The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne’s phone buzzed insistently, matching the urgency of Aaron's voice on the other end.

“Vivienne, Elite University’s gone haywire. A bunch of thugs outta nowhere setting fires, wounding folks. It’s chaos!” “Everyone, stay frosty,” Vivienne commanded, her voice steady as she addressed the ton the line. “Keep an eye out if they’re androids. If you spot them, don’t hesitate to smash them to bits!” “Understood!” Unison agreement crackled through the phone, quickly followed by the sounds of a scuffle.

The situation was swiftly brought under control.

The media was ablaze, both TV and online, with reports of rampaging robots. The incident was huge, engulfing the city as nearly every one got dragged into the fray.

Even Percival’s and Vivienne's attempts to scrub the feeds were futile.

The concept of androids, which many had relegated to the stuff of movies, now confronted them in reality. To the average Joe, a robot was nothing more than a ty to chuckle at. But now, lifelike androids roamed the streets, mistaken for flesh and blood, until Vivienne peeled back their synthetic skin to reveal the mechanics beneath.

Panic seized the Brooks Group, the Churchill Group, and the Pendleton Group. Even their employees were clueless about how the robots broke loose. Androids required pre-programmed instructions to function, yet these were fresh from the warehouse, never programmed for chaos.

Vivienne’s exclusive chat group about bionics was in an uproar—Zachary Churchill: [Madam, what's the play? Folks are freaking out, saying robots will rule the world soon and we're headed for a machine age. We can't contain the online wildfire!] William Pendleton: [Yeah, and Vanguard Agency wants a sit-down tomorrow. This meltdown smells fishy like it was all premeditated. ] Ronald Brooks: [I'm with you, Vivienne. This stinks of a setup!] Vivienne’s face was a mask of ice as she commanded, [I need you three here, now.] Her android project had always been under wraps, even from Vanguard Agency. It was her exclusive project, her baby.

Ronald replied, [Got it, Vivienne. What about Carl?] Vivienne's eyes narrowed. [I've got someone else on Carl. You're the head honcho of Brooks Group, Ronald.

You've gotta be on the ground for this.] Ronald: [Understood. Thanks.] Vivienne rang up Larry, instructing him to head straight to the sanatorium in M State and bring Carl and Huxley back. He was the closest, the logical choice for a swift retrieval.

Soon, Zachary, William, and Ronald arrived.

“Madam,” Zachary burst out as he entered, “we've traced the androids. They walked right out of our warehouses.” “Indeed,” William added, “and they're the first batch. Nothing on the security cams.” Ronald, grim-faced, knew the gravity. “Vivienne, could this be a setup to expose the androids? Feels like we're being targeted.” Vivienne shook her head. “It’s not you three—it’s me.” Silence fell. They were her lieutenants, the project her brainchild. With the crisis unfolding, the buck stopped with her.

Zachary clenched his fists. “Madam, this is too suspicious. Let us handle the interrogations.” William nodded. “Exactly. We can take the heat and disappear into sblack site to clear things up. But if you're implicated, no one will uncover the truth.” Ronald agreed. “Right. We'll stick to the story—it’s got nothing to do with you.” Vivienne smiled wryly. “Even if you clam up, the Vanguard Agency will cknocking. They're not idiots. Sure, we're tight here in Rivenwood, but HQ will send someone. We owe them that courtesy.” “But if all four of us are in the hot seat, who's gonna manage the mess?” Ronald fretted.

“There are others,” Vivienne replied, tapping her fingers languidly on the chair’s edge. Her voice was lazy, her eyes shadowed, her thoughts inscrutable.

Over at Vanguard Agency, Vance was catching heat from HQ.

The robot rampage had sent shock waves beyond Rivenwood, stirring a national frenzy.

Despite Vivienne and Percival’s efforts to minimize the fallout, the task was Sisyphean, the web of complicity too vast. By the tthey neutralized the rogue machines, the story was already viral.

“Vance! These damn synthetic robots—you assuredthey were foolproof! What's this mess? | told you to reel in that patent, and you botched it! Use your head for once!” Webster's tirade was as much about damage control as it was about frustration; the societal impact was undeniable.

Vance never imagined the situation would escalate so much. “Con, Director, you know full well the kind of firecrackers Vivienne and Percival are. Even if | wanted to get my hands on that patent, I'd need the magic touch —which | don’t have. Why not grill Micah about it? He's the one who mentored Percival.” “Don’t you start passing the buck! Rivenwood General Administration has already been reprimanded once. I'm warning you, if you don’t get a handle on this mess, you can kiss your position as Director goodbye!” Webster hung up with a click.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

Vance massaged his temples and looked up at Vivienne, who was meticulously picking out a piece of orange- flavored candy. “You heard, didn’t you?” Finally satisfied with her choice, Vivienne popped the candy into her mouth. “Loud and clear. You guys are still after my patent, huh?” Vance removed his glasses, a sign of exasperation. “It's not about what | want. It's that this time, you've really stepped over the line, Vivienne. Is this invention that important to you? You don’t even care about making money from it. If you leave it with me, it won't cause trouble. What's there to worry about?” Vivienne raised an eyebrow. “Do you really not remember how F-Poison slipped through our fingers last time?” Vance fell silent.

Indeed, F-Poison and previous spy organizations had their eyes on bionic robots. If GTO got a hold of it, it wouldn't just spark social panic—it could spell disaster for the entire world.

Before long, every criminal Vanguard Agency apprehended would be suspected of being an android while the real GTO criminals roamed free. Wouldn't that turn everything upside down? “But how do you plan to deal with this predicament?”