The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne squinted her eyes, recalling the day her mother took her own life. Several prominent families had been spotted around their residence at the time.

One of those was the Ashford family.

Back then, the Rivenwood Ashfords cup in her search. Having thoroughly investigated them after arriving in Rivenwood, she found nothing amiss.

But the Ashfords of Sea City were a different story; she had not looked into them yet.

She had checked out the Churchills and the Pendletons, who had also been present that day, and found nothing noteworthy.

Only the Ashfords...

A sly smile played on Vivienne’s lips.

After lying low for so long, they were finally showing themselves.

This was getting interesting.

Vivienne's gaze returned to the present as she suddenly asked, “What about the Perez family? Any sightings of them?” Thomas shook his head, “No, not that we've found. The Perezes are well-entrenched; their dealings are not so easily uncovered.” She nodded in understanding. If the Perezes also had a research facility, it would make her work in Sea City all the more convenient.

Percival flipped through the dossiers Thomas had compiled, his eyes lingering on the biotech companies’ transactions. The Boyds seemed to have only recently connected with the Ashfords, and there was more to their business than met the eye. a “It seems we'll be dealing with the Ashfords more closely,” Percival remarked, his brow furrowed with distaste.

Dealing with the Ashfords meant entanglements with Gillian, a thought he found repulsive.

The memory of having to lightly push Gillian away, even with a towel separating them, made him feel unclean.

He would need a long, thorough shower tonight to wash away the feeling.

Seeing Percival’s growing irritation, Thomas looked puzzled at Vivienne.

Blinking, he silently questioned, “Ma’am, what's gotten into Percival? | didn’t upset him, did 12” Vivienne reassured him with a dismissive wave, “It's nothing. Just a bit of disgust, nothing to worry about.” Percival shut the folder and said, “Let's find a place to eat. Afterward, we continue our investigation.” Thomas was quick to agree, ready to do anything, even jump into a river, to avoid Percival’s wrath, which was far scarier than any physical danger.

After finishing their meal, Percival received a call from Wendy.

“Percival, the way you treated Ms. Ashford is completely unacceptable. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could bring upon us? You're being utterly thoughtless. Get back here, now!” Wendy hung up before Percival could reply.

Storing his phone, Percival’s expression darkened. “Thomas, take Vivienne hfirst.” “No need,” Vivienne interjected with a faint smile. “I'm the head of the Boyd family, after all. How can | not be present when there's trouble at home?” At the Boyd Mansion.

Mara was in tears, lamenting to her grandmother.

“I finally managed to get Gillian to meet up today, hoping she and my brother could get to know each other, at the very least. But Vivienne must have done something; Gillian was so upset today. Grandma, you must help her.” Wendy nodded emphatically. “Stop crying, dear. Gillian is the granddaughter-in-law I've chosen; I'll certainly stand by her. That Vivienne has gone too far.” Eliza poured Wendy a cup of coffee and sat beside her. “Mom, Vivienne has the Boyd family ring. What can we possibly do?” Wendy scoffed. “So what if she has the ring? She must kneel and serveif she wants to be my granddaughter- in-law. If she insists on being the Boyd family head, she can forget any connection with Percival.” Eliza massaged Wendy's shoulders, her mind racing with schemes of her own.

No matter what, she had to improve Percival’s opinion of her to uncover the truth of Nathan's feelings for Cecilia.

If their love had waned, it was the perfect opportunity to get close to the Ellingtons using Percival’s name.

And if their affection was still strong? Well, as long as Percival knew what kind of woman his mother was, that was enough.

The senior members of the Boyd household were seated across from Wendy.

Yannick’s fingers were wrapped in bandages, still aching from the break inflicted by Percival.

“Hmph, | told Mara to introduce Gillian to me, but no, now look what's happened. If she'd introduced her to me, Grandma, you'd have a great-grandson by now, and we wouldn't be struggling with the Ashfords!” Mara was the first to object, “You think you could woo Gillian? Have you looked in the mirror lately? You don’t have half my brother's qualities. Shameless!” “Mara, I'm your brother. Watch your mouth!” “Pfft, brother? You're nothing to me!”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

er at her with a threatening air.

Nancy naturally defended her daughter. “Yannick, what do you think you're doing?” Seeing the rising tension, Theodore pulled his son back down, “Calm down. She's your sister. We need to present a united front right now, not turn on each other.” Teresa quickly stepped in to defuse the tension. “Absolutely, our biggest threat right now is Vivienne.” The atmosphere eased a bit, and Teresa took a moment before suggesting, “Mom, I've got an idea. Hearout?” “Go ahead,” Wendy responded promptly.

“Percival’s head over heels for Vivienne, probably under skind of spell. Why don’t we play both sides? If we could get Yannick to spend stwith Gillian, who knows? Sparks might fly. After all, we just want to ally with the Ashford family. If Gillian married Yannick, we'd be even closer to them. It's certainly better than letting the Ellingtons get the upper hand.” Teresa's suggestion was something Wendy had already considered.

After all, Percival was Cecilia's son; at the end of the day, he was an outsider to the Boyd family. Unfortunately, Gillian had fallen so hard for him during her visit to Rivenwood, dead set on marrying him.

For someone like Yannick, there seemed little hope.

Teresa knew what was going through her mother’s mind and pressed on, “I know it’s a long shot, Mom, but it’s better than putting all our eggs in one basket, don’t you think?” After concluding her point, Teresa shot a meaningful glance at Eliza.

Eliza nodded silently in agreement, “Teresa's right, Mom. It's always better to have a backup plan than to pin all our hopes on Percival.” Hearing this from her most beloved daughter, Wendy finally gave in. “Alright, we'll give Yannick a chance to get to know Gillian. Starting as friends isn’t a bad idea.” Mara glanced at her father, Hayden, who shook his head, signaling her to remain silent.

The Boyds, although united in appearance, each harbored their own ambitions.

There was only one position for the heir, and both the first and second branches of the family were equally strong, each with a son and daughter favored by Wendy.

It was a race to see who could satisfy Wendy's expectations first.

Wendy's current ambition was to forge an alliance with the Ashford family and explore that lucrative trade route.

That was why Mara had becfast friends with Gillian early on. As long as Gillian did not marry into the son of the first branch, she would always be an asset to the secondary branch.

The Ashford family’s trade route would then remain firmly in their grasp.

Everyone played their part in this harmonious facade, each with their own calculated intentions.

Soon after, the butler approached, his apron neatly tied as he said, “Ma'am, they have arrived.” As his words faded, Vivienne and Percival entered hand in hand.