REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 75

"You didn't touch your appetizer," he said, his voice dropping into that low cadence that always drove Nysa up a wall. He scooped a small portion of the salad onto my plate, his thumb lightly brushing the back of my hand. "Eat up. You've been running around all day."

I gave him a soft, affectionate smile, leaning into his touch just enough to make it obvious. "I was busy. But I'll eat." I said softly.

On the other side of the table, Nysa looked like she was about to swallow her own tongue. Her eyes locked onto Dario's hand resting on mine, tracking the movement with raw fury. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words caught in her throat.

Dario pulled his hand back slowly, turning his attention back to me with a faint smirk. "I told you, you need to delegate more. Let the assistants you have handle most of it." he said.

"I like making sure my work is done properly," I replied lightly.

"See?" Grandmother beamed down at us from the end of the table. "A hardworking young woman. Dario, you got lucky with her. Smart, capable, and she actually knows how to run a household without throwing tantrums."

"Extremely lucky," Dario agreed, his dark gaze locking onto mine with real warmth.

Nysa stabbed her food again, shredding the delicate fish on her plate into a gray paste. "Some people don't have to work," she blurted out, her voice tight and trembling with suppressed rage. "Some people inherit empires built on years of sacrifice and hard work by the people sitting right here." She said.

Carlton cleared his throat sharply, shooting his daughter a warning look from beside me. "Nysa, that is enough. We are here to enjoy a nice family dinner." he said.

I reached out and gently placed my hand over Carlton's on the table, giving his fingers a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright, Dad," I said softly, keeping my tone sweet and steady for him. "There is no need to stress over it."

Carlton smiled faintly, covering my hand with his for a second. "You've always been too kind, sweetheart." he said.

Nysa watched our interaction, her face twisting in pure venom. "You think you're clever," she whispered, her voice shaking as tears of frustration pricked the corners of her eyes. "You think you can just step in and…"

"Nysa. Sit down," Carlton ordered, his voice dropping into a firm, disappointed tone as he realized she was ruining the evening. "You are embarrassing yourself."

"I am embarrassing myself?" Nysa shrieked, half-rising from her chair before she realized half a dozen pairs of eyes were locked onto her. She gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles turning white. "Everyone is sitting here acting like she is some kind of saint while she treats us like garbage in our own city! You all know what she is doing!"

"And what am I doing, Nysa?" I asked, my voice staying soft, quiet, and completely unbothered. I took a slow sip of my water, leaning back against the plush velvet of my chair. "Please, enlighten the table. Tell everyone exactly what I'm doing."

She glared at me, her chest heaving, trapped by her own paranoia. She was suffocating in a trap of her own making, raging against a ghost she couldn't prove existed.

"Nysa, that's enough," Caroline said harshly from across the table, her weathered face pulling into a bitter glare. "Sit back down before you make your father look any worse."

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