Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

Sylvia made her way through the hallways, guided by the signs towards the private dining rooms.

Henry, ever the gentleman, steadied her, glancing around with concern. "Ms. Lloyd, what if the manager doesn't cooperate?"

Sylvia paused outside the dining room door, her face set with determination. "Today, whether he likes it or not, he's going to cooperate!"

With that, she strode to the emergency alarm beside the restaurant's grand staircase and slammed her hand down on it. Instantly, the sound of the alarm blared throughout the restaurant, sending guests scurrying for the exits. Unfazed, Sylvia and Henry moved deeper into the restaurant. They searched all the way to the innermost private dining room but found no trace of anything-not even a single familiar face.

"Ms. Lloyd, there's no sign of them," Henry said, worry creasing his brow.

Sweat dampened Sylvia's palms, her body starting to feel weak. Could it be that even in this life, she couldn't prevent the tragedy that befell Naomi and Edwin?

Just as she was near despair, a server burst out from a door. Sylvia grabbed her, urgently asking, "What's behind that door?"

"It leads to the kitchen, for staff to serve food more efficiently," the server explained, puzzled by Sylvia's intense interest.

Ignoring her sore feet, Sylvia dashed into the kitchen, her heart sinking at the sight of the open, empty space. There was nowhere to hide - until soft sobs drew her attention to a nondescript door in the corner, marked simply as "Trash Room". Trash Room!

Anger surged within her as she tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Henry stepped up, delivering a couple of strong kicks to break the lock open.

A foul stench immediately wafted out from the room, heavy with the odor of kitchen waste. Amidst heaps of days-old spoiled food lay Edwin. Beside him, Naomi was tied up, her body smeared with refuse and her mouth gagged with a stale piece of bread. Always pristine and beautiful, seeing her in such a degraded, terrified state was heart-wrenching.

Naomi's tear-filled, bloodshot eyes locked onto Sylvia. Desperately, she tried to nudge Edwin awake with her body, fearing the worst.

Sylvia clenched her jaw. "Mom, I'm here to save you!"

"Stop right there!"

The manager appeared with four

burly security guards, glaring at Sylvia with a snarl. "Ms. Lloyd, do you take this place for a playground? You've caused enough trouble Maybe you should stay here with them as an apology to our guest."

Guest?

Mrs. Simpson! Bridget's mother!

Sylvia stood her ground, warning the manager, "Do you even know who they are?"

The manager scoffed, looking down on her. "You think you're something special? Even Edwin has to bow down to Rupert. And you've crossed someone you shouldn't have"

Caught off guard, Sylvia watched as the manager signaled the guards to grab her. Henry tried to protect her, but was quickly overpowered.

As the guards advanced on Sylvia, she grabbed a trash bin and hurled it at them, buying herself some time to move towards the trash room once more.

But her injured foot slowed her down, making it easy for the guards to catch her and throw her out onto the floor.

As the manager closed in, his intent clear. Sylvia lay too weak to move. His foot lifted, poised to crush her hand.

Suddenly, the foot in front of her twisted into an unnatural position, and the manager's face contorted for a few seconds before a scream tore from his lips.

"Ah! My foot... Ah!"

Another scream followed as the manager was thrown across the room.

Sylvia heard the sound of the manager's body scraping against the ground, snapping her back to reality as she looked up.