmly.

Henry’s head snapped up. His teary brown eyes widened in shock.

"No," he said immediately. He shook his head, his voice trembling. "Adriana, I can’t... I don’t even know when I’ll be able to pay you back."

Adriana reached out and patted his hand gently. "You will," she said with a soft smile. "Just write me an IOU. That’s enough."

For a second, something flashed in Henry’s eyes—guilt, pain, hesitation. He swallowed hard and looked away.

Then, suddenly, he shook his head with a firm expression.

"No," he said. He pushed back his chair and stood up.

"I can’t do this. I can’t deceive you, Adriana. I don’t know when I can return the money, and I can’t take advantage of you like that."

He turned and took a few steps toward the exit.

But his body felt weak, and his legs wobbled. Everything felt heavy—his head, his heart, his entire body.

Then, suddenly—his vision blurred, and his knees buckled.

Henry stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

"Henry!" Adriana gasped. She rushed forward and caught him just in time.

His body felt cold, his breath shaky. Adriana held onto him tightly, her heart pounding. "Henry, you’re not okay," she whispered.

Henry clenched his jaw, trying to steady himself.

"I just... I feel so tired..." His voice was barely above a whisper.

Adriana bit her lip. She had never seen him this weak before.

She tightened her grip on him and made a decision. She wouldn’t let him suffer alone.

"Henry," she said softly. "Please... let me help you."

Henry shook his head weakly. "I... I can’t..." His voice was hoarse, almost breaking.

Adriana tightened her hold on him. "You don’t have to do this alone, Henry," she whispered. "I want to help you. Please let me."

Henry looked into her blue eyes.

"I don’t want to be a burden," he mumbled.

Adriana frowned. "You’re not a burden," she said firmly.

"You’re my boyfriend, Henry. When you’re happy, I’m happy. When you’re sad, I’m sad. That’s how it works."

Tears slid down Henry’s eyes as he nodded.

Adriana took a deep breath. "Let’s sit down first, okay?" she said gently. "You look like you’re about to pass out."

Henry hesitated, but his legs felt too weak to argue.

He let Adriana guide him back to the chair. She made him drink some water, watching him carefully.

After a few moments, Adriana spoke again.

"I’ll lend you the money, Henry. No matter what you say, I’ve already decided."

Henry swallowed hard. "But—"

"No buts," Adriana interrupted. She gave him a small smile. "And you don’t need to write any IOU’s I trust you."

Henry’s breath hitched. He stared at Adriana, his eyes wide and filled with emotions he couldn’t put into words.

"You... you trust me that much?" he whispered.

Adriana nodded without hesitation. "Of course, I do."

Henry bit his lip.

"I don’t know how to thank you," he said, his voice shaking.

Adriana smiled softly. "You don’t have to thank me, Henry. Just promise me one thing."

Henry blinked. "What?"

"That you won’t push me away again," she said gently. "We’re in this together."

Henry’s throat tightened. He wiped his tears quickly and nodded. "Okay," he whispered. "I promise."

Adriana reached out and held his hand, giving it a warm squeeze.

"Good," she said. "Now, let’s get something to eat. You need to regain your strength."

Henry let out a small, shaky laugh. "Yeah... okay."

After the meal, Henry went to settle the bill, but Adriana had already done it, moving Henry to tears.

He dropped her near her apartment and leaned toward her lip, wanting to kiss her, but Adriana backed away.

"I...am not ready for this." She muttered.

Henry froze, his eyes widening in surprise. He quickly pulled back, his face turning red.

"S-Sorry," he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable."

Adriana looked down, feeling guilty.

She didn’t want him to think she didn’t like him. She did—so much. But she wasn’t ready for something like that yet.

"It’s not that I don’t want to," she said softly. "I just... need more time."