The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

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She glanced at Soren’s retreating figure, knowing full well her recent tie in combat was just a stroke of

luck.

Soren was still nursing an old injury, not yet back in top form.

Percival approached with the detached professionalism of a captain, addressing Anna, “A month from

now will be the final assessment. Pass that, and I’ll arrange for you to start interning in the lab while

carrying out missions.”

Anna saluted smartly. “Yes, sir. I won’t let you or Vivienne down.”

Vivienne watched her with a hint of amusement. The girl was a quick study.

While Leopold drove Vivienne and Percival back to their estate, Anna was left at the Vanguard

Agency’s training camp to hone her skills.

On the way, Leopold queried, “Vivienne, do you think Anna’s got what it takes? The Agency’s training

isn’t for the faint of heart.”

Despite Anna’s draw with Soren, he was worried.

“If you made it through, she will too,” Vivienne replied nonchalantly, leaning on Percival’s shoulder.

Percival nodded in agreement, “Right, makes sense.”

Leopold glanced in the rear-view mirror, catching the couple’s affectionate display, and asked belatedly,

“Hang on. What do you mean ‘if I made it through’? I’m way better than Anna, okay?”

Vivienne lifted her gaze lazily, “She’s nineteen. How old are you?”

Leopold fell silent.

Alright, he asked for it. He should just shut up!

With a snap, he pulled down the visor.

Out of sight, out of mind, right?

…

A month later.

The assessment at Vanguard Agency officially began. The YQ and TCL labs had merged, keeping the

YQ lab’s name.

Vivienne arrived at the lab first, taking in the familiar surroundings.

It was set up just like the one her mother, Karen, had established years ago.

Percival had spent the past month meticulously restoring it to its former glory.

Vivienne could almost see her mother working diligently as she approached the familiar workbench.

She walked the path her mother had once walked.

“Ma’am,” Holden emerged from within, followed by a group of lab researchers.

Now the head of YQ lab, Holden had been orienting his team to the lab’s environment and its various

functions.

Vivienne nodded in acknowledgment, her eyes catching an unfinished experimental report on the desk.

Holden approached, saying, “We’ve been trying to replicate that 3D biological printer, but we’re hitting a

wall.”

During the lab’s month of operation, Holden and his team had been busy with experiments and

theories.

Vivienne quickly spotted several errors on the report and said, “These numbers are correct, but you’ve

got the direction mixed up. Give it another shot.”

The researchers’ eyes lit up. They had been stuck for a month, but Vivienne had seen the solution at a

glance.

Admiration was an understatement.

They were research fanatics, and seeing Vivienne’s expertise, they eagerly surrounded her with reports

from their own fields.

After a brief discussion, Vivienne asked, “Who’s handling the potion department?”

The crowd parted, revealing a young man holding a copy of Hippocrates’ Corpus. His hair was neatly

trimmed, his nails clean, and he wore silver-rimmed glasses with a naive yet profound smile.

“Ma’am, I’m working on the potions,” he said pleasantly.

Vivienne sized him up, feeling an odd sense of familiarity.

Thinking Vivienne doubted the young man’s capabilities, Holden quickly added, “Ma’am, his name is

Rex. He’s a recent hire. Young, yes, but a medical prodigy and quite insightful about potions.”

Intrigued, Vivienne said, “Show me your research.”

Rex handed over his half-finished report. Each word was deliberate and meaningful.

She nodded, impressed by his talent.

“There are parts I’m unclear about. I’ll report back to the director once I’ve figured them out,” Rex said,

marking a question on the report.

Vivienne looked at it and scribbled a series of numbers. “Try this.”

Rex pondered the numbers for a moment, his eyes brightening. “Yes, this could work!”

Vivienne set down the pen and said, “How long have you been working on potion research?”

“Since this morning,” Rex replied casually, clutching the report as he headed to his workstation,

engrossed in his work.

Holden offered another explanation. “Ma’am, he’s utterly devoted to medicine. We’re all used to it by

now.”

Vivienne was not bothered. However, Rex’s dedication reminded her of someone, though that person

was not nearly as clean-cut.

As they spoke, Percival entered, “Anna’s arrived.”

Vivienne turned.

Anna looked tanned and tougher after a month, with fresh scars on her exposed arms.

She stepped forward, saluting. “Special squad third division operative Anna, reporting for duty, ma’am.”

Third division?

Was that not Soren’s team?

Vivienne looked at Percival, who explained, “Luck of the draw. She drew the short straw.”

Vivienne patted Anna’s shoulder. “Passing is all that matters.”

Truth be told, she had never been worried about Anna. Since she was a young girl, Anna had been

shadowing Daphne, picking up all the qualities expected of a Vanguard Agency’s elite squad member.

In other words, even Leopold might not be as qualified as Anna.

But still, her goal was to make it into the laboratory, which came with its fair share of risks.Books

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That meant she had to pass the rigorous assessments of the Vanguard Agency.

The elite squad at Vanguard had its dedicated medical research team, but even so, making it through

their assessments was merely scratching the surface for the YQ Lab.

Yet this was proof enough that Anna was eligible for an internship at the lab.

Anna could barely contain her excitement. This was the lab of her dreams, and once inside, she could

fulfill her late mother’s last wish.

So, for the past month, she had been pushing herself through grueling training while also tackling the

medical research facility’s assessments and studies, facing a regimen far more intense than that of the

average team member.

Fortunately, she had passed all assessments and finally earned her spot.

“Ma’am, my first assignment is to offer you close protection, so after school starts, I’ll be vacating my

dorm room, and, adopting your former student status, I’ll be by your side,” Anna informed Vivienne.

Vivienne looked surprised and turned to Percival. “Was this your doing?”

Percival cleared his throat subtly. “It was a directive from the higher-ups. Given that foreign adversaries

have previously targeted your research papers, they instructed me to assign a team member for your

protection.”

He could have taken on the task himself.

But Dorian would not let him move into the Brooks family home, sharing a room with Vivienne.

This honorable yet daunting task ultimately fell upon Anna, the team’s sole female member.

Percival thought, “I’m envious, but I’ll keep it to myself.”