The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne's fingers froze atop her phone screen, Griffin's contact highlighted. The sudden pause was punctuated by a sense of déja

vu.

A café?

Why did that sound so hauntingly familiar?

She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "How could | have forgotten about this?"

Meanwhile, in a café, Victoria perched in a reserved booth, her gaze drifting over the bustling crowd through the panoramic

windows.

Irritation flickered in her eyes.

Vivienne!

She really had snerve!

Twice now!

That wretched woman had stood her up twice!

Calls unanswered, texts ignored, just like she had vanished off the face of the earth. How could Richard have ever approved of

such a granddaughter-in-law, bringing shto the Ellington name?

And Percival!

Birds of a feather indeed. Both just as unreliable as the other!

Victoria gnashed her teeth on the freshly served scones as if she were biting into Vivienne and Percival, those two good-for-

nothings. "Let's go find War God! Damn it, | refuse to believe | can't handle the two of you!"

Over at Northway City, within the Grimshaw estate—a structure reminiscent of a middle-age castle—Oliver Grimshaw sat at Asher's

bedside.

Looking at his unconscious son, he snatched a cup from the desk and hurled it at Isaac's forehead. "Useless! Can't even handle a

simple task, and now the young master's been hurt. What use are you to me?!"

"Please, forgive me, Patriarch!"

Despite the modern era, the Grimshaws clung to archaic traditions.

Isaac dropped to his knees, forehead pressed to the ground. "We underestimated the situation. We never anticipated a young

woman could be so formidable. | suspect she might cfrom an ancient warrior lineage."

"Absurd!"

Another teacup flew. "You think I'm a fool? How powerful could a twenty-something-year-old possibly be? Go on, inquire about it.

See if there's a family with such a prodigy. Wouldn't those old coots be parading her around like a trophy by now?"

Even the Grimshaws, as one of the five major families, had no such genius.

What could those old fools possibly boast to have such a talent? And if they did, he'd have eliminated them already!

"Enough! Down you go to receive your punishment. I'll give you one more chance. Whatever it takes, that bio-weapon must be

retrieved!"

Oliver pounded the desk emphatically. "If fate has placed this opportunity before us, then it's destined to be the Grimshaw's."

Back at the café in Rivenwood a day later, Victoria was still fuming over being stood up.

Even facing Arthur, her words were laced with bitterness. "War God, for the sake of my mother who once aided you, could you

please convey a message to the Ellingtons? Vivienne and Percival have gone too far! They're clearly toying with me!"

Arthur listened sternly, his fingers tapping the tabletop intermittently. "You're too impulsive. Vivienne and Percival are both shrewd;

you've had past issues with them. It's no wonder they don't trust you."

"They could just rejectoutright."

Victoria bristled. "But they agreed, then went back on their word. It's obvious they want to humiliate me."

Arthur's expression remained neutral, though his opinion of Vivienne was clear.

That girl was definitely capable of such antics.

Victoria continued to vent. "Richard's gone senile; | just don't get his fascination with Vivienne!"

Arthur's gaze darkened momentarily.

Vivienne was indeed a little too self-absorbed.

Why Lucas and the rest had chosen her to lead the new division was beyond him.

"Your mother did help me, and helping you covertly deal with the Abernathys was the most | could offer."

Arthur glanced at his watch. "As for the rest, my position prevents further involvement. Until we know what the Grimshaws want

with that weapon, | can't intervene. You want Vivienne's trust? That's on you. I'll expedite the search for your mother; you're

running out of time."

The Abernathys were masters of manipulation.

Gavin, having deceived Percival's aunt and concealed her as a comatose patient after birthing his child.

Upon learning her true heritage, Victoria had been searching for her mother relentlessly.

If not for her mother's rescue, she'd never have agreed to marry Harrison or masquerade as a villain!

Reflecting on the years of disdain and her efforts, Victoria's gaze sharpened. Indeed, twas not on her side.

At that sbistro, in a corner booth, several doors down from Victoria's, Vivienne and Percival sat side by side.

"Mr. Martinez, do you recognize this?"

The table was bare except for a black case containing the bio-weapon.

Whether by accident or design, the opened case faced the door.

Griffin and Stellan, upon entering, caught sight of the emerald liquid glowing like a jewel.

Stellan's relaxed expression stiffened.

He strode quickly forward, cradling the case and inspecting it closely, then asked, "What's going on here?"

Griffin recognized the item immediately, "Vivienne, how did this end up with you guys? My dad's partnership with my brother-in-law

just started, didn't it?"

Vivienne cradled the tablet, her fingers swiftly swiping across the screen to pull up a video, "Mr. Martinez, perhaps you should

watch this first."

Percival said, "In an effort to uncover the puppet master behind the Grimshaw family, my protege tracked a Grimshaw scion who

was snooping around, looking for her contact. That's when he stumbled into this mess."

Glancing at Stellan's tense expression, Percival continued, "Vivienne and | are quite intrigued. To our knowledge, only the Martinez

family in all of Veridia is researching these things. And the bomb on my protege, if I'm not mistaken, contains a biological weapon

that also comes from the Martinez family, right? Mr. Martinez, don't you think you owean explanation?"

Percival's gaze was icy. His tone was calm, but with each word he spoke, Stellan's face grew paler.

By the end, beads of sweat were glistening on Stellan's forehead, impossible to wipe away completely.

Being intimidated by a young man barely older than his own daughter was a humiliating thought for Stellan.

But that was the reality.

Percival's presence was honed through experiences of life and death and through missions fraught with deceit and danger. It

wasn't just Stellan who couldn't bear it; even Griffin found it hard to breathe.

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