Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert) novel Chapter 511

She turned him down politely. Guys with money, she knew, liked to save face—they wouldn’t push if you brushed them off with manners.

But she’d miscalculated.

The man took a slow sip of whiskey, then sneered. “Go on, keep pretending. Saw you the second you walked in. You’re alone.”

“My boyfriend’s on his way,” Sylvia replied, calm as ever.

“Yeah? I’d love to see when he shows up.” The guy wasn’t buying it. He was a regular at this kind of game.

Sensing things were off, Sylvia reached into her purse and hit Lester’s number. He couldn’t have gone far.

But there was no reply.

The man noticed her anxiety, smirked, and nodded toward a booth in the back. “My buddies are over there. Come join us for a drink?”

“No, thanks. Like I said, my boyfriend’s almost here,” Sylvia said, voice steely.

His face darkened. “Most women don’t say no to me. You can come on your own, or I’ll take you myself. I’m a VIP here, nobody’s gonna stop me.”

With that, he lunged.

Sylvia gripped her bag and cracked him across the face.

He howled, clutching his nose. “You’ll regret that! Don’t let me catch you again!”

He blocked the door to the exit, but Sylvia didn’t stop to think. She bolted for another entrance into the main bar.

He was right behind her.

Inside, she scanned for a way out, but the guy already had his friends covering the exits. She was trapped.

Sylvia exhaled, ready to make her exit, but a sharp voice stopped her.

“If you made a mistake, then why are you still here? Don’t ruin Mr. Rupert’s night!”

Sylvia looked up and saw the woman beside Rupert—blonde, impossibly chic, her icy blue eyes fixed on Sylvia with undisguised contempt. Even as she spoke, she was pressing her curves a little closer to Rupert, staking her claim.

Sylvia took in the display—yeah, she was definitely crashing the party.

“My bad, sorry for the interruption. I’ll go,” Sylvia said, trying to keep it light.

Her words only made Rupert’s expression darken. He gripped his glass so hard it looked like it might shatter.

Sylvia turned to leave—only for a strong hand to clamp around her waist.

She tried to twist free, but the grip was iron-strong, hauling her back into the booth before she could even react.