Sylvia held her breath, stubbornly refusing to say a word.

    Rupert''s eyes darkened, storm clouds swirling in his gaze, as he didn''t give her a chance to speak. He kissed her, aggressively, like a force of nature-his anger poured into the contact, fierce and unrestrained.

    Sylvia struggled desperately, but she couldn''t break free. She fought until her strength faded and her eyes filled with tears of pain.

    Then, suddenly, Rupert''s hand closed tightly around her neck.

    His grip tightened. His sharp, cold features now looked even more menacing, his expression dark and brooding.

    "All this just for him?"

    "No!" Sylvia choked out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I''m not anyone''s possession. I don''t need to do this for anyone. I just don''t want to be here, tangled up with you. Is that enough for you, Uncle Rupert?"

    Rupert closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the storm had passed, though something unreadable flickered in their depths.

    He brushed his thumb over her lips, still smudged with lipstick and raw where she''d bitten herself.

    His voice was rough. "Sylvia, nobody''s taking you away from here. Not even Lester."

    The suffocating tension pressed in on her. Sylvia felt herself unraveling but forced herself to breathe, to stay in control.

    Finally, she found the strength to say what she had to.

    "Fine. I''ll go with you. I''ll move into theke house. But you can''t marry Reese."

    There was a sh of something in Rupert''s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it

    came.

    His gaze turned icy and distant, like a fogged-up window on a rainy morning.

    He let her go, stepping back so that the light from the hallway sliced a shadow between them.

    "Anything but that," he said quietly. "Ask for anything else you want."

    At that moment, Rupert''s phone rang. Reese''s name lit up the screen.

    Whatever Reese said, it made Rupert''s brow furrow. "I''ll be right there," he replied, his voice clipped.

    He walked out without another word.

    Sylvia stood rooted to the spot, watching his shadow disappear down the hall.

    The truth had always been there, right in front of her. She''d thought she''d be okay, but when she looked down, her tears came hard and fast.

    She didn''t know how long she stood there.

    Footsteps crunched outside in the gravel drive. Sylvia quickly turned away, wiping her cheeks.

    "Ms. Lloyd, Mrs. Naomi asked if you''d help with the party favors."

    "I''ming," Sylvia replied, drawing a deep breath as she headed toward the storage room.

    Inside, Naomi was directing the staff, stacking boxes and baskets-homemade jams, jars of honey, and little bags of caramel popcorn for the guests.

    Sylvia stepped up. "Mom, did you double-check the inventory?"

    Naomi waved her off. "Rx, honey. The security here is tighter than Fort Knox. Nothing''s going to happen."

    "Mom, this is a lot of stuff. I don''t

    care how

    d the Garcia family''s

    is-we need to make sure

    everything''s ounted for. Let''s just check it again," Sylvia insisted.

    Naomi nced at her watch and relented.

    But as they were about to start, the butler appeared at the door.

    "Mrs. Naomi, some guests have an early flight. Tristan suggested we hand out the gifts early—we''ll need to speed things up."

    "Alright, alright, we''ll move them

    now." Naomi looked at Sylvia. "It''s rare Tristan trusts me with this T can''t let him down. I put everything away myself; nothing''s been touched."

    ?

    Still, Sylvia didn''t take her word for it. She couldn''t check everything, but she spot-checked each batch-five boxes at a time. Everything was there. Only then did she finally breathe easy.

    She thought the day was finally over. She and Naomi had just sat down with a cup

    of tea when the butler returned, nked by staff.

    "Mrs. Naomi, Ms. Lloyd-Tristan would like to see you."