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

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

many glances, but you just kept eating, forcing

“Do you really think I

others were taken

looked at her mother. “What

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

a sob. “Dad, could it be we’ve

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

shuffled closer to Hayden, frightened. “Don’t scare me, not this late

Vivienne is,” Wendy

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

in some convent in Havenwood before going to Rivenwood. Maybe she picked up some

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

from the recent nausea. “Some

couldn’t be that powerful.

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

agreed with Mara’s

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

at their villa, Vivienne and Percival

earlier antics. “What did you do to make Wendy so

supposed to control people for half an hour, making them do

with pride. “Look at you, my clever

their way into the villa, where the servants had everything prepared

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 servant said before leaving them to their

maid shot Percival and Vivienne a knowing look, her smile broadening as she scurried off, as if she could not bear

and Percival exchanged a

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