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.

of

you hadn’t eaten so

chimed in. “I gave you so many glances,

think I wanted to eat

were taken

puzzled, looked at her mother. “What

my hand acted on

choked back a sob. “Dad, could

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

to Hayden, frightened. “Don’t

is,”

in Sea City, Wendy had thoroughly investigated Vivienne—or so she thought. What

going to Rivenwood. Maybe she picked up some dark arts

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

growled, still seething from the recent nausea. “Some

learned something, it couldn’t be that powerful. The real masters are

much he will suffer.” Mara

agreed

aligned with the 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 far Vivienne and Percival had gone, Gillian was destined to wed into

and Percival were settling in for

was curious about Vivienne’s earlier antics. “What did you do to make Wendy

from Brody. It’s supposed to control people for half an hour, making them do as they wish. I simply enhanced it a bit, extending the effect

said, ruffling Vivienne’s hair with pride. “Look at

villa, where the servants had everything prepared

your bedroom. It’s equipped with everything you might need. If anything is missing, just press the button by the bed, and we’ll be

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

and Percival exchanged

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