The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

In front of the Boyd Mansion.

As Wendy approached, she could not miss the sparkling ring on Vivienne’s finger. Under her breath, she cursed, “That little bitch!”

But her face was all smiles as she said, “Percival, darling, why stand out here? You’re at granny’s now; there’s no need to be so formal. Come on in!”

Percival scanned Wendy with a glance. If it weren’t for the mission he was concealing, he’d never again associate with the Boyds. It made his skin crawl.

“We haven’t sanitized and showered yet; it wouldn’t be proper to come in,” Percival replied coolly.

Wendy despised him all the more for it.

Percival was even more insufferable than his grandfather. Give him an inch, and he would not take it. Those Ellingtons, all with a stick up their backside! But for the sake of that elusive trade route, she had to play along.

With a thwack, Wendy brought her solid oak cane down on the butler’s shin, sending him tumbling to the ground in surprise.

“You ungrateful wretch, Percival’s family, isn’t he? I told you to have those riff-raff from who knows where to clean up, not Percival! You muddle-headed fool, you can kiss your bonus goodbye this month.”

Vivienne watched from the side, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

Riff-raff from nowhere?

Was that directed at her?

Surely, it was.

After scolding the butler, Wendy turned back to Percival with a forced smile and said, “Percival, the servants are clueless sometimes. Please, come inside. Don’t just stand out here.”

But Percival acted as if he had not heard Wendy. Instead, he turned to Vivienne.

Vivienne smiled lightly. “I heard it’s Boyd tradition to sanitize and shower before meeting the head of the house?”

taking a few seconds before replying, “We don’t

do now,” Vivienne said, twisting the ring on her finger, and without changing

four dirty footprints stamped across it, she

the coffee table, her gaze casually turning to Wendy. “After you’ve sanitized

smash it over

nineteen-year-old girl had a presence that even Wendy, well into her fifties, found

Wendy reluctantly headed to the prepared decontamination room to shower and change, ready to cleanse

later, Wendy emerged from the decontamination room, freshly dressed. Vivienne looked her over; she really had showered, and the fragrance of her body wash had

at seeing her

sip of water, saying, “Percival, your aunt and uncle

7:30 PM. Still out working? The Boyds were surely

After all these years, his grandmother had no

Wendy would be home, claiming his aunt and uncle were out working, and they would eat when they returned. But once they did, they would say they had already eaten, leaving Cecilia

“Fine, we’ll wait for them. We’ll

pressed her lips. As a child, she thought Percival had nothing to him but his looks. Now, he seemed to radiate a chilling aura, like someone

beside him, not a trace

was silent, devoid

Boyds started

of Boyd’s eldest son, Theodore, and his wife, Teresa, followed by their children. The injured butler stopped them,

for over forty years, Theodore had never heard of such a thing as a household head or the

and slapped the butler. “You

Nancy, and their children

sanitization procedure, they were all bewildered.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated