The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

As the butler deliberated on the best response to appease Asher, a man hurriedly approached from the side, clutching a smartphone. "Young Master, it's the Boss on the phone." Asher's pupils shrank, his breath coming in strained gasps. He swallowed hard, his hand trembling as he picked up the incessantly vibrating phone. The second he pressed the answer button, Oliver's furious roar blasted clearly into everyone's ears. "You bloody fool! What have you done?" "I, I, I just wanted to capture Vivienne back. Dad, I..." A man in his thirties, Asher believed he hadn't felt this cloak of fear enveloping his heart since reaching adulthood, leaving him stammering, devoid of any spirit to fight back. Even guilt crept in.

"Capture Vivienne, huh? Great, just great..." Oliver was panting heavily over the phone, and faintly, the soothing voice of a woman could be heard.

The sound of porcelain shattering clattered in his ears, and it was about five minutes later that Oliver, through gritted teeth and with venom in his voice, said, "Asher, have you lost your damn mind? A girl with no title, no status, and you're squabbling with her? You, get your ass back here now! Look at the mess you've made; how did I ever sire such a disappointment?" Asher's heart skipped a beat. "Dad, what on earth happened? What did Vivienne do?" "What did she do?" Oliver scoffed. "The Grimshaw family crypt has been desecrated, you tellwhat happened? Asher, I'm telling you! You better pray your mother's urn can be found. Otherwise, forget about being the heir to this family!" A chill ran through Asher.

Found? Where could he possibly search? The sound of the white porcelain urn shattering seemed to echo once again in his ears.

In the midst of the settling dust, he remembered staring at the fragments scattered on the ground.

The satisfaction that had welled up inside him at that moment had vanished without a trace.

Thinking of the white ashes mixed with the dirt, a throbbing pain shot through him, unsure which part was his mother's remains.

But he had viciously stomped on every patch of white. Even now, the soles of his shoes bore the residue of those ashes! Where else could he search? Was he supposed to bring the broken pieces to Oliver? Asher staggered, his vision darkening, his body swaying.

Oliver's roaring voice seemed distant, then close, finally settling on the ominous threat of a successor change.

With a jolt, he snapped back from fear, "What's the use of blaming me? Vivienne is the thief, Dad! Instead of lecturing me, you should be leading a search at the Perez estate!" Of course, even if she were found, the chances of retrieving the stolen items were slim.

Swallowing hard, he subconsciously concealed the truth. His feet planted firmly on the ground, his hands at his sides shaking uncontrollably, "Dad, I was just worried Gavin would be duped by Vivienne; that's why I followed. I truly had no idea that this girl could be so extreme." "You damn fool, do I need you to teachhow to handle my business?" A sharp crack sounded again.

"Oliver, what are you doing? If you've got something to say, speak up. You're about to smash all the vases in the house at this rate!" The woman's gentle voice was soothing to the ear.

Asher couldn't help but tremble, feeling that if he were in front of Oliver, the vase would surely be aimed at his own head.

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but Oliver's cold snort cut him off. "I seriously doubt your mother had any brains left when she had you! How did she manage to give birth to such a towering idiot without a shred of sense? Wasn't last tembarrassing enough for you? You want to see your old man die quicker, is that it?" In terms of power, Oliver was no match for Jasper. He only had the numbers to overwhelm Jasper with a war of attrition! But now was not the tfor a fallout with the Perez family over a deceased relative. Yet the thought of the gaping hole in the Grimshaw family's crypt made his heart ache.

Vivienne! Such a vindictive little creature with ruthless methods! It was a blatant provocation of the Grimshaw family's dignity! And to make matters worse, he couldn't find any evidence to take action.

Ultimately, it was his foolish son to blame. None of this would have happened if he hadn't meddled. How could it have led to this current predicament? Asher stuttered without finding words to refute. Or rather, he didn't dare say more.

His father was fuming, and anything he said would only make things worse. Better to stay silent. Yet he blamed Vivienne for this entire debacle in his heart! Next time, he wouldn't let her off so easily! At noon.

Victoria stepped through the front door, noticing the hustle and bustle of the servants, her eyebrows lifting slightly. The scene felt eerily familiar.

The last tshe'd witnessed such commotion was when Harrison had been beaten.

Could it be that the bastard had been beaten again? Seaton, standing behind her, inexplicably sensed Victoria's calm aura ripple with agitation. Blinking in confusion, he quickly followed Victoria into the foyer.

Before they reached the living room, he saw the shattered porcelain on the sideboard.

Judging by the design, it looked very much like what she had accidentally bumped into the night before.

Victoria's eyelid twitched, suddenly understanding the reason for everyone's frantic behavior.

Gavin had been busy all morning, only to discover that his family's ancestral grave had been robbed. It was a wonder he hadn't turned the house upside down in his temper.

Victoria's eyes sparkled, and as Sophie noticed her, she instantly calmed her gaze.

Feigning ignorance, she stepped into the living room and saw the mess, her eyes flickering. "Wow, Dad, what's got you so worked up? Did Vivienne and her crew fail to follow through with the secret recipe exchange?" Gavin's dark gaze shifted to her, silent. He just gave her a cold look and turned his attention to the butler behind her. "Investigate. I want to see who the mole in our family is." "Mole? What mole?" Victoria looked perplexedly at her father, her eyes wide with innocence. "Dad, why are you staring atlike that? I didn't have anything to do with this mess. You're not going to pin the blonfor the failure, are you? Can we just talk sense for a second? I've done so much for you all. Everything I've done, I did following your instructions. I may not have earned any medals, but I've certainly put in the effort. It's not fair to dump everything on me. I barely even knew about this whole thing." Gavin raised his voice, "Enough! When did I ever say I was blaming you?" ก่อนๆ Sophie dabbed at the corners of her eyes theatrically, "Sis, how can you even talk like that? Vivienne stole Grandma's ashes and switched them with Kaitlyn's parents' urn. It's one thing not to be upset, but how can you be so cold about such a bizarre and disturbing act?" She clamped a hand over her mouth, her eyes darting towards Victoria in el.no a mix of horror and disbelief. After a long, hesitant pause, she finally. uttered in shock, "It couldn't be. The one who helped Vivienne swap those urns was you, wasn't it?" mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1