The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The online community was in an uproar when the police released evidence incriminating Judith. Her once-loyal supporters fell into a stunned silence, quickly drowned out by a chorus of angry voices.

Emotions ran high as people flooded the Brooks Corporation’s official website with vitriol, and the personal social media accounts of every member of the Brooks family were bombarded with harsh comments.

Kala and Darren, both celebrities, saw their careers take a massive hit as endorsement deals and acting roles evaporated overnight. Companies severed ties, leading roles were recast, and they faced the grim prospect of paying hefty breach-of-contract fines.

The Brooks Corporation’s stock plummeted as the scandal unfolded.

Families of Dahlia’s friends, who had perished alongside her, led online campaigns against the Brooks, who became pariahs, struggling to navigate the storm of public outrage.

Stepping outside became a challenge for the Brooks family. In the end, it was Ronald who slipped out to discreetly purchase funeral items for a simple service at home for Judith. But when it came time to transport her body for cremation, they found the mansion besieged, unable to move past the crowd.

…

In Percival’s downtown loft, Vivienne sat with Dorian, Cordelia, and Thaddeus, all glued to the live broadcast of the Brooks’ predicament.

Thaddeus had been staying with Percival since before the family reunion, and since leaving the Brooks mansion, Vivienne had not looked back.

Watching the chaos unfold on TV, Thaddeus turned to Vivienne, his confusion apparent. “Sis, did Judith really kill these people?”

Vivienne had been the one to introduce Thaddeus to Charlotte, who had helped stabilize his emotions with her tutoring. As a result, Thaddeus was largely sheltered from the darker aspects of life and had little understanding of death and violence.

Gently patting his head, Vivienne softly confirmed, “Yes, she did.”

“But why did they have to shoot her? Her death will make the family sad,” Thaddeus questioned, innocence in his wide eyes.

Vivienne pressed her lips together, her voice still gentle. “She made a mistake, and death was the price she had to pay.”

It was unknown if Thaddeus understood, but he looked at the exhausted appearance of Kala and her family on the screen and said with empathy, “Kala must be sad, right?”

sight and looked

to the crematorium, only to be encircled by a furious mob at the gates of their

by Ronald, was spared.

colossal change so quickly. Like a walking corpse, Kala walked behind Ronald, head lowered, letting the crowd push her

her

Cordelia expressed

knew exactly what Cordelia was about to say and replied preemptively, “Mr.

the fallout from the Judith scandal, which had unraveled a tangle of

higher-ups had ordered him to let go of Calista without explaining the reason behind

confident response, Cordelia felt reassured. She said, “It’s not your fault. Judith deserved

enough to understand that she often took on more than she should. Despite her tough exterior, Vivienne had a soft spot for people who treated her kindly. Although Vivienne had never verbally expressed it, Judith knew she cared about Kala. After

replied

once-glorious Brooks family…

as a whole. But the public backlash had been fierce, proving too

said calmly, causing Dorian to pause and

want to help them?” He

replied, “They don’t need

She had once planned to lend a helping hand when the Brooks family was about to collapse for the sake

had no idea what

Percival emerged from his study, glanced at the TV where the crowd was assailing the Brooks

lips pressing into a thin

of police cruisers rolled up to the Brooks Mansion, lights flashing in the dusk. Officers swarmed the premises, apprehending the crowd that had breached the Brooks family’s sanctuary, strictly prohibiting

the law’s intervention, the Brooks were able to smoothly depart and make their way to the crematorium with

had settled, Vivienne switched off

the edge of the room, evidently itching to speak. Thus, she stood up and approached him, asking,

and Cordelia before

not

following him into