The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

After Jerry and his crew had left, Scott’s face was a storm cloud as he ascended the staircase and

made his way to Vivienne’s room.

He rapped on the door, and after a long wait, Vivienne eventually came to open it.

Leaning casually against the door frame, she arched an eyebrow, “You looking for me, Mr. Brooks?”

Scott locked eyes with her, his voice a shade deeper than usual, “Happy with the chaos you’ve

caused?”

Vivienne let out a dry laugh, “Huh! Are you here to settle scores with me?”

Her tone was cool, edged with an unspoken authority.

Scott’s brows knitted together. After a long stare, he softened, “Vivienne, I know you’re upset about

Calista coming back, but I have my reasons that I can’t share. Dad’s always loved you the most, and I

hope you can understand that.”

Vivienne’s lips twisted into a mocking smile, “Mr. Brooks, are you mistaken? I’ve always been very

understanding.”

Her smile had a seductive twist, “I understand the difficulty you face so I agree with bringing Calista

back into the Brooks fold and I even went along with canceling the engagement. I’ve been nothing but

accommodating. What more do you want from me, my heart on a platter?”

Scott’s expression soured, “If you understand me, then why let your disciples create a scene at the

Brooks estate? And why send Richard to hassle Grandpa at the nursing home? The Brooks family has

weathered enough storms; I just want some peace.”

Rubbing her temples and then crossing her arms, Vivienne looked at him with amusement, “Richard

going after Baron was his own doing. My disciples? They can’t stand to see me bullied. They were just

looking out for me. Is that a problem?”

“Yes, it’s understandable,” Scott conceded, “but you should still try to calm them down.”

Vivienne couldn’t help but laugh, “Mr. Brooks, are you losing your cool?”

Scott’s heart skipped and cast her a surprised look. Was she onto something?

He fell silent for a moment before asking, “What do you mean?”

With a sly smile, Vivienne probed, “Who do you think is more formidable, me or my mother?”

“You,” Scott replied without hesitation.

Karen was the most unique woman he had ever encountered.

Her wisdom, her talents and all the gifts she received from the heavens seemed to halo her in an

inextinguishable glow. She was always captivating.

But Vivienne was even more astonishing than her mother.

Vivienne’s smile grew wilder. She straightened up and put hands in her pockets. And with a rogue’s

grin, she said, “Go prepare for Calista’s reunion banquet, Scott. There will be a surprise waiting for

you.”

Frowning, Scott tried to speak, but Vivienne had already shut the door in his face.

He stood outside her door for a long while before turning and walking away.

On the other side, Calista was nearly out of her skin with fright at the explosion. Learning that it was

Vivienne’s disciples coming for revenge had her fuming.

Then she heard that Baron had returned in a rage and refused to acknowledge her engagement to

Percival. She was so angry that she could have exploded right on site!

Why did Vivienne get to be so lucky?

Why her many disciples stood up for her, and even Baron seemed to be on her side?

Calista wanted to smash something in her anger, but she restrained herself, not wanting the Brooks’ to

be disappointed in her. She huffed to herself with a long face.

They didn’t agree with the engagement, so what?

Once the reunion banquet was over and everyone knew she was a Brooks, getting Percival would be a

piece of cake.

…

Two days later, it’s time for Calista’s reunion banquet.

She had been on her best behavior these last few days.

Scott and Judith had been running around making preparations for her banquet. With Baron holding

down the fort at the estate, no one dared to make trouble; everyone behaved perfectly.

The banquet, held at the Brooks estate, was far more lavish than Vivienne’s simple hotel gathering.

The family had invited a bevy of A-list celebrities and high society’s finest.

Mila, as Calista’s mother, had been making frequent appearances at the estate and taking advantage

of the situation.

Although Judith had previously been opposed to Mila marrying Scott, she was, after all, Calista’s

mother. So her attitude had warmed significantly.

The banquet was set for the evening.

From the afternoon, the Brooks estate was abuzz with preparations to welcome the guests.

At seven o’clock, as dusk settled, Vivienne slipped into a black dress and leapt out her window, scaling

the walls of the Brooks Mansion with ease.

With a few agile moves, she landed in Scott’s room.

Moments later, another figure jumped in through the window.

Vivienne turned around with a smile, “Mr. Wolf, impeccable timing.”

Percival returned the smile, “When Vivienne calls, how can I be anything but punctual?”

His gaze swept over Scott’s room, “Thomas and Matthew are keeping Scott occupied; they won’t be

back up here for half an hour. Can you manage?”

“Half an hour is more than enough,” Vivienne replied.

“Alright, let’s split up and search!”

Without further conversation, they began a thorough search of Scott’s room.

Vivienne had been here before. She had found a safe but not the item she was looking for.

This time she had brought Percival along for a more extensive search.

Barring any surprises, this would be her last search of Scott’s personal space.

Vivienne and Percival were a blur of movement.

In just a few minutes, Percival announced, “Found a hidden compartment!”

Vivienne didn’t budge, just looked up at him.

After a glance at the contents, she muttered, “Junk.”

She nodded and resumed the search.

Together, they uncovered over a dozen secret nooks, all filled with trivialities.

Twenty minutes had slipped by, and Vivienne’s expression grew stormy.

Suddenly, Percival called out, “Vivienne, get over here.”

She was by his side in a heartbeat.

This was the ninth secret nook Percival had stumbled upon, housing a curious box with an unusual

lock.

Vivienne frowned at Percival, “This lock’s a tough nut to crack.”

It was shaped like a crescent moon, not a common lock like a retinal scan or fingerprint.

Those high-tech locks were child’s play for her and easy to bypass.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated

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But this lock, crafted from some peculiar material, was uncharted territory for her.

Last time, it was only with Larry’s toolkit that she’d managed to crack a similar puzzle.

This lock, clearly, wouldn’t yield to any toolkit.

“Let’s take it with us. I’ll have someone work on it,” Percival suggested. Neither of them was locksmiths

by trade, and time was too tight to fiddle with it now.

“If we take this thing, Scott will catch on in no time; we can’t,” Vivienne frowned.

Percival fell silent for a moment before saying, “Then we’ll have to come back for it.”

Just as Vivienne was about to agree, a flash of insight struck her. She paused, then quickly said, “Mr.

Wolf, hand me your pendant.”

It seemed Percival had the same epiphany. Without hesitation, he removed his pendant and handed it

to her.

Vivienne took off her own pendant, and together with Percival’s, they formed a perfect crescent moon

key.

With a knowing look shared between them, they inserted the makeshift key into the lock.