Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)
Chapter 59

Bridget's eyes, brimming with tears, landed on Sylvia, "I'm sorry, Sylvia. You go ahead. I can hold off a bit longer." Her lips were bitten hard as she fought back the tears, her gaze flickering towards Rupert now and then.

Sylvia bit her lip and stepped forward, but a firm hand landed on her shoulder, the ruby ring gleaming ominously. Rupert spoke with a detached tone, "Let Bridget go first."

Sylvia whipped her head around to glare at Rupert.

Bridget gave Rupert a look full of unspoken words, "Thank you. I...I can't seem to move. Could you help me, please?"

Rupert stepped forward and carried Bridget into the examination room.

As the door slowly closed behind them, Bridget turned to flash Sylvia a smile.

It was and would be always Bridget first.

Crumpling the examination order, Sylvia tossed it into the trash bin and walked away. Her hand was fine. The bandage was just a ruse to throw Freya and Bridget off the scent. The examination was merely to appease Rupert. But now, none of it mattered anymore.

Stepping out of the hospital, Sylvia was greeted by the aftermath of last night's thunderstorm, the sky unbelievably clear. It felt like a rebirth.

Yet, for her, every step was a challenge. Without power or influence, how could she stand against those at the heart of power, when even Naomi and Edwin struggled within the Garcia family?

Sylvia wandered aimlessly until her phone rang. It was her seldom-contacted roommate. Answering immediately, she heard the hesitant breaths on the other end.

Finally, one of them spoke up, "Um...Sylvia, we've found internships, so we might be moving out. We wanted to have a dinner together, but if y-you're...busy, it's okay."

"Do you even know how to talk? You're making it sound like we don't want her there," another roommate interjected.

"Sylvia, that's not what I meant. I just didn't want to impose..."

"Where is it? I'm on my way."

Sylvia's smile was heartfelt; she could feel her roommates' kindness.

Her roommates, taken aback by her swift response, paused before answering, "I'll send you the address right away." "Alright."

...

The restaurant, popular among students for its great value, was near the campus.

Upon entering, Sylvia saw her three roommates. Three familiar faces, just the same as what she remembered, eased Sylvia's initially frayed nerves.

In her past life, she had trusted that they were against her, and thus, had never made more conversations with them.

In contrast, she had placed unwavering trust in Freya, who ultimately betrayed her when Sylvia needed help the most.

Ironically, it was these roommates, whom she had kept at a distance, who had respectively sent her a sum of money after learning that Freya was spreading the news of Sylvia's plight, supporting her and her daughter through tough times. Sylvia approached with a smile, while those three roommates was momentarily stunned. She handed them each a box, "A little something to celebrate your new jobs. Hope you like it."

One roommate came to her senses and took over the box, surprised, "Perfume? This brand is expansive, and wow, my favorite scent."

The others took their boxes and found them contained scents they loved as well.

Stunned, they looked at Sylvia, unable to believe it. Sylvia had always seemed so distant, and they thought she didn't like them. But unexpectedly, she actually remembered their favorite scents. Sylvia explained, "I've smelled the similar scents from you, so I took the liberty to buy the perfume."

In truth, they had made the Twitter publications in her past life.

"Thank you," they said in unison.

"But we didn't get you anything."

"That's alright. This meal's on you three."

Grabbing the utensil, Sylvia picked up a piece of pizza and taking a bite.

The roommates stared, dumbfounded. The meal would be 30 dollars at most; compared to the perfume Sylvia sent them, which was worth over 100, it wasn't a good bargain for Sylvia. One of them mustered the courage to ask, "Are you really Sylvia?"