REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 59

The heavy doors to the hallway banged open, and Vincenzo rushed into the room, breathing hard and looking frantic. "Elena? What is going on? Did someone break in? Is everyone safe?" he demanded, his eyes darting wildly around the room until they landed on his wife.

Ella immediately grabbed her father’s arm, dragging him forward and shoving my hand right in front of his face. "Look, Dad! He did it!" she said.

I stood there frozen, blinking in confusion. I looked down at my hand, then up at their ecstatic faces. I didn't understand why everyone was losing their minds over a piece of jewelry. It was just a ring. Dario had slipped it onto my finger and I had barely given it a second thought beyond calling him cheesy.

Grandfather squinted at the blood-red ruby and the dark platinum band, a knowing smile spreading across his weathered face. He looked straight at me. "Did you put that on yourself, girl, or did Dario place it on your finger?"he asked.

I blinked, glancing sideways at Dario, who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, watching me with a smug, knowing look. "Dario put it on," I answered honestly.

The second those words left my mouth, Grandmother and Elena rushed across the floor, abandoning all decorum as they both threw their arms around me in a tight, breathless group hug. To my absolute shock, Elena actually started crying happy tears into my shoulder.

Feeling overwhelmed and out of the loop, I leaned slightly to the side where Bianca was standing quietly with a cup of tea, watching the emotional display with a soft smile. I nudged her elbow with mine.

"What is going on?" I whispered under my breath, my voice laced with panic. "Why is everyone acting like the world is ending over a piece of jewelry?"

She took a slow sip of her tea, her eyes shining with amusement as she looked down at my hand.

"That isn't just an engagement ring, Nyxara," Bianca whispered back, her tone suddenly turning dead serious. "That is the Valteri crest emblem ring. It means this marriage isn't just a arrangement or a temporary alliance for the family. Him putting it on your finger is a declaration. It means he intends to spend the rest of his life with you. You are the rightful and only mistress of the Valteri empire. He intends to grow old with you, build a family with you, and never let you go."

My breath caught in my throat, my mind stalling out as I tried to process the weight of her words.

"And that's not even the best part," Bianca continued, her voice dropping to a low murmur. "By placing that specific ring on your hand, it also means you now own more shares in the Valteri empire than he does. My brother just legally handed you control of his entire life's work on a silver platter."

I stood there shocked and speechless. All I could do was slowly turn my head, my eyes locking onto Dario across the room. He simply raised his glass toward me, his eyes burning with a silent, intense promise.

The chaos in the room reached a deafening peak as the women started bustling around again, talking over each other with wild excitement about guest lists, catering menus, and seating charts. I was still standing there frozen in shock, my mind completely scrambled by what Bianca had just revealed about the ring and the shares of the empire.

Before I could even process a single thought, a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist and without a moment of warning, Dario hoisted me right up off the floor and slung me effortlessly over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

I let out a startled gasp, my hands flying out to grab his back for balance. "Hey! Put me down right now!" I demanded, my cheeks burning with mortification as his family immediately stopped talking and stared.

He didn't even break stride. He adjusted his grip, giving my thigh a light, disciplinary pat to keep me still. "My wife is tired," he announced to the room over his shoulder. "We'll be down for dinner."

"Dario Valteri, you let me down this instant!" I snapped, balling my fists up and raining a series of furious smacks against his back.

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