Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert) novel Chapter 445

He grabbed her chin and kissed her like a man possessed.

Back when he and Lester were quietly butting heads, he’d already figured out what Lester was after.

The possessiveness in Lester’s eyes was practically jumping out at him.

Sylvia was never a match for Rupert, not on a normal day, and definitely not when he was furious.

He pressed her up against the railing with such force she thought it might snap behind her.

Then, from around the corner, Reese’s voice rang out.

“Mr. Rupert? Where are you? This place is a total maze!”

Almost instantly, Rupert let go of Sylvia.

Her face went ghost-pale beneath her tousled hair. She swallowed down a wave of nausea and grabbed at Rupert’s shirt.

She even let out a shaky laugh, the kind that comes from being too sick to care. “What’s wrong? Chickening out? Afraid she’ll catch us? Uncle Rupert.”

Rupert looked at her, his expression softening just a fraction.

“She’s just gotten back from Norway, and honestly, the weather here’s been rough on her. She can’t handle too much right now. Wait for me after dinner, we’ll talk then.”

“Either we talk now, or… well, we don’t have much left to say, do we?”

Sylvia’s grip on his shirt tightened. She wasn’t backing down.

Reese’s footsteps grew louder. Rupert pried Sylvia’s hand off, not gently, and straightened his shirt before slipping into the dining room.

Sylvia stood there in the drafty hallway, hair whipping around her face, her hand burning red in the air.

Suddenly she laughed, bitter and bright, until her eyes stung.

Since coming back from Norway, the only dreams she had were nightmares. And when the doctor gave her meds, she dreamt of being pregnant again—of Rupert sitting at her bedside, for once, looking almost gentle.

He’d said, “Let’s get out of here.”

But that was a fantasy. Real life had smacked her hard.

With everything that had happened, with the man Rupert was now, what right did she have to think he’d ever just leave with her?

She wiped her face, fixed her hair, and walked back into the room like nothing had happened.

Back at the table, Reese was whispering something in Rupert’s ear, giggling like they were sharing a secret.

When Sylvia returned, Reese looked up. “Sylvia, you were gone forever! Everything all right?”

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