The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vance was clearly growing impatient, the topic at hand obviously not to his liking.

“The big boss of the organization, Noah, is who you guys refer to as Rover,” he said.

Percival's tone was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

Vance had thought Percival was certain, so he admitted, “Yes, Noah is Rover. Back in the day, | was the commander, but when the plan changed at the last minute, | had to go through the boss.” Percival chuckled lightly. “Figures.” It was then that Vance realized he had been played. He sighed, “Percival, you can suspect me or Micah all you want, but with Noah, there's no need.” “Because he’s your mentor?” Percival raised an eyebrow, his gaze steady on Vance.

Vance nodded, “Yes, Noah was our mentor. He brought us together and led us to where we are now. He's the most accomplished commander Vanguard Agency has ever had and your mentor’s idol. | can vouch for him, Percival. Noah's clean.

He didn’t take part in that operation!” “But he signed off on it, Vance. | can’t believe you've never doubted him,” Percival’'s tone turned colder.

Silence fell over Vance, and for a long while, he found no words.

Indeed, after the mission's failure, not just Karen but also Micah and Vance themselves had harbored deep suspicions within Vanguard Agency.

Compared to Karen and Micah’s emotional ties and utter trust, Vance was a bit more ruthless. He had even doubted Noah, the very mentor who had brought him into the fold.

Vance had investigated, sure, but Noah was Noah, without a single discrepancy.

Eventually, Vance shifted his suspicions to Micah.

That was why, later on, the rift between Micah and Vance only deepened.

These suspicions were put on hold when Vance went undercover.

Vance shared all the details of his past investigation into Noah with Percival, saying, “I did doubt him, but my mentor is innocent.

You're wasting your time, Percival.” Percival remained silent, his eyes holding a strange light.

After a moment, he left with all the documents.

Vance did not try to stop him; he just watched Percival go before answering a call from Noah.

“Yes, don't worry, everything's fine,” Vance said with a smile, seemingly at peace after hearing his mentor’s voice.

Whatever Noah said on the other end of the line made Vance press his lips together and nod. “Yeah, | told him. Yes, cooperation is based on honesty; otherwise, how can we get their help?” After hanging up, Vance’s smile faded, and he stood up somberly, leaving the coffee shop.

Percival, after leaving the coffee shop, tapped into all his connections to dig deeper into Noah's past.

Knowing the name and with Percival’'s own savvy, he still found the information limited.

But it was enough to deepen his understanding of Noah.

After the “Destruction Plan” failed, Noah retired, only to be rehired by Vanguard Agency as the head trainer, and his protégés spread across all systems within the agency.

He had fought alongside Yorick multiple times, a comrade-in-arms bound by life and death.

Their bond was as strong as Percival's with Leopold.

The most outstanding disciples were Karen, Micah, and Vance.

“Respected, well-connected, decorated, a teacher of many.” That was what went through Vivienne’s mind as she looked over the documents Percival brought back.

The only one who could match Noah was Yorick.

Although Noah never held a high office like a director or deputy director, his title could not be measured by the badges on his uniform.

Percival furrowed his brows, admiring the resume, especially the major cases handled by Noah, which even he could not rival.

Battles fought, narrow escapes from death, it made doubting such a seasoned leader seem foolish.

Setting down the documents, Percival looked at Vivienne before pulling her into an embrace, fingers playing with the ends of her hair.

He sighed slowly, as if declaring war or lost in thought, “Vivienne, we're in for a tough fight ahead.” Vivienne stared ahead, her gaze not fixed on any point, as if stretching out to the endless horizon.

“And we need an ally.” Percival's lips curved into a slight smile, his chin resting on Vivienne’s head, gently rubbing against her.

In a park in Rivenwood, F-Poison was leisurely basking in the sun.

She wore sunglasses and a pure white sundress, her seaweed-like hair flowing down her back.

A specific ringtone sounded, and F-Poison smiled faintly before answering.

“Hello, it's me.” Whatever the person on the other end said, a sly look passed behind F-Poison’s sunglasses.

“Relax, | won't let you be exposed. Keep me posted on your location.” After hanging up, F-Poison watched two kids chasing each other around in the park, a slow smile creeping across her face.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

She propped her chin on her hands, resting on her knees, murmuring, “This is going to be fun.” At the Perez Mansion.

Aside from Jasper, not a single soul had a kind look for Diana.

Even the youngsters, Natalia and Yasmine, harbored a grudge.

They were still fuming over the incident at their birthday party when their auntie allowed her date to shame Vivienne! Who says kids forget slights easily? In the past few days, Diana had been bending over backward to get into the good graces of Natalia and Yasmine, hoping to smooth over her awkward situation through the kids.

Unfortunately for her, it was not working.

Natalia and Yasmine always seemed to find a way to avoid her, not even seeking her out for play when she was the only one available in the house.

With each passing day of cold shoulder treatment, Diana's resentment grew, along with an increasing bitterness towards Vivienne.

Jasper saw everything that was happening, of course. Yuri and Zelda might listen to her for a bit, but Maddox bluntly stated that he would never feel brotherly affection for Diana in this lifetime.

Jasper recognized that Diana had crossed a line this time.

Thankfully, Maddox was not the type to take things too far. At most, he would ignore her, and out of respect for Jasper, he refrained from doing anything excessive.

Zelda understood that with a house full of kids, Jasper inevitably wanted to keep the peace, especially since Diana was adopted and a girl, which made him more protective to prevent her from feeling left out or overly sensitive.