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 water from a servant and said weakly,

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

so many glances, but you just

really think I

others were

looked at her mother. “What do you

either, but my hand acted on

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

like being possessed. I moved when Vivienne moved

to Hayden, frightened. “Don’t scare

is,” Wendy reminded

Wendy had thoroughly investigated Vivienne—or so she thought. What she found

“Vivienne stayed in some convent in Havenwood before going to Rivenwood. Maybe she picked up some dark arts there to

would fall for a country girl. She must have bewitched him. What

Yannick growled, still seething from the recent nausea. “Some backwater

it couldn’t be that powerful. The real masters

her be with Percival, or who knows how much he will

other Boyds 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

villa, Vivienne and Percival

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

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

ruffling Vivienne’s hair with

into the villa, where the servants had everything prepared for a restful

bed, and we’ll be at your service. We won’t disturb you

a knowing look, her smile broadening as she scurried off, as if she could

exchanged a puzzled

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