REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 89

I looked up at him, offering a small, easy smile. "I'm fine. Just letting your mother practice her event-planning skills before the real wedding happens in two weeks." I said with a smile. His lips twitched into a slow smirk. "Good. Because if you survived a morning of shopping with Ella and Bianca, you can survive anything my mother throws at us." he replied.

"Hey," Ella protested from across the room, tossing a decorative pillow right at her brothers head. He caught it effortlessly out of the air without even breaking eye contact with me.

"Truth hurts," Dario said, tossing the pillow back onto a chair.

Before anyone else could say anything, Elena's voice echoed down the hall from the west wing, sharp and commanding. "I need those crystal candelabras moved three inches to the left! If anyone breaks a single piece, you answer directly to me!" She said.

Bianca winced slightly, looking over at me with an amused expression. "Yep. She's definitely in her element."

I stood up from the couch, brushing a stray piece of ribbon off my sweater. "I'm going to go check in with her before she decides to paint the room gold." I said.

"Good luck," Dario said, grabbing my hand for a second before letting me go. "Let me know if you need me to rescue you."

I walked down the hallway toward the ballroom, stepping around boxes and floral crates. Inside, the room was already transforming into something completely unrecognizable. Long tables were being set up in precise rows, covered in fine white linen, and crystal glassware caught the light from the chandeliers overhead.

Elena was standing in the middle of the room with a clipboard in one hand and a silver pen in the other, directing a team of workers with absolute focus. When she turned around and spotted me standing by the doors, her expression instantly softened into a warm, welcoming smile.

"Nyxara, darling," Elena said, walking over and taking my hands in hers. "What do you think? Are the floral arrangements too dramatic, or are they just dramatic enough?" she asked.

"They're perfect, Mom," I said smoothly, keeping my voice light and pleasant as I looked around the room. "You have an incredible eye for this."

Elena beamed, clearly pleased with the compliment, and immediately started pointing out the seating charts. I stood there, listening patiently and nodding along, letting her take the reins completely. Carlton was safe and quiet up north, Nysa was locked away learning what karma felt like, and my new family was busy building an empire around us. For the first time, all the pieces were falling exactly where they belonged.

The days blurred together in a dizzying rotation of meetings, fabric swatches, and endless logistical schedules, until the morning of the party finally arrived. We were sitting around the long dining table for breakfast, the house quiet for the first time all week as the final preparations fell into place. Elena poured herself another cup of coffee, looking across the table at me with a bright, satisfied smile.

"The hair stylists and makeup artists will be here at three sharp," Elena said, setting her cup down. "We want everything settled well before the first guests start arriving at seven."

I offered a polite nod, cutting into my toast. "I'll be ready Mom." I said quietly.

I looked around the table, taking in the familiar faces of my new family. My dad was scrolling through a tablet, Vincenzo was reading the morning papers, and Uncle Pascal was quietly passing the basket of pastries. But as my eyes scanned the room again, a strange realization hit me. I hadn't actually seen Dario in almost four days. Between the endless stream of decorators, fitting sessions, and late-night security briefings, he had vanished from the estate.

I set my fork down, looking over at Elena. "Mom... where is my husband?"

Vincenzo let out a sudden laugh, shaking his head behind his coffee cup.

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