Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

Lester furrowed his brow and said firmly, "I trust Sylvia. And Mr. Rupert, too."

Hearing this, Sylvia felt a rush of warmth in her chest and gave Lester a grateful smile.

So, trust can be this simple, she thought.

You don't always need a mountain of evidence.

Just then, she noticed someone watching her from the side—a gaze, cold and shadowy.

Sylvia ignored it and pressed on, "Mr. Sanford, do you know her?"

Reese rubbed his forehead, straightened up, and introduced, "Fay's an old friend of mine-she's my maid of honor, actually. We went to high school together, then studied abroad. She used to visit me at college a lot, so she's met Mr. Rupert a few times. That's why she's so invested in my wedding."

"Sylvia, you and-"

Her voice broke off, eyes going a little red.

Before Sylvia could reply, Fay jumped in, her voice sharp, "Reese, isn't it obvious? She's just looking for trouble, trying to snag Mr. Rupert when no one's around!"

Sylvia arched an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

"Of course. I know Mr. Rupert would never do something like that. But you?" Fay shot a glare at Sylvia. "You're the one with the shady motives."

let out

male voices cut through

man, you spend two minutes

appeared from behind a curtain, holding

giving Chris a playful shove. Chris yelped, "Hey,

wine for a friend. Happened to run into Sylvia here. But come on, guys, she can't be hitting on all three of us at once, right? Even if she tried, Orson and I would never

knew exactly who he was talking

snuck a glance at someone

"Wait-you two? How'd you

what do you think? We walked

"No way!" Fay blurted.

chuckled, "Ms. Langley, how

guessed," Fay stammered, realizing she'd

pretty much figured out Fay was the

Fay supposed to be Reese's best friend—and maid

did, Sylvia wasn't sure how she'd have explained

but Reese stepped in

trust Mr. Rupert, too. If it's just a misunderstanding, let's drop it."

frustration clear in her

brother out for dinner? Mr. Rupert's here, let's all go together Reese said glancing up at Rupert, her color finally

taking the