The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Astrid chuckled dryly.

Mature enough?

If leaked, the research material in the lab would send shock waves around the globe.

Yet, in Vivienne’s words, it was merely mature enough?

Astrid glanced at her and asked, “So, you agree to stay in the lab?”

Vivienne nodded. “Yeah.”

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Thanks, Vivienne. I really appreciate you agreeing to be part of this experiment. Our progress will surely skyrocket now.”

Vivienne did not respond. Instead, she turned her gaze to the car window, watching the streetlights fall, and a slow smile spread across her lips.

After dropping Vivienne off at home, Astrid did not go upstairs. Instead, she turned the car around and drove away.

In the back seat lay the experimental data Vivienne had revised that day.

…

Returning home, Dorian and Cordelia were already asleep, and even though the light was on in Thaddeus’ room, he was sound asleep, too.

Vivienne switched off Thaddeus’ light and entered her own room.

The moment she opened the door, her steps faltered, her eyes sharpening instantly.

A chill ran through her as she looked towards the window – a piece of paper was wedged in the crack.

This was the twenty-third floor; unless it was an inside job, this kind of infiltration was extraordinary!

She was sure that apart from Dorian’s family, no one else was here.

Obviously, she was dealing with a pro!

She walked over and pulled out the paper.

The message was a mishmash of newspaper cutouts, and crooked letters forming a single line.

[The TCL Lab.]

gaze dropped; she clenched the paper tightly

sent this was not

who could

Suddenly, she smirked.

world, that old

it? Did he want to

she pulled out her phone and opened Twitter, posting one simple tweet,

Matthew had insisted it was the rage

had not used it since signing up,

become a public figure, and her Twitter

posting, her nine ‘brothers’ from the same master were the

was only one person in the world who could owe Vivienne

thousand bucks, unpaid for

had faked his death, leaving them

for payment, it was clear

they miss out on helping Vivienne

echoing Vivienne’s message, [Pay

as well as those of the nine, were baffled, wondering who owed

her, only Leopold replied

Finnian and tagged him in a post, [Master, a grand isn’t a

tweet sent their followers into

What was going on?

dodging a

job nowadays would cover

Vivienne’s followers began to retweet and tag Finnian, urging

tweet, the other

message the group, [Holy smokes! Leopold, you’ve got guts! Aren’t you afraid the

Leopold! I support you. Keep

for

fear? A man’s gotta have backbone! Just do

her get it back? If I were you, I’d be tweeting right now, hounding the old man to pay! Isn’t Vivienne’s happiness worth more than your little troubles? Besides, who knows where that old

Jerry: [Makes sense!]

this time. We

talk. I’ve retweeted

disciples also tweeted, tagging him and

pop star Stephen joined in the retweeting frenzy, shooting Vivienne’s debt-collection