REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 56

As soon as the last plates were cleared away and dessert was finished, the room started to empty out with practiced efficiency. Mom and Grandmother excused themselves to check on estate logistics, Vincenzo retired to his study for a late-night call, and Ella and Bianca disappeared down the hall with matching mischievous grins, leaving us alone in the dining room.

Before I could even stand up to retreat back to my fortress of a bedroom, Dario reached across the table, grabbed my hand, and gently pulled me to my feet. "Come with me," he said, his voice dropping into something a lot softer, a lot less demanding than usual.

Before I could argue, he was leading me away from the dining room, down a set of tall French doors, and right out into the sprawling stone gardens behind the estate.

The night air was cool and crisp, carrying the faint, sweet scent of blooming night-jasmine and manicured lawns. The antique lanterns were casting a warm, golden glow along the winding pathways, illuminating the dark hedges and the quiet stone fountains that bubbled softly in the background.

As we walked side by side down the path, my fingers loosely laced in his, I looked up at him sideways.

For the first time since I had met him, the sharp, dangerous edge that always seemed to coat his features was completely gone. He didn't look like a ruthless CEO. His shoulders were loose, his posture was relaxed, and the permanent scowl that was usually carved into his face had melted into something dangerously close to peace.

"You're awfully quiet tonight," he said softly, glancing down at me as we paused by a large stone fountain.

"I'm just processing," I admitted, looking out over the dark water. "It's a lot."

"I know," he murmured, leaning his hip against the stone rim of the fountain and crossing his arms loosely as he looked right at me. "Which is why I want to talk about something else. For once."

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Like what?"

"Like you," he said simply. "Your real life. Before you came back to the Vexari family and I dragged you into the deep end."

My chest tightened just a bit. My real life.

In my past life, my real life had been a nightmare of constant abuse, isolation, and being treated like a ghost in my own home while Nysa stole every milestone, every compliment, and every piece of happiness. In this life, my real life was a meticulously crafted lie, a calculated web of revenge built on secrets and hidden agendas.

I couldn't tell him the truth. I couldn't look the most dangerous man in the city in the eye and tell him I was had been reborn and all I wanted in this life was revenge, all I wanted was cold-blooded payback against my sister and the family that destroyed me.

So, I did what I did best: I gave him bits and pieces. A carefully edited highlight reel of truth wrapped in a safe, believable narrative.

"There wasn't much to tell, Dario," I said softly, looking down at my shoes before meeting his gaze. "My life was mostly textbooks, I spent most of my time locked in my room or studying late into the night."

"I studied business management and economics," I continued, offering a small, self-deprecating shrug. "Not because I loved it, but because it was the only way to earn even a shred of respect in the Vexari household. If you weren't useful, you were invisible."

"You were never invisible to me," he said quietly, his voice dropping into a low, intense register that sent an unexpected shiver down my spine.

I blinked, thrown off by the sincerity in his tone, and quickly cleared my throat, forcing a casual smile back onto my face to deflect the sudden heat in the air.

"Anyway," I rushed on, waving a hand dismissively. "As for hobbies... I like quiet things. Reading, sketching out designs when I can't sleep. My favorite food is anything sweet, don't tell Grandmother or she'll feed me pastries until I explode and I absolutely cannot stand loud, obnoxious people who think money makes them bulletproof."

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