REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 34

A slow, deeply satisfied smile spread across my face. This was exactly what I had intended . Down on the patio, Dario finally stopped listening to Nysa's frantic screeching. He reached into his jacket, pulled out a thick manila envelope, and tossed it casually onto the table.

As he did, a sudden movement caught my eye. Vincenzo and my father looked up from the argument, their gazes locking straight onto the window where the three of us were standing.

My dad’s face hardened into a strict, no-nonsense mask. He raised a finger, pointing straight up at us. "Come down. Now." he said.

I didn't panic. I just met my father’s stern gaze, gave a cool nod, and turned away from the window. Ten minutes later, after a lightning-fast shower and a quick change of clothes, I walked downstairs with Bianca and Ella trailing right behind me, stepping out onto the patio where the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

We all took a seat around the stone patio table, the morning air freezing over into absolute silence.

Nysa’s chest heaved as she pointed a shaking, manicured finger straight at the manila envelope still resting on the wood. "What is that?" she screamed, her voice cracking with pure panic.

My father reached out, his face carved from stone. He pulled the thick envelope toward him, tipped it over, and dumped the contents out across the table.

A scatter of photographs spilled out, landing right in front of everyone. Dozens of them. Pictures of Nysa with various men, most of them high-ranking executives from Dario’s own corporate empire. Some were intimately compromising, shot in dimly lit hotel rooms and private offices, accompanied by printed transcripts of explicit, damning messages detailing their trysts right under our noses.

Dario leaned back in his chair, his expression cold as ice. "This is where I was last night," he said smoothly, his deep voice cutting through the tension. "Investigating the woman who thought she could play me."

Nysa lunged forward, her face draining of all color as she shrieked, "It's fake! It's not real! They're edited!"

Our father let out a long, heavy, utterly defeated sigh. He looked down at the proof of his eldest daughter's betrayal, his shoulders slumped. He turned his gaze to Elena and Vincenzo, his voice thick with genuine shame. "Dario... I am truly sorry about this." he said in a shaky voice.

I watched my father, seeing the heavy, crushing disappointment weighing him down. Moving quietly, I reached out, resting my hand gently on his arm and giving him a small, sad smile of quiet support.

Our mother, on the other hand, sat completely rigid and silent, staring down at her lap, unable to look anyone in the eye. She knew about this too.

Cornered and desperate, Nysa snapped. Her head whipped around, her eyes locking onto me with pure, venomous hatred. She pointed a trembling finger right in my face.

"You!" she screamed, her voice tearing through the morning air. "You were alone with him out here last night! You did this! Ever since you, they brought you back, you have been trying to ruin my life!"

Before I could even blink, she launched herself across the table, her hands clawing outward to lunge at my throat.

Crack.

Our father stood up with terrifying speed, his hand swinging back and landing a brutal, echoing slap across her face that knocked her sideways.

That was the final breaking point for Nysa. Still crumpled on the floor, she let out an ear-splitting shriek. "No! You can't marry her!" She scrambled to her feet, her face twisted into an ugly, psychotic mask of pure rage as she pointed a shaking finger right at me. "I should have fucking killed you when…."

Before she could finish the sentence, our mother, who had been dead silent the entire time, lunged forward with terrifying speed, clamping her hand hard over Nysa's mouth to cut off the damning confession. With a panicked, desperate grip, our mother hauled Nysa backward, dragging her kicking and screaming away from the patio and toward the house.

The heavy silence that followed was deafening, I sucked in a sharp breath, forcing my shoulders to drop as I looked around the table at the frozen faces of both families. I kept my voice entirely calm and measured.

"I appreciate your trust," I said, meeting Elena’s gaze head-on. "However, I don't think it's possible for me to marry Dario."

Elena didn't look phased in the slightest. In fact, a knowing, smile touched the corners of her lips as she leaned forward.

"Oh, sweet girl, you don't have to worry about a traditional wedding right now," she replied smoothly. "You just need to get legally married. You'll simply be Dario’s wife on paper. The alliance just requires a signature to lock the families together. You can be our third daughter.”

My father looked over at me, his eyes tired, pleading silently for a way to salvage what was left of our family's ruined reputation and the vital business alliance.

I looked at my father , then let out a long, heavy sigh that carried all the weight of my chaotic, messed-up life. I glanced over at Dario, who was watching me with those dark, burning eyes, the man who had just dismantled Nysa's entire world without breaking a sweat, and who now sat waiting to see what I would do.

"Okay," I whispered.