Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

"I'll be home in about half an hour."

Sylvia knew it must be her phone finally fixed.

She had been so anxious that she had even paid the repair guy a little extra to prioritize her phone.

The delivery guy on the other end replied, "Alright, I'll be there in half an hour."

As soon as the call ended, Sylvia hailed a cab back home.

She arrived just in time to meet the delivery guy downstairs, signed for the package, and hurried upstairs to open it.

As the phone powered on, she felt a strange sense of nervousness creeping in.

She had to get to the bottom of everything.

But as she opened the photo gallery, she froze.

Her eyes darted around, unfocused, as everything around her blurred into nothingness.

The phone slipped from her grasp, crashing onto the floor.

She slumped down with it, sitting there stunned for a few seconds before she frantically picked up the phone and searched for what she desperately needed.

Yet the phone had been wiped clean.

Nothing was left!

Sylvia's mind went blank. It took her a while to gather her thoughts, and she quickly dialed the repair shop.

Before the owner could even greet her, she demanded, "Where's everything on my phone?"

The owner paused, bewildered. "Ma'am, that's how it was when you brought it to me."

"That's impossible."

"I swear, ma'am. We have videos of the unboxing and the repair process. I can send them all to you."

Soon, videos arrived from the owner.

From the moment the package was received to when the phone was hooked up for diagnostics, everything was on camera.

The diagnostics showed that the phone Sylvia had sent was as empty as a brick.

Watching the footage, it only took Sylvia a few moments to piece everything together.

She grabbed the repaired phone and hurled it across the room.

"Ah!"

It was Rupert.

Last time, she had discovered she was being followed through her phone, and it had led her right to him.

All Rupert needed was to find someone to interrogate, and he'd know exactly what they were after.

Sylvia, fearing she would be tracked again, had chosen to discreetly mail her phone at night.

But that had given Rupert the perfect opportunity.

Feeling utterly helpless, Sylvia collapsed onto the floor,

with her fists, unable to

r fists, unable to

she had once again been thwarted.

it

Rupert, if you can forgive Bridget for such things, why can't you leave me alone?

Why?

Why!

Sylvia was overwhelmed, curling up on the floor in silent agony.

Until the doorbell rang.

She initially ignored it, but the person on the other side was persistent.noveldrama

She forced herself up, taking a deep breath, and peeked through the peephole.

It was her neighbor.

"Ms. Lloyd? Ms. Lloyd! Are you alright?"

Sylvia opened the door. "I'm fine."

Her neighbor took one look at her

and seemed startled. "You call that

fine? Lucky for you, I finished work early today. There's a new bakery. near my office, and I brought you something. When you're feeling down, a bit of sweetness can help."

Sylvia looked at the small box of cupcakes, and tears threatened to spill over

once more.

Her neighbor hesitated. "Oh, shoot. Am I prying again? I'll stop asking. Just eat something first."

"Thank you, Ms. Ward."

She remembered her neighbor's last name was Ward, and her online username in

the community group was Sunflower Seeds.

Ms. Ward chuckled, "Come on. Let's eat together."

She ushered Sylvia into her apartment.

Ms. Ward even brought out a beautiful set of British tea sets for the occasion.

It wasn't until Sylvia had eaten half a cupcake that Ms. Ward visibly relaxed.

For once, she didn't pry, simply

offering comfort, "Don't think too

much about it. As long as you're alive, there's a way. When I'm upset, I just find some juicy gossip to distract myself."

Sylvia felt genuinely miserable, yet Ms. Ward's words somehow made her want to

both laugh and cry.

After chatting for a while, Sylvia's spirits began to lift.

Ms. Ward was right. As long as you're alive, there's a way forward, and Sylvia had survived worse before.

At that moment, her mind drifted back to the card Naomi had given her...