Encore of the Avenging Muse (Sylvia and Rupert)

The Simpson Family

Bridget paced nervously across the living room, her mind a whirlwind of anxiety.

Suddenly, her phone rang. To her surprise, it was a video call from Fanny.

After a moment's hesitation, Bridget answered.

Fanny's face filled the screen, smeared with dirt and looking completely disheveled. She was driving, her face close to the phone, wild red eyes glaring into the camera. Bridget instinctively took a step back from the screen.

"Bridget, my parents are sending me abroad! Please, you have to talk to Mr. Rupert for me. Ask him to help my family! I'm begging you!"

So, she was asking for help.

Bridget sat up straighter, her long neck held high, gone was the old eagerness to please.

"Sorry, Fanny. With the mess your family's in, there's nothing I can do."

"What do you mean? I was the one who helped you look good in front of Tristan! Now you want to just cut me off? And don't forget, the only reason I went after Sylvia was because of you!"

Fanny's voice cracked, trembling with anger and desperation.

Now that the Lance family had fallen, Bridget wasn't about to get dragged down with them. She didn't even bother pretending anymore.

She sneered, "Fanny, don't twist things. When did I ever tell you to kidnap Sylvia? Don't go making accusations when you have no proof."

"You-!" Fanny's eyes widened in rage. "So the video was real? You and Caleb..."

Bridget lounged back against the couch, chuckling. "Yeah, we've been together for ages. Caleb says you're such a pain, he wouldn't even show up to any event if he thought you'd be there... unless he knew I'd be there too."

"You bitch! You two are disgusting! I'm telling Mr. Rupert!" Fanny shrieked.

"Go ahead. Do you really think you're still Daddy's little princess? Look at you- you're the town pariah now. Nobody's going to believe a word you say. You're pathetic."

Those last words were ones Bridget had been dying to say.

Fanny slammed her hand on the steering wheel, cursing, "Bridget! You'll rot in hell! I won't let you get away with this—ah!"

Her scream was cut off as the phone tumbled, and the car began to spin. There was a loud crash-the unmistakable sound of metal colliding with something solid.

The camera steadied, showing the empty roof of the car. Silence.

Bridget clutched her phone, heart pounding, unconsciously pulling it closer.

Suddenly, a bloodied face lurched into the frame, Fanny's eyes

Bridget. Content be widet

and unblinking, staring

Bridget yelped and threw the phone across the room.

On the screen, Fanny's pupils slowly faded, her lips still moving.

"Bridget... I'll be waiting..."

Bridget screamed.

Hospital

After her treatment, Sylvia was finally ready to be discharged.

Naomi still worried, so she came to pick Sylvia up, bringing some news with her.

"Fanny's dead. Car accident. Guessnoveldrama

she was on the phone and lost control crashed right off the

overpass. They said... well, let's just say it was bad. Real bad. Ugh, I can't

even think about it."

"Dead? Just like that?" Sylvia froze, her hands mid-way through packing her bag.

Naomi quickly cut in, "Who cares? It's over now."

Seeing Naomi's worried face, Sylvia didn't press further.

But inside, she knew Fanny's death was just a way to wrap things up.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that even though she'd stood her ground against Fanny, even "won" in a way... it didn't really matter to the Lances, or the Garcias, or to Bridget. The real damage was somewhere else.

If anything, she'd just made herself a bigger target.

Still... who had actually brought down the Lance family, both in her last life and in this one?

Sylvia racked her brain, but couldn't come up with an answer.