Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

Fiona was shoved aside by Rupert, stumbling hard onto the cold, unforgiving floor.

She'd always known how to play her cards right. Even if she didn't have much real power in the Garcia family, the title of Mrs. Fiona still counted for something, and she'd built up her own little following.

But now, sitting on the ground with everyone staring at her, there was only icy silence.

Even her own husband had turned away, shielding the other woman and her daughter instead.

Only Warren stood by her side, glaring furiously at Patrick. "Dad! Are you really saying Mom's wrong here? If she hadn't seduced you, would you have abandoned us? You're the Garcia family's firstborn, the heir to the Garcia Group, with the world at your feet!"

Patrick, making sure the woman and child behind him were unharmed, finally looked back at Warren, troubled. "After everything that's happened, you still think your mom's right about everything?"

Warren froze, suddenly unsure.

Fiona clung to Warren's sleeve, voice trembling. "Don't listen to him! He's been bewitched by those two homewreckers. Why else would he leave us high and dry? If it wasn't for him, would you be suffering like this?"

Her tears streamed down her cheeks, and Warren's face twisted, torn between shame and anger.

The pain in his body only made things worse, especially with so many eyes glued to him. He could almost feel them all staring at his wounds, fueling his rage.

"Enough! What right do you have to blame my mom?" Warren shot back at Patrick. "You cheated first! You took everything and left us here for everyone to look down on!"

From behind Patrick, the other woman stepped forward, nodding gratefully to Sylvia before facing the group, her voice steady but not arrogant.

"He didn't cheat. When we met, he had nothing but the shirt on his back and more scars than I could count. If he'd had money, we wouldn't have spent years working two jobs just to get by. If he'd truly cheated, why would we have waited so long just to get married?"

"You can check the records yourselves everything's right there in black and white."

Warren scoffed coldly. "Or maybe you two just waited to get married to hide the money! Buy some time to move the assets around!"

"What money?" Patrick snapped, turning to Warren, anger rising. "The only person I've ever wronged is you. I didn't take a dime—I left everything in your name."

"That's a lie! All I have are some frozen shares. At work, I still have to answer to Rupert for everything. And every single one of these so-called relatives gossips about us behind our backs!" Warren shouted.

Patrick hesitated, glancing over at Fiona.

Sylvia followed his gaze, noticing Fiona's lips quiver, a flash of guilt flickering across her pale face.

Clearly, the stories weren't lining up.

Sylvia remembered Naomi mentioning, years ago, that the real tragedy of the Garcia family was Patrick. Tristan had handpicked him as the successor, and Patrick had lived up to it-smart, capable, just like Tristan in his youth.

It was a done deal. With his status, Patrick must've had a hefty nest egg of his own. Even if he died, whatever he left behind should've been enough for Fiona and Warren to live like royalty.

But now, Sylvia realized that since she'd joined the Garcia family, she'd only ever seen Warren and Fiona living simply. She'd always thought it was just their personal style-but maybe they really didn't have much to their names.

That's when Edwin stepped forward.

"Let me set the record straight. Warren, I personally handed your father's inheritance over to your mother. Since it belonged to the main branch of the family, it was up to her to manage. We had no say in what she did with it."

With the truth out like that, what was left to argue?

The money was in Fiona's hands.

Warren stared at her, stunned. "Mom, is that true? Uncle Edwin wouldn't lie. You always said Uncle Rupert stole everything from us-was that a lie?"noveldrama

Fiona's breath caught. She couldn't say a word.

Rupert, who'd been silent, drummed his fingers on the table, his voice flat. "I've seen the Carmen Group'sz books. Ever since your uncle Hilbert took over, it's been losing money every year. The only year it lost less was the year my brother died."

"Warren, don't you get it? Your mom's been lying to you all along. The Garcia family never shut you out-she just didn't want you to truly become one of us. Every move you've made has been about helping the Carmen side, not ours.