REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 57

Chloe set her coffee mug down and cracked her knuckles, a predatory gleam in her eye. "The gossip networks have been going absolutely feral since the Lexi incident. Everyone is terrified to cross the Valteris, but they're whispering behind closed doors. I'll trace every single rumor back to its source, find out which socialites are sweating, and see if anyone is trying to throw dirt on your name." she said.

"Dig deep," I said. "We need to know who our enemies are before they even realize they're standing in our crosshairs. Keep me updated."

After that I ended the call.

For the next several hours, my office turned into a high- pressured room of productivity. Being a master at everything wasn't just a convenient trait; it was an absolute necessity when you ran a multi-billion-dollar tech company from the shadows. I breezed through quarterly financial statements, audited upcoming infrastructural expansions, and signed off on legal documents with ruthless efficiency.

When it came time for international board meetings via video conference, I didn't take any chances. Before connecting to the virtual room, I attached a high-end, military-grade voice modulator to my system, adjusting the pitch and resonance just enough to mask my natural vocal cadence into a smooth, commanding, gender-neutral tone that commanded absolute authority.

No one on the global board, not even our senior partners or executives would ever be able to recognize or trace the voice back to the young woman sitting in the chair.

"Proceed with the European expansion," I instructed through the modulator, my synthesized voice echoing with chilling composure across the digital conference hall. The board members nodded hastily, entirely compliant and intimidated. "Meeting adjourned."

I cut the feed, leaning back and letting out a long breath as I rubbed the bridge of my nose. The mask came off, the modulator powered down, and I returned to my own reality.

By the time evening rolled around, the sun was beginning to dip below the skyline. I packed up my tablet, slipped my phone into my pocket, and rode the private elevator down to the ground level, ready for the quiet ride back to the Valteri estate.

Except, when I pushed through the glass revolving doors and stepped out onto the sidewalk, my plans were instantly derailed.

Dario was leaning casually against the side of a matte-black car that was parked right by the curb.

He wasn't wearing a suit, he had on a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, dark slacks, and a pair of sunglasses pushed up onto his head. He looked devastatingly out of place standing on a bustling downtown sidewalk, yet somehow, he owned the entire block just by breathing.

As soon as he saw me step out of the building, a slow, knowing smirk spread across his face. He pushed off the car door, straightened up, and waited right there for me, looking too pleased with himself.

I walked over to him, raising an eyebrow as I stopped a few feet away. "What are you doing here?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. "Don't you have a multi-billion-dollar empire of your own to run, or are you moonlighting as my personal chauffeur now?" I asked.

He let out a low, smooth chuckle, the sound rich and effortlessly confident. He pushed off the side of the car and closed the distance between us in two long strides. "I can multitask," he replied smoothly, opening the back door for me with a polite sweep of his hand. "And besides, I missed my favorite distraction." he said.

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't entirely fight off the small smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. I slid into the back seat of the car, and he slipped in right after me, closing the door behind us. The partition between the driver and the back seats slid up automatically as the car pulled away smoothly from the curb and merged into the evening traffic.

The hum of the city faded into a dull roar outside as we cruised down the highway. I settled back against the seat, turning my head to look out the window at the flashing lights of the skyline.

Before I could blink, he shifted closer, closing the gap between us. Before I even had a chance to react, his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me right against his side. I let out a soft huff of surprise, trying to lean away slightly, but he was like solid stone.

"Personal space, Valteri," I muttered, though my voice lacked any real bite.

He just ignored me. With his free hand, he reached into the pocket of his slacks and pulled out a small, dark velvet box. My eyes flicked down to it instinctively, narrowing with sudden suspicion. He caught my left hand, his fingers wrapping around my wrist, and popped the lid open with his thumb.

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