Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert) novel Chapter 550

Sylvia knew there was no way she could overpower him. Besides, out in the hallway by the restroom, someone could walk by at any moment.

She didn’t want anyone to see.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to appear calm and nodded. “Fine. I’ll go with you.”

The man led her into the stairwell.

A cold draft blasted through the wide open window, making Sylvia shiver instinctively.

Rupert, unfazed, shut the window and leaned against the sill, fishing a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

He always did this when he wanted to smoke.

So Sylvia wasn’t naïve enough to think he closed the window for her sake.

But the next second, Rupert didn’t light up. He just rolled the cigarette between his fingers, eyes dark and unreadable as he stared at her.

“I warned you not to get involved in this,” he said, his voice low and sharp.

Sylvia’s jaw clenched. Stubbornly, she looked away, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Involved? Wasn’t it you people who dragged me into this in the first place? Isn’t it a little late to say that now? Am I supposed to just sit around and wait to be thrown under the bus?”

“Oh, so your big move is sneaking around, taking pictures? Do you have any idea what’ll happen if you get caught?”

“That’s none of your business,” Sylvia shot back.

At her words, Rupert snapped the cigarette in two. Shreds of tobacco fluttered down between them.

Before she could react, he was closing the distance, step by step, backing her right up against the wall.

He didn’t stop until his breath was warm against her face, his presence overwhelming, like he could block out the world.

Sylvia pushed at his chest, hard, but he didn’t budge an inch.

Gripping the crushed cigarette between his fingers, Rupert stared her down, barely holding something back. “None of my business? Then whose is it? Lester’s? He knows your mom’s in the hospital. You trust him that much?”

“Sylvia, stay out of things you shouldn’t mess with.”

She glanced down at the phone, running her fingers over it in disbelief. It really was hers.

Her hands trembled as she unlocked it—only to find every bit of evidence she’d just gathered was gone.

Her shoulders sagged. No matter how deeply she breathed, it felt like something was stuck in her chest.

She looked down at their overlapping shadows on the floor, let out a laugh that barely reached her lips. Cold. Always cold with him.

The two of them would never find balance.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sylvia caught movement at the stairwell door.

She lifted her chin, stepped closer to Rupert, and reached up to straighten the lapel of his suit.