Viella’s POV

I tried calming my mind as I freshened up, the cold water hit my face. I stared into the mirror. My face looked different. The cheek fat was noticeably less.

Seems like the Original Viella really was a gym freak these past two days, I thought, touching my jawline. Who even has the willpower to lose weight in forty-eight hours?

I shook my head and dressed in a simple white shirt and black suit pants. I had zero desire to get dressed up, let alone attend my own pre-wedding function. A shiver ran down my spine just thinking about it. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

What if Dante is back with his obsession? I can’t handle a yandere on a good day. But even worse... what if he remembers me shooting Alina and just decides to murder me the moment he sees me?

I ran my fingers through my hair, letting out a jagged breath. "Hah... what luck."

The real problem was the dagger. How was I supposed to find it in this maze of a world? My thoughts were interrupted by a loud growl from my stomach. I guess I should eat something before I face my executioners.

As I walked downstairs, the sound of a heated conversation made me stop in my tracks. I peeked around the corner to see Lucian on a call, looking more than just annoyed. He looked ready to kill someone.

"Mr. Noir, how can you do this?" Lucian’s voice rose, vibrating with suppressed rage. "You can’t just hand over our million-dollar company to someone with no experience! You won’t lose anything, but I will lose my empire—"

He kept going, his words becoming a blur of financial panic. My heart dropped. Elias. What is that crazy writer planning now? Is he taking revenge for my visit that day, or is he sabotaging Lucian to get to me? He’s probably squeezing us for the book. Dang it.

Lucian caught sight of me standing there. He didn’t say a word, just gestured for a maid to escort me to the table and stormed out of the room, still shouting into his phone.

"My lady... please, the food is getting cold," the maid said, leading the way to the dining hall.

"Everything is really becoming a mess," I muttered under my breath. My head was pounding so bad I thought it might split open.

I sat down and looked at my plate. My eyes narrowed. It was all healthy food. Steamed greens, lean protein, not a carb in sight.

Duh, seriously, Viella? I looked up at the ceiling, wondering if her spirit was hovering nearby. I mean, she’s technically the one who ordered this, right? Wherever she is, she’s probably judging my posture right now.

I somehow ate everything on the plate because I was actually starving. It felt like I hadn’t eaten for two straight days, which technically, was true since the "Original Viella" was probably living on air and spite while I was unconscious.

I looked around for a familiar face. I thought Lily would be here, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Where’s Lily?" I asked the maid standing nearby.

"Uh, my lady... she went out," the maid stammered, looking a bit nervous. "She told us to serve you until she returns."

I raised my eyebrows. Lily never leaves without telling me. Is she hiding something? I tried to brush it off, but a nagging feeling stayed in my gut. It seemed like I had to investigate everything by myself now.

Just then, Lucian stormed back in and practically slammed himself into the chair opposite me. He started pouring himself a drink, his movements aggressive. I raised an eyebrow...yeah, he was definitely pissed.

He glared at me as if this entire corporate disaster was my fault, then looked away with a huff.

Why is he mad at me? I thought. It’s not like I... well, technically it might be my fault, but whatever.

I stood up to leave, but he let out a loud, dramatic cough. I tried to ignore him, but his voice followed me

"Some people are so ungrateful," he muttered to his glass. "They live in someone else’s house and then have the nerve to boss them around. Hah."

I spun around and glared at him. He immediately looked away, suddenly very interested in the ice cubes in his drink.

"Just say you’re talking about me," I snapped. "And when did I ever boss you around?"

"When?!" He stood up, finally exploding. "You cleaned out my entire closet! You even burned my imported files even after I told you it wasn’t me who sold your mansion to Dante!"

"When did I do that?!" I shouted back, genuinely shocked.

"Yesterday!!" he shouted.

I stayed silent for a heartbeat. Oh. So Original Viella did that. She really went on a rampage. But then, a specific detail in his rant caught my attention.

"Wait... why were my things in your closet?" I asked, making a blunt guess based on how he worded that.

Lucian’s face went from red to a strange shade of pale. He went dead silent for three seconds before clearing his throat. "It’s... uh... it’s nice weather today, isn’t it? By the way, where is your maid? I can’t see her anywhere."

"Hah! I knew it!" I pointed a finger at him. "See that’s why I burned your files. You stole my closet! And you could’ve stopped Father from giving my properties to Dante, but you didn’t!"

Lucian looked like he wanted to jump out the window to avoid the conversation.

I didn’t let him wiggle out of it this time. As he tried to make a break for it, I stormed toward him with a speed that probably surprised both of us.

Before he could reach the door, I snatched the drink from his hand and

Smash.

shattered the glass against the table. I held the jagged, sharp edges inches from his nose.

"Tell me now, or I’m going to give your beautiful face some nice permanent scars..." I hissed.

Lucian froze. He was twice my size and could easily disarm me, but he stared at my eyes and saw I wasn’t blinking. He looked at his baby sister and sighed, the fight draining out of him.

"Fine... I’m letting you off only because you called my face beautiful," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

I pulled the glass away but kept my gaze locked on him. "Okay, talk."

"First, I stole your closet because... I wanted it. Simple," he said with a smug smirk that made me want to poke him.

I gave him my deadliest glare.

"Second..." his smirk vanished. "I did try to stop Dante. But he threatened me with something, so I had to give in."

"How did he threaten you?"

Lucian immediately looked at the floor, his jaw tight. "I ain’t telling you that one."

I glared even harder, but he crossed his arms, stubborn as a mule. "Nope. Not gonna happen."

I realized force wouldn’t work here, so I switched tactics. I softened my expression, tilted my head, and hit him with the ultimate weapon: the puppy-dog eyes. I knew he had a secret weakness for cute things, even if he played the tough guy.

"Please, big brother? Just tell me~" I cooed, leaning in.

"Hey... stop that. You can’t do this to me," he stammered, his face turning a deep, embarrassed shade of red. "Don’t look at me like that."

"Please? For your favorite sister?"

"Ugh, fine!! Fine!" he shouted, throwing his hands up. "It’s just... you know I did some horrible things in the past. Dante found out. He told me he’d show you everything, and I thought... I thought you’d hate me. But I promise I’ve changed! I’m not like that anymore!"

I kept staring at him, my eyes wide. No wonder Lucian was acting like a cornered cat.

He noticed my intense gaze and got even more flustered. "You know what? You’re mean! Whatever! Bye!"

He turned and practically bolted for the door to hide his burning face. Just before he vanished, he shouted back over his shoulder, "You better get ready fast! I’ll be back in four hours to pick you up. If you aren’t ready, Dante will personally come to get you. Don’t cry then, you crybaby!"

"I am NOT a crybaby!" I yelled back, grabbing a decorative pillow from the sofa and hurlng it at his head with perfect aim. It bounced off his back just as he slammed the door.

I stood there alone in the dining room, breathing hard.

____________

1 hour later

I paced back and forth in the room, my mind a complete static mess. I didn’t have my phone, my loyal men were probably either dead or bribed by Dante, and Lily was missing. I looked at the clock.

One hour had already vanished. I still had to get ready, find that dagger, and not die. I was going to go crazy.

Suddenly, a loud BANG echoed from the balcony.

My survival instincts kicked in. I snatched my gun from the bedside drawer and crept toward the glass doors. A figure stood there, shrouded in a dark hoodie, face completely hidden underneath a mask.

"Don’t move or I’ll shoot!" I hissed, leveling the barrel at their chest. "Who are you?"

From the driveway below, I heard the screech of tires and several car doors slamming. Whoever this was, they seemed to get followed by those peoples. The hooded figure lunged inside before I could pull the trigger. They grabbed my wrist and shoved my arm upward.

BANG!

A perfect, smoking hole appeared in the ornate plaster of the ceiling. Great, I thought hysterically, Lucian is actually going to kill me for the decor alone.

"You—!" I started to scream, but a gloved hand clamped over my mouth.

"Shhh! My lady, it’s meee! Lily!" The figure pulled back the hood and ripped off a black mask. It really was her, her face flushed and her hair a mess.

"Lily?! What are you doing here? What’s with the ninja getup? And who is following you?!"

"I don’t have time to explain right now, my lady!" Lily whispered frantically, her eyes darting to the bedroom door. "First, please handle the people outside for me. Don’t let them in!"

I nodded, my heart pounding. A sharp knock sounded at the door.

"Hide in the closet! Now!" I pointed to the large walk in.

Lily vanished into the shadows of my dresses just as the door opened. A maid stood there, bowing low, but behind her, I could see the silhouettes of several men in dark suits standing in the hallway.

"My lady," the maid whispered, her voice trembling. "Some men are outside wanting to talk to the owner of the house. Since Lord Lucian is out, they are demanding you come forward."

I took a deep breath, straightened my white shirt, and stepped out into the hall, closing the bedroom door firmly behind me.

The men in the hall weren’t Lucian’s guards. They wore a specific pin on their lapels. Lucian’s men.

"Lady Viella," the lead man said, his voice cold.

"We are under orders from Lord Lucian to conduct a security sweep of the premises before the ceremony. We believe a trespasser entered through your balcony."

I crossed my arms and gave them my best Villainess sneer.

"A trespasser? In my brother’s house? The only trespassers I see are the ones standing in my hallway without an invitation."

While I was outside doing my best offended noblewoman act to keep the guards in the hallway, the silence in my bedroom shattered.

Inside the dark closet, Lily’s ears twitched. A floorboard creaked.

Damn it, she hissed under her breath. They hadn’t just sent the men in the hallway, they had sent a specialist to slip in through the balcony behind her.

The shadow of a man fell across the closet slats. He didn’t hesitate. He reached out and gripped the handle, pulling the door open.

As the door swung wide, their eyes met for a split second. The man’s hand flew to the radio on his shoulder to signal the team outside, but Lily was faster.

Before he could let out a single sound, Lily’s hand clamped around his throat. She used his own momentum to yank him forward, choking the air out of him as she dragged him into the depths of the closet, surrounded by silk gowns.

She slammed the closet door shut with a muffled thud at the exact moment the bedroom door swung open

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TO BE CONTINUED