REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 126

"What do you intend to do?" Dario asked, looking at me seriously, his dark eyes fixed on my face.

"Well, we have a rough idea of where Russo is staying," I said, leaning back against the pillows. "Russo won't take the bait so easily, so we'll have to draw him out slowly. He'll probably use Nysa. He'll send her to test the waters to make sure it isn't another trap."

"So how do you want to play it?" Dario asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't have to play anything, I just have to go out in public," I said with a small, cold smile.

Dario studied me for a long moment before letting out a slow breath. "Okay. You'll handle it how you see fit. It's almost lunch time. Are you up to leaving the room?"

I nodded, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The stiffness in my muscles pulled at my skin, but I forced myself to stand, shaking off the lingering weakness. Dario stayed close to me, his hand resting lightly against the small of my back as we walked out into the hallway and headed toward the main living room.

Dad, Uncle Pascal, and Vincenzo were already sitting there, talking in low, tense tones. The moment we walked in, all three of their heads snapped toward us. They immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed over, bombarding me with questions about how I felt and if I was really okay.

"I'm fine," I assured them, offering a steady smile to ease the heavy, suffocating worry in the room. "Really. I'm back on my feet."

Dad let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over his face. "You shouldn't be moving around yet, sweetie. You need to rest." he said.

"I've rested enough," I said, walking over to take a seat at the table where lunch was already being laid out. "It's time to finish this."

We sat down around the table and had a light lunch of soup and fresh bread. The food tasted like cardboard in my mouth, but I forced it down, knowing I needed the strength. As soon as the plates were cleared, Dario handed me my post-meal medication with a glass of water. I swallowed the pills without a word, letting the bitter taste sit on my tongue.

After we finished, I pushed my chair back slightly, leaning back in my chair. I looked around the room, meeting the eyes of my father, Uncle Pascal, Vincenzo, and Dario one by one.

“Okay so we need to be smart about this," I said, my voice carrying across the quiet room. "We aren't going to chase Russo through the city anymore, mainly because he’s hiding too good and always one step ahead of us. He's dug in too deep, and his men are too careful, so we let him come to us."

My father narrowed his eyes, leaning forward. "Explain." he said.

"Nysa is running on fumes right now," I said, tracing the rim of my glass with my thumb. "Caroline is gone wherever, i sure as hell wasn’t going to tell them, I personally killed her. Right now Nysa has no protection, and Russo is treating her like a disposable asset. She's desperate to prove her worth to him well to everyone especially me, and more than anything, she wants to humiliate me publicly to reclaim whatever control she thinks she has left."

I paused, letting the logic settle over them.

"So we’ll give her the exact stage she wants," I continued. "Tomorrow afternoon, I’m going to take a stroll out in public, i’m going to hit up that open-air cafe in the downtown shopping district. Just me, moving around normally, looking like I'm recovering from the incident."

Dario’s jaw tightened instantly. "You're walking right into the open." he said, I could tell he didn’t like that Idea.

"I won't be unprotected," I said, keeping my tone level. "You haven't met jax yet have you?” I asked with a smile.

“Who is Jax?" Uncle Pascal asked and I smiled. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent jax a message. : I need you to get to the Valteri Estate, Don’t get caught. Livingroom

Jax’s reply came back almost Instantly. : On my way Boss, Five minutes.

I pushed my phone back into my pocket.

“Jax will be here soon. Jax is someone I personally scouted, Jax is a ghost and i’m sure the moment Nysa gets word that I'm out alone, her ego won't let her pass up the chance to get to me" I said.

Uncle Pascal crossed his arms, tapping a finger against his biceps. "And when she shows up?" he asked.

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