Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

Sylvia washed her hands, rolled up her sleeves, and was about to help Naomi with the dinner prep when Edwin strolled in, shrugging off his jacket.

"All right, you two go grab a bite and relax. I've got this covered," he said, rolling up his own sleeves.

"Thanks, honey." Naomi's eyes crinkled up with her smile.

"Thanks." Sylvia grabbed two bowls of soup and plopped down at the little table, sipping away.

You could really taste the difference when soup was made from good, fresh ingredients.

Naomi and Edwin shared a sweet moment before finally joining Sylvia at the table. Naomi barely sat down before she snatched Sylvia's soup and downed it in

one go.

"Ugh, I was dying of thirst. By the way, I found out everything you wanted to know."

"Found out? Mom, what did I ask you to investigate?" Sylvia looked at her, surprised.

"Reese, of course."

Maybe it was curiosity, but Sylvia didn't interrupt.

Naomi leaned in, lowering her voice. "Reese is the eldest daughter of the prestigious Sanford family from Sea Town. She went to college overseas-same university as Rupert. When Rupert had that car accident abroad, it was Reese who pulled him out right before the explosion. She got seriously hurt herself and ended up losing her leg."

"When she was rushed to the hospital, Bridget-who was also out of the country -happened to see her. Bridget swapped their IDs, so Rupert thought it was Bridget who saved his life."

"All these years, Reese was in rehab overseas. Rupert got engaged to Bridget for reasons nobody could figure out, and people just thought he'd finally found someone he liked, so Reese didn't come back."

"It wasn't until Bridget's little scandal blew up in their social circle that Reese found out the truth. She rushed back to reunite with Rupert."

"Even though she's disabled now, there's something about her confidence and class—she's just on another level."

Naomi couldn't help but gush as she spoke.

Clearly, Reese was nothing like Bridget, with all her fake charm.

Sylvia pressed her lips together, her face drained of color.

After a while, a housekeeper hurried over.

"Mrs. Naomi, they're almost done eating up front. Should I bring out the fruit platter?"

"They're done already?"

Naomi looked stunned as she

glanced down at the two empty bowls in front of her. She hadn't

even made it to the main table at the family dinner she'd planned So carefully.

Sylvia noticed Naomi's disappointment and patted her hand. "Mom, I'll take care

of the fruit. You go rest your back for a bit."

Naomi didn't argue.

Sylvia checked the small plates of sliced fruit, arranged them neatly on the

Qing cart, and wheeled them

out with another housekeeper

toward the dining room.

Standing at the doorway, they could see everything inside.

Tristan, usually so serious, looked nothing like his usual stern self. He was

beaming, the picture of a proud grandfather.

Following his gaze, Sylvia saw

Rupert peeling shrimp beside Reese. After making sure there were no shells left, he carefully placed the shrimp on Reese's plate.

Reese looked up at him with a radiant smile, her eyes sparkling.

Everyone at the table was laughing—real, genuine laughter.

It felt like, with Sylvia and Naomi absent, the dinner table finally... looked like a

real family.

Sylvia pressed her lips together, glanced at the housekeeper beside her.

"You take these in. I need to use the restroom," she said quietly.

"Of course."

As the housekeeper entered the dining room, Sylvia slipped away down the hall.

...

Rupert heard movement and glanced toward the door, only to see the housekeeper come in.

Reese smiled slightly. "Mr. Rupert, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing. Let's eat."

Rupert put down the shrimp and took the towel from the housekeeper to wipe his hands.

Reese glanced at the shrimp on her plate, a faint blush on her cheeks.noveldrama

"Thank you. If my fingers weren't hurt, I wouldn't need to trouble you like this."

Before Rupert could reply, Tristan spoke up. "Reese, this is the least Rupert can do. After everything you've done, this is nothing."