REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 143

Nyxara's POV

Living under one roof with the whole Valteri family was usually great. It was lively, warm, and different from how I grew up, but I loved it.

The household staff had already set out a huge breakfast spread on the dining table, the rich smell of freshly brewed coffee and hot pastries filling the main hallway. Mom and Dad were sitting at the head of the table while one of the house staff poured fresh orange juice into their glasses. Grandmother was in her usual spot near the window, reading her morning paper while Grandfather relaxed on the sofa nearby. Bianca was checking emails on her tablet before heading out to work, and Dario was sitting right beside me, holding our daughter while helping her eat small bites of fruit from a silver bowl.

Everything felt normal and peaceful. Except for Ella.

Ella was sitting across from us, staring down at her phone screen like her life depended on it. She was turning twenty in a few weeks, right around my age, but lately she had been acting weird. She barely touched the food the staff had plated for her, her thumbs flying across her screen before she quickly flipped the phone face down on the table, looking up to see if anyone was watching her.

"You okay over there, Ella?" Elena asked, nodding to one of the staff members who brought over a fresh tray of fruit. "You've been glued to that phone all morning."

"Yeah, I'm fine Mom," Ella said quickly, giving a small, fast smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Just a friend from school texting me about a group project."

I took a slow sip of my juice, watching her closely. I knew that look. That wasn't group project stress. That was hiding-something stress.

"You're going out later?" Bianca asked, looking up from her screen.

"Yeah, just meeting up at a cafe near campus," Ella said, grabbing her bag off the chair next to her. "I'll be back before dinner."

She kissed Mom on the cheek, waved to Grandfather and Grandmother, and practically sprinted out the front door. Dario shook his head with a quiet smile, shifting Aria in his arms. "She's been jumpy all week." he said.

"She's almost twenty, let her live a little," Dad said with a chuckle, setting his coffee cup down as a server picked up his empty plate. I didn't say anything out loud. I just leaned back in my chair, reaching into my hoodie pocket for my phone. Once Ella's car pulled out of the driveway, I sent a quick text to Leo.

Me: Hey. Need you to run a quick search for me.

Leo: What’s up? I’m at my desk.

Me: Pull up Ella’s recent call log and location. Just want to see who she's meeting up with today.

Leo was the only person outside the family who handled my tech side. He worked from home, running background checks and digital searches whenever I needed something looked into. A few minutes later, my phone vibrated on my lap.

Leo: She’s heading to a coffee shop downtown on 4th Street. Number she’s been texting belongs to a guy named Liam Crosgrove. 22 years old. Claims to be a business student, but his bank feeds and tags look messy. He’s been hanging around some low-level street bookies.

My eyes narrowed at the screen. A guy who hung around shady bookies doesn't just randomly start dating the younger daughter of one of the richest families in the city.

"Hey," I said softly, turning toward Dario. "I need to run out for a couple of hours. Got a quick errand to handle for Cipher Core."

Dario looked at me, his eyes warm as he kissed the side of my forehead. "Sure, babe. Take your time. I've got Aria."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify