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.

a glass of water from a

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

so many glances, but you just kept eating, forcing us

sighed. “Do you really think I wanted to

were taken

mother. “What do you mean,

just you. I didn’t want to eat either, but my hand acted on its

choked back a sob. “Dad, could it be we’ve

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

“Don’t scare me, not this late at

who Vivienne is,”

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

Havenwood before going to Rivenwood. Maybe she picked up some dark arts there to

would fall for a country

recent nausea. “Some backwater girl isn’t

couldn’t be that powerful. The real masters

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

agreed

between the Boyd and Ashford families. No matter how far Vivienne and Percival

and Percival were

about Vivienne’s earlier antics. “What

making them do as they wish. I simply enhanced it a

with pride.

into the villa, where the servants

the bed, and we’ll be at your service. We

smile broadening as she scurried off, as if she

and Percival exchanged

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