REBORN My Second Life I Became The Villianess (Nyxara) novel Chapter 90

"Missed me, kitten?" he asked, his voice was low and rough as he buried his face in the crook of my neck, breathing in the scent of my perfume.

I let out a soft laugh, resting my hands against his chest to keep him from wrinkling the fabric of my dress. "My dad has been threatening to put a bounty on your head because I asked where you were at breakfast, and you're sneaking into my room ten minutes before my coming-out party." I said.

Dario pulled back just enough to look down into my face, a slow, dangerous smirk spreading across his mouth. "Let him try. I worked straight through the night, just to make sure I got back in time." he said.

"Is the everything secure?" I asked quietly, my gaze locking onto his.

"Yes," he said, his thumb brushing lightly across my cheekbone. "The company is running smoothly and nobody is going to cause problems tonight. Not while you're standing beside me."

"Good," I whispered, reaching up to straighten his collar with my fingertips. "Because my dad is already in a foul mood, and if you make us late, he might actually shoot you himself."

He let out a dark, low chuckle, leaning down to press a hot, lingering kiss right against my lips. "Let him try that too. We've got a party to run, Mrs. Valteri." he whispered.

We split up before we left the upper hall, walking down separate stairwells so we wouldn't arrive side by side and give the room anything to speculate about before the formal announcement. I kept my stride slow and measured, slipping past the side corridors until I reached the upper balcony that overlooked the main ballroom. Uncle Pascal was already waiting there for me, standing half-hidden behind a thick stone pillar where we had a clear view of the entire floor below.

Down in the massive hall, people were already pouring through the double doors in a steady, elegant stream. The room was packed with northern business moguls, southern captains, and syndicates from across the coast, all murmuring amongst themselves as they held crystal glasses of champagne.

Uncle Pascal leaned in close, his voice a low, steady hum as he pointed out the faces moving through the crowd. "That group near the western arch is the Martinez crew from the bay. Keep an eye on their boss, the older man with the grey beard, he's been trying to push into our shipping lanes for six months and over by the orchestra, the woman in the emerald dress runs the eastern import syndicate. She's allied with us, but she watches every shift in power like a hawk." Uncle Pascal said.

I nodded quietly, absorbing every detail, committing names and faces to memory while keeping my expression completely neutral and polite. By seven-thirty, the room had reached full capacity, the low roar of conversations filling the air. Suddenly, the string quartet near the back stopped playing.

My father walked out onto the upper landing of the grand staircase, stepping up to the wrought-iron railing and looking down at the packed ballroom. The heavy silence that followed his appearance was instantaneous; hundreds of people turned their attention upward in a matter of seconds.

"Everyone, thank you all for being here," my father's voice boomed across the hall, carrying a calm, absolute authority that commanded the entire room. "Tonight isn't just a party. Tonight is a happy occasion. Today there is a new addition to the Cruz family bloodline."

A sharp wave of gasps and hurried whispers rippled through the crowd below, heads snapping toward each other as people tried to process the statement. My father raised a single hand, and the room went dead quiet in an instant.

"Tonight, I would like to introduce you to my one and only daughter, Nyxara." Dad said.

At my side, Uncle Pascal reached out and took my hand, his grip warm and steady. He led me out from behind the pillar, guiding me toward the top of the grand staircase where the bright lights of the chandeliers hit the floor.

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