Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

As he spoke, he glanced over at Sylvia, his words laced with an unmistakable threat.

Rupert set a steaming bowl of chowder in front of Sylvia and wiped his hands with a warm towel before turning his attention to Hilbert.

"Mr. Carmen makes a fair point. When someone's starving, they'll do just about anything. But eating the wrong thing... well, that can be deadly."

Hilbert's expression turned stone cold. He understood that Rupert wasn't going to let this slide.

He wasn't ready to go head-to-head with Rupert just yet, so he decided to back off.

"Thank you for the warning, Mr. Rupert. I won't disturb your meal any further. I'll be going now."

With that, he left the private dining room.

Sylvia let out a sigh of relief, clutching her spoon tightly and sneaking a glance at Rupert beside her.

"Uncle Rupert, what are you doing here?"

"Just passing through for a meal," Rupert replied, his face unreadable.noveldrama

Sylvia noticed the table was set for two, assuming he had company.

She quickly put down her utensils and stood up. "I won't keep you then, Uncle Rupert. I'll go find a waiter to get a fresh set of tableware."

Rupert frowned, not looking particularly pleased.

By then, Sylvia had already slipped off her coat.

"Put it back on," Rupert ordered.

Thinking about the tear in her shirt, Sylvia didn't protest.

"I'll clean it and return it. I'm off."

Without waiting for Rupert to respond, Sylvia had already left the room.

Rupert watched the door slowly close and called out into the hallway.

"Orson."

Orson swiftly approached Rupert's side.

"Find out what's going on."

"Yes, sir."

Sylvia was almost at the restaurant exit when she ran into Bridget.

Bridget, with her youthful disregard for her own well-being, gave Sylvia a once-over, her gaze lingering on the man's suit jacket. A flicker of envy

crossed her eyes, though sheCRVA

masked it well, stepping in front of Sylvia with a few quick strides.

"Sylvia, you're done eating? Is this place any good? Mr. Rupert invited me, said

he'd show me the best food, but I'm not so sure."

So, Rupert had invited Bridget.

Sylvia clenched her fists, her face expressionless as she said, "It's pretty good. Enjoy your meal. I'm heading out."

Bridget felt like she'd hit a brick wall, glaring daggers at Sylvia's retreating figure.

This wasn't over!

On her way back to the studio, Sylvia received a threatening text from Hilbert.

"Sylvia, I mean business. Think it over. I'll be waiting for you at the gala, or else you know what I'm capable of."

After reading it, Sylvia rubbed her temples to ease the throbbing.

Back at the studio, Freya approached her hurriedly, concern etched on her face. "Sylvia, are you alright? What are we going to do about the sapphire issue?"

Instead of answering right away, Sylvia fixed her gaze on Freya, asking, "Freya, did you see anything on the day of the handover?"

Freya wore a look of distress.

"Sylvia, I swear I didn't see a thing. I

want to help cover for you, but we're talking about a million-dollar

je

gemstone here. I can't afford that

risk."

Oh, really.

Sylvia let out a cold laugh. She and Eloise had never mentioned the sapphire

being lost, only that there was a problem.

It seemed Freya was involved somehow.

"You're right. But don't worry, I've figured out a way to handle it. This was my mistake, after all." Sylvia deliberately hung her head in defeat. "I'll go brief Ms. Eloise on the situation."

"Okay."

Freya's lips curled into a barely-there smile.

The moment Sylvia left, Freya eagerly made a phone call to report the news.

"Looks like Sylvia's given in. There's going to be quite the show at the gala."