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?”

froze, taking a few seconds before replying, “We don’t have such a tradition in the

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

with four dirty footprints stamped

coffee table, her gaze casually turning to Wendy. “After

it over Vivienne’s head but did not

that even Wendy, well into her fifties, found

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

freshly dressed. Vivienne looked her over; she really had showered, and the fragrance of her body wash had

approached, her heart aching at seeing her

your aunt and uncle are still out working. We’ll

PM. Still out working? The Boyds

all these years,

home, claiming his aunt and uncle were out working, and they would eat when they returned.

leaned back. “Fine, we’ll wait for them. We’ll eat

to him but his looks. Now, he seemed to radiate a chilling aura, like

that little bitch beside him, not

was silent, devoid of even basic

after, the Boyds started

first to enter were the family members of Boyd’s eldest son, Theodore, and his wife, Teresa, followed by their children. The injured butler stopped them, “Master Theodore, please proceed to the decontamination room for a shower and

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

slapped the butler. “You mutt, who do

his wife Nancy, and their children

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