REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 25

Nysa’s face drained of all color. She began shaking her head frantically, her hands flying up in defense. "No! No, Father, I swear to God I didn't know anything about this! I had no idea!" she sobbed, panic cracking her voice entirely.

"Bullshit," my father roared, taking a menacing step toward her. "The two of you are always huddled up in some fucking corner whispering together, and you're telling me you had no idea your mother was running around with a twenty-eight-year-old parasite?"

"I didn't, I swear on my life!" she pleaded, tears spilling down her cheeks as she cowered lower against the wall.

Even our mother, who was still huddled on the cold floor where she had fallen, she forced herself to speak up through her sobs, trying desperately to shield her golden child. "Carlton, please…leave her alone! Nysa had no idea, she really didn't know anything about it, I kept it all from her…" she pleaded.

Before the chaos could escalate any further, I stepped forward from the shadows of the hallway. I walked quietly over to my father, my movements deliberate and calm, I gently placed a reassuring hand on his tense, rigid arm.

"Father," I said softly, pitching my voice to cut cleanly through the screaming and crying. "Listen to me."

He stopped, his heavy chest heaving as he turned his blazing eyes down toward me.

"We can't fall apart right now," I continued, maintaining an expression of absolute, level-headed maturity.

"The Valteris. We mustn't let them find out about any of this. If word of this scandal leaks out before this trip , they’re going to call off my sister engagement and destroy whatever reputation we have left."

I glanced briefly at the head butler and the trembling kitchen staff lingering at the edge of the hall before looking back up at him. "You need to make sure the servants don't say anything also. Give strict orders that no one is to ever mention what happened here today." I said more softly.

The weight of my words was like a cold bucket of water doused over my father’s raging fire. The wild, frantic tension in his shoulders slowly began to ease, and he let out a long, shuddering breath, looking down at me with a profound, desperate gratitude.

"You're right," he muttered hoarsely, his voice dropping as he patted my hand resting on his arm. "You're absolutely right, Nyxara."

He whipped his head back around, his expression turning vicious as he glared at Nysa, who was still trembling in her corner.

"Even your younger sister has more fucking sense in her little finger than both of you combined," he snapped, his voice venomous.

Then, he turned his lethal gaze down toward our mother, who was still kneeling pitifully on the floor.

"And you," my father said, his tone dropping into a deadly, unyielding whisper. "You are not to ever step foot out of this house again. Hand over all your cards. Now."

Our mother gasped, clutching her chest in horror. "Carlton... please, not my cards…"

"Securing the house staff is a start, but it's not enough," I replied smoothly, pressing the advantage right where it hurt. "What about that young man? Marcus. He knows everything. If mother no longer supports him and he becomes greedy for wealth and he realizes how much leverage he has, he could bleed us dry or run straight to the tabloids."

My father’s jaw clenched instantly, a dangerous light flickering back into his eyes at the mention of the personal trainer who had pillaged his wealth. "He won't get the chance. I'll deal with him." he replied.

"Don't handle it personally, Father. That runs the risk of a paper trail or a public altercation," I advised, keeping my tone gentle and advisory. "It’s better if you send someone discreet, someone reliable from our legal or security team to speak to him directly. Warn him off permanently, make him sign an airtight non-disclosure agreement, and take back every single asset, car, and piece of property Mother foolishly gave him."

My father stared at me for a long, silent moment. The raw anger in his expression slowly shifted, replaced by a deep, heavy wave of realization and a sudden, sharp clarity. The way he looked at me changed, not as a tired parent looking at a daughter, but as a general recognizing an asset far superior to anything else in his ranks.

A faint, bitter smile touched the corners of his mouth.

"You are really smarter than your sister, Nyxara," he murmured, his voice laced with a mixture of profound regret and grim pride. "You see the entire board while everyone else is just reacting to the pieces falling. I’ll do as you say. I'll send security down to strip him of everything by nightfall."

"I knew you would make the right choice, Father," I said softly, leaning back into my chair as I watched the gears turn in his head.

The trap was fully closed. My mother was neutered for now, Nysa was terrified and cornered upstairs, and my father was leaning entirely on me to hold the family together. Our trip to the Valteri estate couldn't come fast enough.