The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Wendy was the first to pick up her milkshake and take a gulp, setting off a reluctant chain reaction among the others. They had no choice but to follow suit and sip away.

It was not until the last drops of the milkshake were consumed that Vivienne stood up, flicking her wrist in dismissal, “That’ll do for today. Get some rest, folks. See you all tomorrow.”

With that, Vivienne and Percival left the Boyd residence and returned to the house Maddox had prepared for them to catch some sleep.

No sooner had they left than Wendy, forgetting her cane, bolted to the bathroom and began to hurl.

The other Boyds followed suit, much to the dismay of the household staff, who pinched their noses in disgust.

It was revolting.

To have so many people retching at once was unheard of, and Yannick even spewed on Wendy’s beloved woolen rug.

Already, the house was tainted with the smell of barbeque and smoke, and now this collective upheaval of recently chewed food added insult to injury.

The odor was insufferable.

The Boyds spent a grueling half-hour vomiting before they finally collapsed back onto the couches, utterly spent.

The once prized woolen rug had been relegated to the trash, a sight that made Wendy’s heart ache.

Theodore, drained and pale, leaned on his wife’s shoulder, still dry-heaving.

Teresa, repulsed, shoved him away. “Get off me. You stink of decay. It’s disgusting.”

Theodore weakly slapped Teresa, not because he could not bear to hurt his wife, but sheer exhaustion. “You wench, you think you smell any better?”

“You dare hit me? Believe it or not, I’ll divorce you for this!” Teresa howled, her voice nearly giving out from the strain.

Dehydrated and powerless, no one had the energy to argue further.

up on the couch, accepted a glass of water from a servant and said

now, finally spoke up. “Mom, if you hadn’t eaten so much, we wouldn’t have

Huxley chimed in. “I gave you so many glances, but you just kept eating, forcing us

think I wanted to eat that

were

mother. “What do

wasn’t just you. I didn’t want to eat either, but my

back a sob. “Dad,

like being possessed. I

“Don’t

is,”

so she thought. What she found

some convent in Havenwood before going to Rivenwood. Maybe

gasped. “That explains why Percival, of all people, would fall for a country girl. She must have bewitched him.

from the recent nausea. “Some backwater girl isn’t going to best us, especially

a girl. Even if she learned something, it couldn’t be that powerful. The real masters

is trouble. We can’t let her be with Percival, or who knows how much he will suffer.” Mara pressed, her lips thin. “Plus, Gillian is a far better match for

Boyds agreed with Mara’s

marry him to Gillian Ashford and cement an alliance between the Boyd and Ashford families. No matter how far Vivienne and Percival had gone, Gillian was

villa, Vivienne and Percival were settling in for the

Vivienne’s earlier antics. “What did

hour, making them do as they wish.

with pride. “Look at you, my

laughed together, making their way into the villa, where the servants had everything

anything is missing, just press the button by the bed, and we’ll be at your service. We won’t disturb you any further—have a good rest,” the head servant

and Vivienne a knowing look, her smile broadening as she scurried off,

Percival exchanged

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