Chapter 675: Downfall
Aurora’s pupils instantly contracted. She was stunned.
Spencer continued, "Not only that..."
He sighed. "If my guess is correct, attacking the institute right now would be the worst possible decision."
Aurora narrowed her eyes. Spencer calmly explained, "The government would most likely protect the institute."
His voice turned grim. "They might even use the opportunity to arrest the entire Water family."
Aurora gritted her teeth. A terrifying killing intent flashed across her eyes. "They’d dare?"
Spencer remained silent for several moments. Finally, he answered, "Yes."
Aurora slowly took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Then what should I do?"
She asked quietly. "Should I just let them continue doing whatever they want?"
Spencer shook his head. "Not exactly. Instead of attacking the institute, we should expose the relationship between the government and the System Institute."
He continued, "We’ve already gathered evidence of the institute’s crimes. Now our priority is proving the government’s involvement."
His voice became firmer. "Once that relationship is exposed to the public, the government will immediately distance itself from the institute."
A dangerous smile slowly appeared on his face. "And once that protection disappears, that’s when we’ll destroy the System Institute once and for all."
Aurora remained silent. After a few seconds, Spencer spoke again. "Aurora..."
His expression became unusually serious. "While investigating them, I discovered something else."
Aurora frowned. "What is it?"
Spencer lowered his voice. "I think some kind of supernatural entity is involved."
Aurora froze. "Really?"
Spencer nodded. "I’m almost certain. And I have a feeling that this entity is somehow connected to your Rebate System."
Another possibility crossed his mind.
"Or perhaps..." He spoke slowly. "...your Rebate System was created specifically to counter that entity."
Aurora’s fists clenched tightly. After remaining silent for several moments, she finally nodded. "All right. I understand."
With that, she ended the call.
.....................................
After bringing Mary back home, Aurora helped her inside.
The moment Mary entered the living room, she saw Lucas, Olivia, Theodore, Adriana, Alex, Adeline, and Jules all waiting anxiously.
The warm scent of home instantly surrounded her. Seeing everyone’s worried expressions, Mary couldn’t help but smile. "I’m fine."
She waved her hand reassuringly. "There’s no need to worry about me."
Everyone smiled back. Although they agreed with her verbally, the concern in their eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
Soon, they carefully helped Mary back to her bedroom. After making sure she was comfortable, everyone quietly left the room.
Once Mary had fallen asleep, a collective sigh escaped everyone’s lips.
At that moment, Olivia suddenly clutched her lower abdomen. Her face twisted in discomfort. "Damn these periods..."
She muttered through gritted teeth. "Why are the cramps so terrible this time?"
Adeline immediately looked at her. A trace of concern appeared in her eyes.
She gently asked, "Olivia... how long have your period cramps been this severe?"
Olivia paused for a moment before replying, "Maybe... around two weeks now."
The moment Adeline heard that, she frowned. Two weeks? That wasn’t normal.
Looking at Olivia with concern, she gently said, "That’s very strange, Olivia. You should get yourself checked properly."
Olivia simply waved her hand dismissively. "I already did."
She stretched lazily before continuing, "The doctor said it’s just a menstrual issue. It’s alright. It’s not a big deal."
Adeline still wasn’t convinced. She was about to persuade Olivia further when Lucas suddenly looked at her. "Adeline."
She instinctively turned toward him. Lucas smiled faintly. "Let’s schedule the surgery."
He spoke with complete calmness. "Let’s decide on a date as soon as possible."
Hearing those words, Adeline blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected Lucas to make his decision so quickly. Looking at him carefully, she softly asked, "Are you ready? So soon?"
Lucas nodded without the slightest hesitation. Seeing the determination in his eyes, the burden inside Adeline’s heart finally eased.
A grateful smile slowly spread across her face. "Then..."
She lowered her head slightly. "...I’ll shamelessly ask you to do it as soon as possible."
Lucas chuckled softly. "All right."
He stood up. "Let’s go."
Soon afterward, Lucas, Adeline, Alex, and Jules left together to discuss the arrangements, leaving only Olivia, Adriana, Theodore, and Aurora inside the living room.
Aurora casually leaned against the sofa before looking toward Theodore. A teasing smile appeared on her face. "Brother..."
She folded her arms. "Don’t you have work?"
She tilted her head. "How come you always have time to join family meals and every little gathering?"
Theodore rolled his eyes dramatically. "If I can’t even spend my free time with my family..."
He shrugged. "...then what’s the point of earning so much money?"
Aurora immediately raised both thumbs. "Well said. Ten out of ten answer."
Meanwhile, Olivia slowly stood up. The cramps in her abdomen caused her brows to knit together ever so slightly.
Trying not to let anyone notice, she forced a smile. "I’m going back to my room."
Without waiting for anyone to respond, she quietly walked upstairs. Aurora absentmindedly watched Olivia’s retreating figure.
Her brows slowly furrowed. A strange feeling suddenly surfaced inside her heart.
She unconsciously muttered, "I keep feeling like I’m forgetting something, but what is it?"
She gently tapped her forehead with her fingers. "Come on, think, try to remember..."
Yet no matter how hard she thought, nothing came to mind.
..............................
While all of this was happening, someone else had just won a battle she had fought for years.
That person was none other than Abby.
After months of meticulous planning and collecting evidence, she had finally succeeded in bringing down the entire Brown family.
One explosive document after another appeared across the internet.
Even countless crimes the Brown family had committed behind the backs of ordinary citizens.
The entire internet exploded overnight.
Among the exposed evidence was proof that many of the Brown family’s technological products had been deliberately designed with hidden defects.
Tiny bugs had been intentionally left inside their systems.
Whenever those defects surfaced, the company would release an expensive "upgrade."
The upgrades solved the problems they themselves had created while simultaneously increasing the prices.
Time after time, they manipulated the market under the guise of technological innovation.
Not only that, but evidence also surfaced showing that the current head of the Brown family had maintained several mistresses outside his marriage.
Another revelation shocked everyone even more. The Brown family’s real youngest daughter had been hidden from the public for years.
Instead, they had adopted another young girl and presented her as the official daughter of the Brown family.
Their only purpose was to protect their true princess from public attention.
Unfortunately, the public couldn’t understand why such protection was necessary.
Very quickly, the internet became flooded with speculation.
"What’s so special about this hidden princess?"
"Was she involved in something illegal? Why hide your biological daughter?"
"The Brown family is even more disgusting than I imagined."
Countless hateful comments poured into every social media platform.
At the same time, another scandal surfaced.
Evidence proved that Shay’s elder brothers had repeatedly committed crimes, including molestation, sexual assault, blackmail, and coercion against numerous women.
This time, there was overwhelming evidence. None of them escaped.
One after another, members of the Brown family were arrested.
Their assets were frozen, their businesses collapsed and their reputation was completely destroyed.
Within only a few days, the once glorious Brown family was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, Shay sat inside the now eerily quiet Brown mansion.
The luxurious villa that had once bustled with servants now felt cold and empty.
She watched everything crumble before her eyes.
For a brief moment, she genuinely wondered whether this had all been Aurora’s doing once again.
’Is she really that determined to destroy us? Why won’t she let us go?’
Just as she was thinking about confronting Aurora, her phone suddenly rang. Looking down at the unfamiliar number, she frowned.
For some reason, her instincts immediately warned her. ’This isn’t a normal call.’
She answered anyway.
Sure enough, the moment the call connected, Abby’s lazy, amused voice drifted through the speaker. "Well... well... well..."
A soft chuckle followed. "Shay..."
Her voice carried obvious mockery. "How does it feel to stand in my shoes?"
She laughed lightly. "To lose absolutely everything?"
The moment Shay heard those words, her fingers clenched tightly around the phone. Her knuckles turned white.
She spoke through gritted teeth. "You’re the one who released those documents."
Laughter echoed from the other end. That laughter alone made Shay want to smash the phone against the wall.
However, she forced herself to calm down.
Taking a deep breath, she deliberately softened her voice. "Abby..."
She spoke gently. "I understand that, from your perspective, everything the Brown family did to you was unforgivable."
She slowly tightened her grip around the teacup resting beside her.
"But..." She smiled sweetly. "...why don’t you give me one chance?"
Her voice became increasingly gentle. "Let me explain everything to you."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the call, Abby simply laughed.
"Shay, if you’re trying to hypnotize me, then don’t bother."