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

up. “Mom, if you hadn’t eaten so much, we wouldn’t have followed suit. Why did you have to be

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

sighed. “Do you really think I wanted to eat

were taken

at her mother. “What do you mean,

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

sob. “Dad, could it be

manipulated. Teresa confessed, “It was indeed like being possessed. I moved when Vivienne moved

to Hayden, frightened. “Don’t scare me,

is,” Wendy reminded them

so she thought. What she found was likely only what

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

would fall for a country girl.

still seething from the recent nausea. “Some backwater girl isn’t

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

he will suffer.” Mara pressed, her lips thin. “Plus, Gillian is a far better match

agreed with Mara’s

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

and

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

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

Vivienne’s hair with pride. “Look at you, my

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

It’s equipped with everything you might need. If 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

and Vivienne a knowing look, her smile broadening as she scurried off, as if she could not bear to delay whatever

Percival exchanged

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