The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The scene was utter chaos. Gillian did not even see who yanked her away, and Patrick was besieged by a mob of angry parents demanding explanations.

Even the Boyds were not spared, with numerous hot-headed lads demanding to know why their sweethearts were suddenly engaged to someone else.

Amid the turmoil, Vivienne and Percival exchanged a knowing glance and could not help but chuckle.

Vivienne turned her head to Percival with a smile, “Mr. Wolf, is it just me, or do our engagement parties always seem to end in a ruckus?”

Percival took Vivienne’s hand, and they walked down from the stage side by side, “It seems the heavens are telling us we should marry sooner rather than later.”

Vivienne rested her head on Percival’s shoulder. “Is the betrothal gifts ready?”

Percival lightly tapped her nose. “Don’t worry, you’ve got me, lock, stock, and barrel!”

Patrick had to fight through the crowd to rescue Gillian from those who had lost their senses, and with the help of the bodyguards, they made it to the safety of the parking lot and away from the scene.

Safety, however, was a relative term. Gillian’s face bore the marks of slaps, her princess-like coiffure was a tangled mess resembling a bird’s nest, and her gown took the prints of several shoes, clear evidence of being trampled on.

Gillian had never imagined such a scenario. Although she had many men around her, none were boyfriends, and any talk of love or affection was just lip service.

She had them all under her thumb and had even fabricated excuses to prevent them from attending the engagement party with their parents.

How on earth did they all end up here?

And that video – who dug it out?

It was just a night at the bar playing games with some good-looking guys. How did it come to this?

“It had to be that Vivienne behind this. Dad, I swear I’ll destroy her!” Gillian shouted at the top of her lungs.

Patrick looked at his daughter and, in a fit of rage, slapped her across the face. His eyes were sharp as a hawk’s.

“Dad… You hit me?” Gillian looked at Patrick in disbelief.

hit her before, not even a

hit you!” Patrick’s face turned red with anger. “Tell me, who exactly is

saw a striking

he thought he was seeing his boss for a moment. She had to be the missing

that her father was more concerned

she’s just some country bumpkin. Why do you care who she is? Just

“Do you have any idea who you’ve crossed? If Vivienne really is her daughter, our

She could not understand what her father was going on about, “Whose daughter could she

you’ll answer to me!” With that, Patrick stepped out of the car and instructed the driver

switched cars to head directly to Vivienne’s

that Patrick could find Vivienne’s address since she did

hours outside the villa, Patrick saw Vivienne and Percival return, hand in hand and carrying a plethora of

a smirk as a cold glint passed through her

as he draped his jacket over Vivienne’s shoulders, knowing it was not the

Percival left, Patrick knelt on

kneeling before her, her gaze indifferent. “Mr. Ashford, seems like you’ve got

to follow your orders. My daughter is young and foolish;

her pockets as she loomed over the kneeling Patrick, “Is that

had never met Patrick before. In fact, aside from her mentor and Dorian’s family, she had never encountered anyone related to her mother before she left the mountains. Those people certainly had not

searched for ten years to find her, and neither the

identified her at first

Ashford family was indeed full of

Not just us, but the Pendletons and the Churchills within Rivenwood all owed allegiance to Boss. But after she passed, we never saw

Vivienne remained silent.

Churchill families were her mother’s allies, a fact she only learned after arriving in Havenwood

he arrived, Vivienne had already been taken in by her mentor, and William’s journey was in vain. Later, after leaving her mentor’s care,

did not know William’s connection to her mother. Not until they went to

about what the

the one group she

up, eyeing Patrick intently, a flicker of

asked, her tone neither

nervously. “I’ve come to apologize, Madam, and to ask for your continued support of the Ashford family. We are willing to go through hell and high water for you. No