The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Chapter 68

At a coffee shop.

Vivienne stood at the entrance of the coffee shop, scanning the room, the brim of her baseball cap pulled down low enough to cover her face, before striding in.

She reached the door of a booth, pushed it open, and stepped in.

The man inside immediately stood up at her entrance, “Boss!”

He, too, was dressed in all black with a baseball cap on. Unlike Vivienne, he was also wearing a mask. You couldn’t even see his eyes unless he looked up.

His name was Draven.

It wasn’t his real name. He had started using it when he began following Vivienne. As for his original name, he couldn’t remember anymore.

Vivienne closed the door, shot him a glance and said, “Don’t pick places like this next time.”

Draven replied, “Yes, boss.”

Vivienne sat down, poured herself a cup of coffee, and took a sip.

It was good coffee, but it couldn’t compare to the coffee at Cordelia’s place.

“Boss, I’ve turned the Hawthorn family’s old mansion upside down, but I couldn’t find the other bottle of potion,” Draven stood behind Vivienne, his tone serious.

Vivienne furrowed her brows, “Did you check everywhere?”

“I’ve checked everywhere. I even moved the tiles in the mansion’s bathroom, but I didn’t find anything,” Draven responded, “I’ve also planted a bug in Beatrice Hawthorn’s room. She’s never mentioned the potion to anyone. Is it possible that the information was wrong and the potion isn’t at the Hawthorn family’s?”

“There’s no way,” Vivienne said in a low voice, “My mother took two bottles of potion away. | have one, and the other was left at the Hawthorn family’s.”

This was what her mother had told her on her deathbed.

At the time, her mother was worried about getting her involved and hadn’t planned on telling her. But after receiving a phone call at the last moment, she changed her mind.

Her mother had given her a bottle of potion and told her to keep it safe, also told her that there was another one at the Hawthorn family’s…

And then, her mother passed away.

for going to the Hawthorn family was to

Draven asked, “I’ve searched every nook and cranny of the Hawthorn family’s. If it’s not there, it could only be with

12:05

“It’s not with him

apartment when she’d first moved in, but she didn’t find the

Tranquil Estates, she’d searched again, but the

why she’d sent Draven to

the Hawthorn family’s either – that was

knew the importance of the potion and didn’t

it really be like

where

don’t you just ask

her head, her

sure what kind

certain if he was really as kind as he appeared to be, or if he was acting nice to her on

asking him directly without knowing for sure if the potion was with him could be a

sure

looking for the potion

has already found the Hawthorn

You’re

suddenly laughed, “Shouldn’t they be the

He knew his boss would say something like

is always so

of her coffee, stood up, and said, “Have your people pull out from the Hawthorn family. You don’t need to

“But you..”

him

won’t die.”

Draven was speechless.

214

12.05

the coffee shop,

others were

Cordelia immediately came to greet her, “Vivienne,

She had been thinking about that

you.” Cordelia knew Vivienne hadn’t

Richard and Dorian were playing chess, and Isolde was playing with the toy Vivienne had bought for Thaddeus Hawthorn on the

and Thomas were each holding a phone, engrossed in

opposite Percival. She glanced

team was looking for the potion. She had

mention of his mother today