Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

After using the restroom, Sylvia didn't go straight back to the private lounge.

She couldn't shake the feeling that she just didn't belong there. Especially with the way Tristan kept throwing her those meaningful glances, as if he was silently urging her to leave.

Instead, Sylvia headed down the hallway toward the lounge area. Pushing open the glass door, she was hit with a gust of chilly air. She shivered, hugging herself as she leaned against the railing and gazed out at the distant city lights.

Only when her nerves had finally settled did she remember her unfinished responsibilities. Sighing, she turned to head back.

But the moment she spun around, she collided headlong into a man's hard chest.

Her eyes flicked upward, meeting Rupert's cold, piercing gaze. The icy air seemed to fill her lungs, making her teeth chatter slightly.

Sylvia took a step back, forcing herself to stay calm. "Uncle Rupert. Is there something you need?"

Rupert didn't answer right away. Instead, he closed the distance between them, step by step, until her back pressed against the railing and she had nowhere left

to go.

He braced his arm on either side of her, trapping her there, his dark eyes glinting with something both dangerous and amused.

His voice, when he finally spoke, was laced with mockery. "Wearing the dress I bought you, and showing up here with another man. You sure know how to play, Sylvia."

"How much do you want for it? I'll pay you back, cash," Sylvia shot back.

Rupert's lips curled into a cold half-smile. "Pay me back? No need to go through the hassle. I'll collect-with interest."

Her heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, she tried to push him away, but he caught her wrist and yanked her closer.

"This is the principal," Rupert snarled.

"Wait, what-?" Sylvia barely got the words out before he crushed his lips to hers.

He tugged her coat's belt loose, his big hands sliding past the lapels to grip her waist-right where Lester had steadied her earlier. He squeezed hard, almost painfully, like he wanted to erase any trace of another man.

Sylvia's face twisted in discomfort; it actually hurt.

Finally, right as she was struggling to breathe, Rupert's lips left hers for just a moment.

"Stay away from him," he ordered coldly.

Sylvia stared up at his chiseled face, her lips tingling. She realized it

wasn't about her and Lester alet

Rupert was just that kind of man-dangerous, domineering unwilling to share anything that

belonged to him.

He didn't care about her, not really. If he did, she'd be sitting proudly at his family's Thanksgiving table, not skulking around in the shadows.

She let out a bitter laugh. "Uncle Rupert, don't I deserve to spend a little time with someone who actually wants to stand by me for once?"noveldrama

"Sylvia!" Rupert's whole body radiated a fierce, icy anger, like he wanted to swallow her whole.

But she didn't back down. "And who are you to give orders? My uncle? A one- night stand? Or just some guy who can't make up his mind?"

“Sylvia, I'm serious. He's not what you think," Rupert warned, his voice low.

She heard the deflection in his tone and couldn't help but let out another sarcastic

little laugh. "Oh, and you are? At least he doesn't humiliate me."

Rupert's eyes narrowed dangerously as he gripped her chin. "Don't get any ideas."

And just like always, her resistance barely seemed to register.

Sylvia struggled, desperate to vent her frustration before it suffocated her. "Why do you always get to call the shots? Is controlling me your favorite hobby? Fine-let's go back inside and tell everyone exactly what you've done to me!"

"Control you? You think he's offering you freedom just because he gives you a little attention? You

him? I'm telling you, that to be

never

going to happen."

"And I'm telling you, I don't care what you think!"

Sylvia felt like a wild mustang, finally breaking free from Rupert's reins. She

refused to be tied down anymore.

Rupert's eyes flashed. "You still owe me interest."