The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Alyssa choked on her words, her face painting a picture of utter helplessness in front of Arthur. "How could you think I wanted this? You said..." Vivienne's lips curled into a mocking smile. "I never said she'd die. But you, you seemed awfully keen on the idea." Alyssa's heart skipped a beat, but confident in her own innocence, she managed to hold herposure. "What are you blabbering about, Vivienne? Winston is my brother. No one wishes for his well-being more than I do..." A flicker of scorn passed through Vivienne's eyes. "Blabbering, am I?" "You..." Alyssa's finger pointed accusingly, but before she could utter a word, Arthur stepped in front of her, his voice cold. "If you don't value your fingers, just say the word. My daughter is not someone you can just point at." Arthur's face darkened.

His beloved daughter, whom he could hardly raise his voice to, was being disrespected. What right did Alyssa have to point fingers? Biting her lip, Alyssa looked pitifully at Arthur. "Do you have to be so cold to me, Arthur? It's me, Alyssa." A sneer cfrom behind them.

Arthur felt a shiver down his spine, his disdain for Alyssa growing. "I don't care who you are. Don't try to cozy up to me. At your age, shseems to be a foreign concept!" Alyssa's face turned an ugly shade of red.

At that moment, the operating room doors swung open, and the medical staff emerged.

Alyssa rushed to intercept them, desperate to know Winston's condition. "Doctor, how's my brother? Is he alright?" The doctor glanced at Vivienne, then oddly at Alyssa. "Why are you only getting here now? The patient is out of danger and has been moved to the ICU." ICU? Alyssa bit her lip, refusing to believe Winston could be so lucky.

She had instructed the driver to leave no survivors.

How could he be so hard to kill! Noticing Alyssa's stupor, the doctor spoke before leaving. "What are you waiting for? Go settle the medical bills. We can't have outstanding surgery fees." Alyssa turned to Arthur, clenched her teeth, and reluctantly followed to make the payment.

Sasha, silent till now, spoke coldly from behind her. "You better hope Winston is fine, or you'll be paying with more than money." Alyssa shuddered.

Yet, she maintained her façade. "Ms. Perez, you seem to be mistaken. Winston is my brother. No one wishes for his well-being more than I do." Sasha gave her one last cold look and turned away.

Alyssa felt as if Sasha's gaze had pierced through her, seeing her true intentions.

Only after hastily leaving did that feeling slowly fade.

Once Alyssa had gone, Vivienne noticed a shadowy figure darting away. It seemed to have noticed her before deliberately vanishing.

She frowned, exchanged a brief greeting with Arthur and Sasha, "Mom, you guys head back." Vivienne followed the figure, but it disappeared.

She planned to hack the hospital's surveillance to find out who it was when her phone buzzed with a mysterious message. "Tomorrow at 10, Café Verde, upstairs." The figure vanished, and immediately a message was sent to her.

Clearly, they cprepared.

The next day, at ten o'clock, Vivienne arrived at Café Verde on time. The waiter asked if she had a reservation.

"Upstairs," Vivienne stated.

The waiter led the way, guiding her to the last private room.

Vivienne pushed the door open to find an antique screen blocking her view.

Circling it, she saw the man seated there.

He wore a crisp white shirt with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. Hisplexion was sickly pale, but his lips were a stark, healthy red - a sign of long-term medication and lack of sunlight.

Vivienne glanced at him, pulled up a chair, and sat down. "Colin, what do you want?" Despite being exposed, Colin didn't panic, his voice soft. "I'm here to propose a deal to Ms. Hawthorn." Vivienne looked unimpressed, laying out the facts plainly. "What could you possibly offer me? In the Wright family's power struggle, you're hardly in a position of advantage." She knew the Wright family's secrets well.

She hadn't moved against them, waiting for someone to make the first move.

But Colin was not who she had been expecting.

Yet, he intrigued her.

Colin, a sidelined member of the Wright family due to a childhood poisoning, had been neutralized in family affairs, his influence practically nonexistent.

In any other family, such a person would be ousted or bullied.

But the information available to the public was not the full story. Vivienne had dug deeper.

Colin had always been biding his time, his sights set on the entire Wright empire.

Clearing his throat, Colin said, "I know I might not have much to offer in Ms. Hawthorn's eyes, but I can assure you, the insider information you seek about the Wright family can only be provided by someone like me." S Vivienne's gaze narrowed slightly. "You know what I'm investigating?" Colin set down his tea cup, adjusting his glasses as a way to mask the keenness in his eyes.

"The Wright family's rapid growth these past years hasn't gone unnoticed by me, despite my distance from family affairs. But isn't there someone pulling the strings from the shadows, someone Ms.

Hawthorn is searching for? Vivienne remained silent.

Indeed, someone within the Wright family had been collaborating with Abigail.

She had been waiting for the person collaborating with Abigail.

But that person was deep undercover, never showing their face.

"What do you want?" Colin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, “I hope Ms. Hawthorn can protect Winston, save his life!” Vivienne's eyes twinkled, “Just Winston?” Colin nodded gently, "The Wright family's dynamics aren't as simple as they appear. I'm not in a position to protect him, so I have to entrust him to someone who can." "Alright, I'm on it!" Vivienne took a sip of her tea, then stood to leave.

To the untrained eye, nothing seemed amiss, but she could see through it.

The man was still fighting off spoison, but it wasn't life-threatening. Sof it was just a show for others.

Winston was an outsider brought into the family by the patriarch, unconnected to the primary or secondary branches, yet he was Hunter's favorite.

The head of the family wanted Winston dead.

The second branch, however, was secretly seeking power to protect Winston.

The waters of the Wright family ran deep.

Hospital.

When Vivienne arrived, Sasha was walking over from the ICU.

Seeing Vivienne, Sasha said while walking, "Winston's holding up well, just don't know when he'll wake. Poor kid." Vivienne suddenly blurted out, "Mom, have you ever thought about having another baby?" Sasha paused, realizing Vivienne was serious, then chuckled, "Would you support it?" Vivienne pursed her lips, her expression dead serious, “I would, but I'm worried it might be too much for you." Sasha, "..." She just had a fondness for children, never thinking it through this thoroughly.

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