The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Aaron had barely taken a few steps when he caught sight of Vivienne on Percival’s arm, accompanied by her family and Richard, heading in the opposite direction.

Frustration bubbled within him. “Weren’t we supposed to split them up from the get-go? What now?”

Equally taken aback by his grandfather’s intervention, Kenneth sighed. “The first step of the plan is a bust. What else?”

The two young men exchanged a look of mutual disdain before parting ways.

From a distance, Vivienne was surprised to see Aaron and Kenneth together.

“Are those two playing nice again?” She asked.

Percival found Aaron’s presence irritating, but he could not show it too openly, given that Aaron was a friend of Vivienne’s. Thus, he said calmly, “Who knows? Let them be.”

Vivienne did not press any further.

Richard followed the rehearsed plan to the letter, entering with Vivienne at his side, ensuring she was the center of attention.

Vivienne, albeit reluctantly, complied. After all, the birthday boy calls the shots.

While they waited, Fiona approached them.

“Grandpa, Vivienne,” she said, holding a box that contained her latest jewelry design. “Grandpa, after your speech, I hope Vivienne can wear this set to showcase it. What do you think?”

Richard’s displeasure was evident, though he remained silent.

He intended for Vivienne to be seen purely as part of his entourage, to underscore his status, not as a billboard for the company.

Fiona hastily added, “I just think the jewels would look stunning on Vivienne. That’s all.”

simply accompany me for the entrance. You can

Fiona had no choice but

it with her jewelry

hands. It was eye-catching at first, but she knew it lacked staying power and could quickly become an

Vivienne,” Richard said, leading her into

on Fiona. “How did that go? Got shot

you dare mess up my jewelry debut, or you’ll regret

excellent opportunity that could have been used to

onto something. She was confident that any

Instead, she aimed to cement her position in her grandfather’s heart and lower

snorted. “With your tacky jewelry, you think you can win Grandpa’s favor for our family branch? You spend your days fiddling with those trinkets; it’s messed with your brain.

was deemed a ‘lost cause,’ Jeffrey had not

on battling Paul, which had left

Paul was now released, he had lost

the art exhibition debacle, had to

within the Ellington family

lost cause? It had all been

him against Paul, to reap

about to let that happen. If he did not act soon, the

drag Percival down. At

shot him a chilling glance, her eyes momentarily flaring with malice before she turned away. “This is your last warning. If you ruin my plans, you’ll get

her in disdain. “Pretentious much? The

Fiona was

the master of ceremonies delivered the opening remarks, inviting

took the stage with only Vivienne by his side, signaling the importance he placed on

Vivienne’s standing in Rivenwood’s high society

influential families knew she was Percival’s fiancée, Richard’s cherished future

Vivienne would now have to weigh their stature against the might of the