The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Gillian screamed, her voice edged with sheer terror, “Are you out of your mind? You're in the car too, Mara!” Panic clawed at her, urging her to leap from the speeding vehicle, but courage failed her.

As the car hurtled towards the end of the winding mountain road, Gillian curled up in the backseat, bracing for impact.

A jarring symphony of rubber grinding against asphalt pierced the air. Gillian’s head slammed against the seat, her forehead instantly blossoming with a bruise.

Mara exhaled a long sigh of relief, casting a scornful glance back at Gillian. “Scared now?” “Just go off and die by yourself; don’t draginto it!” In a fit of rage, Gillian hurled her purse squarely at Mara’s face.

Mara, now prizing her beauty more than ever, caught sight of the incoming assault and immediately yanked at Gillian’s hair, snarling, “Dare to mar my face? I'll make sure yours isn’t worth keeping!” Gillian let out a piercing shriek.

And so, the two women grappled inside the car, exchanging blows and pulling hair—an unseemly spectacle.

Exhausted and breathless, they eventually stopped, both bearing the marks of their skirmish, neither having gained the upper hand.

Touching up her makeup in the mirror, Gillian said, “If you'd actually swallowed vitamins, Vivienne would have caught on in a heartbeat. She's the Specter Healer, and with her all-knowing mom, those two are sharper than anyone. You'd be the first to go if you slipped up.” Mara scoffed. “You could've warned me. | would've taken less. You're just looking to get rid of me!” Gillian couldn’t be bothered to argue. “I'll be transferring to Rivenwood soon. You'll have to play along with a few more of my performances, so don’t forget.” | With a cold snort, Mara started the car and drove away. She would have never kept up this charade with Gillian if it were not for her thirst for vengeance. Once that was quenched, she would be the first to kill this bitch and drop her and Vivienne into the pigsty! Gillian eyed Mara with contempt. Her thoughts mirrored Mara’s—each plotting the demise of the other.

After her visit to the Linklaters, Vivienne dropped Karen off at the Perez Mansion and then headed to Elite University.

The campus was bustling with the energy of youth—students engaged in sports, romance, and lively chatter.

Only Aaron was in his dorm, bombarding Kenneth with a tirade of complaints.

“When are you going to clear out? Don’t you have your own dorm? If you're staying here tonight, where am | supposed to sleep?” Aaron was at his wit’s end. His own dorm was seldom used, thanks to Kenneth’s incessant visits.

Kenneth, engrossed in the latest season’s gon his tablet, paid no mind to Aaron’s ranting.

“Go, go! Damn! With those reactions, how do you even qualify for the game?” Aaron was about to explode in frustration when his phone rang—it was Vivienne.

At the sight of Vivienne’s name, the irritation on his face vanished.

He was staying at the university that day because Vivienne had said she would cto see him.

“Vivienne, have you arrived?” Aaron answered the call, grabbed a cake from the fridge, and dashed out, leaving Kenneth no tto react.

Kenneth sat up, considering Aaron’s words, and quickly dialed Percival’s number.

Down at Elite University’s grounds.

Vivienne sat on the steps, observing the couples and groups around her.

Back when she was a sixteen-year-old student at Elite University, her classmates treated her like a kid, and she kept to herself, indifferent to their company.

Now, reflecting on those days, she realized how mundane college life had been.

“Vivienne!” Aaron arrived, panting and sweaty, clutching a strawberry cheesecake that had miraculously survived the run, save for one berry that had fallen off. “Got you a strawberry cheesecake.” Vivienne took the cake, noting the lost berry. “Still lacking finesse, Aaron? Can't even run a short distance without dropping a strawberry?” Her tone frayed Aaron's nerves. “I'm sorry, Vivienne. I'll be more careful next time.” “It’s not about being careful. It’s about realizing that the enemies you'll face are the best of the best. Any slip-up could be fatal. If you stay a half-baked fighter, you'll end up on the wrong side of a blade!” Vivienne's reprimand was harsh, not out of cruelty, but because, as the new head of the Miller family, Aaron was a target of GTO. The Nine Mystics Society had already exerted significant effort to eliminate the threats left by Mark Miller.

If Aaron did not take full control of the Miller family soon, he would be swallowed by its undertow—a puppet emperor unfit to lead.

Aaron hung his head, guilt flashing in his eyes. “I'm sorry, | was wrong.” Vivienne sighed. “Never mind. You're young. I'll have Draven step up your training. And if | see you like this again, don’t bother coming to see me.” “That won't happen. When | see you next, Vivienne, I'll have surpassed Percival,” Aaron blurted out his innermost ambition.

Vivienne paused, then let out a laugh. “You want to surpass Mr. Wolf?” “Yes, | will surpass him.” Aaron’s determination was fierce. Surpassing Percival was not just a goal—it was an obsession.

Vivienne did not squash Aaron's enthusiasm. “Go for it. My Mr. Wolf isn’t easily outdone.” My Mr. Wolf.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

Aaron pursed his lips, a trace of resentment crossing his face.

He had known Vivienne for quite stime, but this was the first the had heard her claim such outright ownership over another guy, the first tshe had said, “My.” Clutching his hands tightly, Aaron tried again, “Vivienne, the guy’s getting on in years. He's basically...” “| called you here today because | have a task for you. Take your twith it; infiltrate slowly; no need to spook anyone,” Vivienne said, taking a seat back on the steps without quite catching Aaron's last words.

Aaron zipped his lips and listened to Vivienne’s instructions.

“Vivienne, you really wantto do this?” Setting a strawberry cheesecake on the step, Vivienne looked up and explained, “I need you to use the Miller family’s company to get close to the Brooks family. They're collaborating with the Pendleton and Churchill families on developing bionic robots, a cutting-edge technology. Since the Millers are renowned for your camera lenses, you could use them to enhance the robots’ visual sensors. Then, find out which of these families might be leaking the bionics’ secrets.” “Got it, don’t worry,” Aaron said confidently, but then he remembered the lenses. “Only thing is, Vivienne, we've already pushed our lens tech to the limit. If we want to up our game, it might take a bit more time.”