The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne’s mind was clear.

Having Anna by her side was a blessing in disguise; they could fulfill their mothers’ last wishes

together.

Vivienne took Anna on a tour of the lab, and Anna’s eyes sparkled with growing excitement. She had

heard tales from her mother about these experiments since she was a child, and now, armed with her

current medical knowledge, she was eager to dive in.

Just then, Rex emerged with a new research report in hand. Spotting Vivienne, he made a beeline for

her, inadvertently edging Anna aside. “I think we need to pivot here; the methodology is off, don’t you

think?”

Vivienne was taken aback by Rex’s swift progress, having made so many advances in just half an hour.

“Right,” Vivienne said, taking the report from Rex, and they began to hash out the future direction of

their research. They were remarkably in sync on several points.

However, Rex’s focus leaned towards studying the toxicity of potions.

Their discussion was animated, and while Anna could follow along at first, she soon found herself lost

in the technicalities.

She stepped back, no longer wanting to interrupt, and waited for Vivienne.

Anna glanced over at Percival, who was waiting off to the side with a nonchalant look on his face, and

she was slightly surprised.

Percival did not seem jealous of the handsome man getting cozy with Vivienne. She remembered

distinctly how Percival had reacted to Aaron before—his face dark as coal when he closed the car

window.

Fiddling with Vivienne’s phone, Percival caught Anna’s gaze and looked up indifferently as if to say, “Of

course.”

He was not the jealous type.

Vivienne was at work, handling serious business. Her work was far more critical than any fleeting

jealousy. He was not a green-eyed monster.

Leopold snorted from the driver’s seat, “As if you’re not the jealous type. I’d eat my hat!”

Thomas chimed in, “Hard to disagree.”

After wrapping up the discussion with Rex, the sky was darkening.

“That’s enough for today,” Vivienne said as she set down the report.

She turned to Anna, “Did you catch all that?”

Anna nodded, “I did. Anything I’m unclear about, I’ll compile and bring to you.”

Vivienne pocketed her pen, “Let’s go.”

Although Rex seemed reluctant to end the conversation, he knew better than to keep Vivienne from

leaving and watched them exit.

A sly smile crept across Rex’s face as Vivienne’s silhouette receded. He grasped the report tightly,

changed into casual clothes, and left the lab.

Vivienne’s irritation was apparent in the car as she looked at her phone. Her wallpaper, lock screen,

Facebook cover, chat interface—everything had been switched to various images of Mr. Wolf in combat

gear, training, and during mock battles, all radiating rugged charm.

She had complimented Thomas once, and Mr. Wolf had held onto it for a month.

No wonder he had been so eager to get his hands on her phone.

Seeing her stare at the phone, Percival’s lips curled as he said with a magnetic voice, “Vivienne, I’m

the most handsome.”

Vivienne was speechless.

Who said he was not the jealous type again?

Leopold, driving, suddenly announced, “Vivienne, we’ve got a tail.”

Vivienne put away her phone and leaned on Percival’s shoulder, her eyes closed in mischief, “Reel

them in.”

“Roger that!” Leopold maneuvered closer to their tail, but in a blink, the pursuer disappeared.

“Damn, they’re pros,” Leopold cursed.

Anna sighed. “Ms. Vivienne, I told you Huskies can’t drive.”

“Indeed,” Percival gave Leopold a scornful look. It was embarrassing to lose a tail so easily.

Vivienne glanced back and said coolly. “They’re pros, good at staying hidden.”

“See, I still have Vivienne’s support!” Leopold argued, excited.

Vivienne was the best!

“But your skills do need work. It’s embarrassing,” Vivienne added, glancing at Leopold.

Leopold was instantly deflated.

“Vivienne, the tail’s gone. Where to?” Leopold’s energy drained.

Vivienne checked the time; they had enough left, “Let’s go see Scott.”

They had planned to visit Scott today anyway but had not anticipated the delay.

Scott was the sole occupant of Vanguard Agency’s secret prison, a form of privileged isolation.

Leopold and Anna stayed outside while Vivienne and Percival entered. Scott was sitting in a chair, lost

in thought, hooked up to a heart rate monitor, seemingly in another world.

Today marked his first interrogation. Besides the guards who delivered meals to him, he never met

anyone else.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, and a ripple of emotion crossed his deep-set eyes.

For a moment, he mistook Vivienne for Karen.

If Karen had borne him a daughter, he imagined she would look just like this, sharing all of Karen’s best

traits.

Under Scott’s gaze, Vivienne took a seat and met his stare.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join &

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Both were silent for a while until Scott broke the ice.

“Never thought you’d be the one to interrogate me,” Scott’s dry lips cracked into a smile, revealing a

hint of blood.

It was hard to deny that Scott did not have the face of a villain.

On the contrary, he had the air of a gentleman born into high society, with a demeanor as smooth and

refined as jade.

His eyes always carried a soft gentleness, like a ray of sunshine on a cold winter’s day.

That was why seeing him now, slightly haggard, elicited a twinge of pity from onlookers. Pity that was

undeserved, for it was merely a facade.

“You’re wondering who the real Mr. B is, aren’t you? Sorry, but that’s the one thing I won’t tell you. You’ll

have to find out on your own. I believe in you,” Scott said, his gaze lowered, portraying impenetrable

calm. He had been locked up here, utterly clueless about the outside events.

Vivienne could not help but chuckle upon hearing this, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mockery.

“Always being underestimated can be such a headache.”

Percival gently ruffled Vivienne’s hair. “Don’t waste your time on fools.”

Their exchange momentarily took aback Scott. “What do you mean?”

Vivienne raised an eyebrow, “What do you think?”

After a few seconds of silence, realization dawned on Scott, and he exclaimed, “You’ve found Mr. B!”

Vivienne looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile and remained silent.