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.

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

“Mom, if you hadn’t eaten so much, we wouldn’t have followed suit.

Huxley chimed in. “I gave you so many glances, but you

“Do you really think I

others were taken

at her mother. “What do you

eat either, but my hand acted on its own, reaching for food and bringing it

sob. “Dad, could it be we’ve

confessed, “It was indeed like being possessed. I moved when Vivienne moved and ate uncontrollably even though

closer to Hayden, frightened. “Don’t scare

is,” Wendy reminded

Percival’s arrival in Sea City, Wendy had thoroughly investigated Vivienne—or so she thought. What she found was likely only

the dots. “Vivienne stayed in some convent in Havenwood before going to Rivenwood. Maybe

explains why Percival, of all people, would fall for a country

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

couldn’t be that powerful. The real masters are all over fifty. There must be

be with Percival, or who knows how much he will suffer.” Mara pressed, her lips thin.

Boyds agreed with

Boyds’ intentions for inviting Percival to Sea City—to marry him to Gillian Ashford and cement an alliance between the Boyd and Ashford families. No matter how

villa, Vivienne and

earlier antics. “What did you do

“Just a little trinket from Brody. It’s supposed to control people for half an hour, making them do

hair with pride. “Look

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

the button by the bed, and we’ll be at your service. We won’t disturb you any further—have

knowing look, her smile broadening as she scurried off, as if she could not

exchanged a

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