REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 40

The next morning, I was out of bed before the sun had fully cleared the horizon. As I strode toward the front doors, my father stepped out of his study, holding a cup of black coffee and eyeing my tailored suit with a knowing smirk.

"Where are you off to so early?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I paused, looking back at him with absolute indifference. "To my future wife's house to have breakfast."

My father just let out a low chuckle, shaking his head at my sheer audacity before taking a sip of his coffee and walking away.

Twenty minutes later, my car pulled through the gates of the Vexari estate. When Nysa saw me stepping into the foyer at this ungodly hour, her face lit up like she had won the lottery. She rushed over, flashing a blinding, triumphant smile, convinced I was finally cracking open and surrendering to her charm.

I forced a smooth, convincing smile back onto my face, looking right down at her. "I'm here to have breakfast with you," I said smoothly.

She beamed, practically vibrating with excitement as she led me into the formal dining room. But the second I sat down at the table, my attention completely derailed.

Footsteps echoed across the marble floor, and Nyxara walked in.

My eyes instantly locked onto her, tracking her every single movement as she took a seat near the end of the table. She looked effortlessly composed, wearing a simple cream blouse that made those violet eyes pop, entirely ignoring my presence.

It didn't take long for Nysa to start up. True to form, Nysa leaned across the table, her tone dripping with passive-aggressive condescension as she belittled Nyxara for coming down late, treating her like an unwanted stray.

The sheer, venomous disrespect made my hands curl into tight fists under the table. I wanted to reach across that table and punch Nysa right in the mouth just to shut her up permanently.

Before I could even intervene, Nyxara lifted her chin. Her voice was cool, level, and entirely unfazed as she replied that she was heading out early for work.

I blinked, a jolt of genuine surprise hitting me. Work? She had just turned eighteen, what kind of work could she possibly be doing?

When she dropped the name CipherCore, my eyebrows shot up.

CipherCore was a high-end, fiercely guarded tech and cybersecurity firm known for elite-level contracts. My mind raced, the intrigue wrapping around me like a vice. She wasn't just smart; she was embedded in the tech underground. She was hiding more than she let on, and every layer she peeled back only made her more intoxicating.

Breakfast dragged on for a few more minutes until Nyxara pushed her chair back, deciding to leave early. Without a second thought, I stood up from my seat, ignoring Nysa's startled gasp. I looked straight at Nyxara. "I'll give you a ride."

Before Nyxara could object, Carlton spoke up from the head of the table, nodding approvingly. "Yes, Nyxara. Let Dario take you. It's on his way."

Inside, I was throwing a celebration, but I kept my face locked into a mask of cold, unbothered indifference. I didn't let a single flicker of satisfaction show.

Nyxara looked less than thrilled, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion, but she didn't argue as she grabbed her coat and walked out to my car.

The second the car doors closed and we rolled past the Vexari estate's security gates, cutting ourselves off from the rest of the world, I moved.

I didn't give her a second to breathe. I reached across the spacious leather interior, caught her by the waist, pulled her straight into my lap, and crushed my lips against hers.

The impact of it threw me for a fucking loop. The kiss wasn't just a power move, it was pure, unfiltered electricity. She tasted like dangerous defiance and sweet ruin, a rush so potent it was instantly, terrifyingly addictive.

"You didn't even flinch," I muttered, my tone dropping into something intensely focused. "When she hit you. When your mother started screaming. You just sat there watching them with those eyes."

I couldn't look away from her. "I can't stop staring at your eyes," I whispered, my thumb grazing her bottom lip. "Violet. Like a storm hiding behind glass. You think you can play the quiet, innocent little mouse by day, but I see the real you underneath, Nyxara. And I want her."

Before she could spit out a venomous retort, I crashed my mouth down onto hers. It wasn't gentle. It was heavy, demanding, and utterly consuming. Her lips parted easily under mine, tasting like pure defiance.

Her hands flew up to push me away, but her fingers betrayed her, curling instantly into the fabric of my shirt instead. A hot, violent jolt of electricity surged straight through my veins.

Then, a sound shattered the dark. Bang, bang, bang.

I froze, pulling back just an inch as my chest heaved against hers. A wicked smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.

"Nyxara?" Carlton’s voice cut through the wood from the hallway, muffled and dangerously close. "Are you awake? I heard a noise, are you okay? Does that cut hurt?"

Panic? Absolute panic is what lesser men feel. For me, a dark, wild rush of adrenaline flooded my blood. I loved the razor's edge. I loved the terrifying thrill of standing right in the crosshairs.

Moving with speed, I slipped off the mattress and dropped silently to the floor on the opposite side of the bed just as the door handle clicked and turned.

I laid in the dark, barely breathing, listening to the soft shuffle of Carlton’s slippers crossing the floorboards. I could hear the rustle of the bedsheets as he checked to see if she was safe. Ten agonizing seconds ticked by.