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 servant and

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

Grandma,” Huxley chimed in. “I gave you so many glances, but you just kept

really think I wanted to

were taken

puzzled, looked at her mother.

but my hand acted on its own, reaching for food and bringing it

back a sob. “Dad, could it be we’ve

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

to Hayden, frightened. “Don’t

forget who Vivienne is,” Wendy reminded them

investigated Vivienne—or so she thought. What she found was likely only what Vivienne wanted

connected the dots. “Vivienne stayed in some convent in Havenwood before going to Rivenwood. Maybe she picked up some dark

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

still seething from the recent nausea. “Some

something, it couldn’t be that powerful. The real masters are all over fifty. There must be another

he will suffer.” Mara pressed, her

agreed with

cement an alliance between the Boyd and Ashford families. No matter how far Vivienne and Percival had gone, Gillian was destined to wed into their

and Percival were settling

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

hour, making them do as they wish. I simply enhanced it a bit, extending the

Vivienne’s hair with

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

need. If anything is missing, just press the button by the bed, and we’ll be at your service. We

knowing look, her smile broadening as she scurried off, as if she could not

and Percival exchanged a

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