Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)
Chapter 57

On her way back to the dorm, Sylvia was intercepted.

Orson looked at her with a polite expression, "Mr. Garcia is waiting for you in the car. We need to get your hand checked again."

Sylvia scoffed, "My hand being injured is convenient, isn't it? No need for him to go through all this trouble to pull me out of the competition." Orson, puzzled, whispered, "Mr. Garcia..."

"He would do well to spend more time with his girlfriend, save their affection from getting affected. I've got other things to handle."

Sylvia walked past Orson, but he quickly stepped in front of her again.

"Ms. Lloyd, Mr. Garcia is waiting for you."

His words were few but carried a reminder. She realized if she refused to go, Orson would keep reminding her.

Sylvia took a deep breath, "Let's go then."

Orson nodded and gestured for her to follow.

Sylvia got into the car, unaware of the excited figure approaching from a distance but stopped dead in the tracks upon seeing Sylvia.

Bridget.

She watched the car drive away, biting her lip, her eyes fierce.

...

In the hospital.

The ride was silent with Sylvia not uttering a word and Rupert focusing on the documents in his hands, acting as if he wasn't the one who had handed her designs over to Bridget.

To him, it seemed, the incident wasn't even worth mentioning.

Sylvia turned her gaze to the window, and as she was about to get out, a deep voice sounded from behind.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No," Sylvia's response was cold.

The car stopped, and she got out without a glance at Rupert. Rupert's gaze shifted to Orson, "Find out what happened to her."

Orson, surprised, yet nodded, "Got it."

Shortly after, Sylvia followed Rupert into the clinic.

The doctor, upon hearing voices, immediately turned, and as seeing who they were, he walked up with a smile.

"Rupert, long time no see. What seems to be the problem?"

"It's not me, it's her," Rupert gestured towards Sylvia. But he noticed Sylvia backing away, pale at the sight of the doctor. "Sylvia," Rupert reminded, frowning.

The doctor, noticing Sylvia's reaction, joked as he touched his face, "Seems like my looks are quite frightening."

Sylvia instinctively responded, "Don't touch me," as Rupert reached out to her.

Noticing the subtle vibe between the two, the doctor tried to ease the tension, "Miss, please sit. Let's have a look."

Sylvia, snapping back to reality, sat while staring at the doctor.

She was unable to forget his face. The doctor who had announced her daughter's death, a friend of Rupert's and an accomplice in her eyes, he had been involved in her daughter's surgery.

As the doctor began unwrapping Sylvia's bandages, he felt a chill under her intense gaze. Trying to joke, he said awkwardly, "What's wrong? Can I be as charming as Rupert?"

Sylvia stared at his smile, her daughter's ghostly dead body persistently lingering on her mind.

Sylvia's cold question followed, "Doctor, mind if I ask you a question?"

Smiling, the doctor replied, "Sure."

"Under what circumstances can a child be donated to someone else without the mother's consent?"

The doctor was caught off-guard, having thought Sylvia might ask something about her hand.

He hurriedly answered, afraid that his professional skills would be doubted, "Children donating would normally not be recommended, especially even younger age, except for body donation. But these should get immediate family's consent." "Immediate family would be..."

"Parents. At the same time, hospitals usually notify and seek consent from them. But ultimately, it's about the child's wishes, even a smaller one still has their own thoughts, right?" the doctor replied with a light smile. Sylvia's eyes tingled with emotions, her laughter bitter, "So, you knew all along."

Helping Rupert keep secrets from her, sneaking her daughter into surgery, and refusing to treat her, letting her eventually die from an infection, all while he attended Bridget's son's lavish birthday party in a suit and tie. The irony wasn't lost on her.

The doctor's smile faded, replaced by a growing sense of indescribable fear. He only felt too sorrow to catch his breath.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly listed some tests, "These are the checks needed."

Rupert handed the list to Orson, "Go with her."

Emotionless, Sylvia left, leaving the doctor to express his unease to Rupert, "Her emotion's off. Do you know how she looked at me? It was as if she wanted to kill me!"