The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Watching the two families on the brink of another spat, Wendy tapped impatiently on the floor with her cane. “Marrying you two into the Boyd family has been headache enough. There’s no way Gillian is setting foot in our house. You can forget that fantasy right now!”

Nancy’s anger subsided a bit at her mother-in-law’s words. As long as Mara and Gillian remained tight as thieves, she felt secure that the Ashford fortune would not slip through their fingers.

Teresa, momentarily distracted from her quarrel with Nancy, chimed in anxiously, “Mom, aren’t you worried about the Ellingtons sticking their nose in our business?”

“The Ellingtons don’t have the guts,” Wendy snapped, giving Teresa a sharp look. “Eliza and Patrick have already come to an understanding. No need for you to fret.”

With a dismissive wave, Wendy signaled for them to retire to their rooms.

Seeing this, the members of the first and secondary branches of the family had no choice but to leave the room.

It was then that the butler rushed in, his face flushed with panic. “Vivienne and Percival have arrived!”

Wendy raised an eyebrow, her expression darkening. “So they’re here. Why the fuss? It’s not like they can eat you.”

The butler stammered, clearly terrified, “Wolves, wolves!”

“What wolves? You idiot. What’s the point of keeping you if you can’t even form a proper sentence?” Wendy’s expression turned gloomier.

“They’ve brought a pack of wolves! They let them loose in the courtyard, and they’re tearing up your prized rose garden and… and Mr. Theodore’s pet beagle… it’s been eaten, and now…”

He paused, glancing fearfully at Wendy before continuing with a trembling voice, “Some of them have even jumped through your bedroom window. The servants are hiding everywhere, too scared to come out.”

The Boyd household’s servants were usually bustling about from dawn, not idling in the main hall.

When Vivienne and Percival entered with their pack of wolves, the terror they incited was palpable. One servant had even fainted from fear.

“Wolves? Here?” Wendy gasped in disbelief. “Where did they come from?”

tears, his legs shaking. “What should we do? The doors to the great hall are shut tight; the wolves can’t get in there for the moment. But they’ve already made it

a blood-curdling scream erupted from upstairs, followed by a

stairs. Teresa clutched her daughter Margot close as she ran to Wendy’s side, her

the bathroom when one crashed through the window. I nearly passed out from fear. Mom, we have to do something!

younger generation, Mara and Margot, usually at odds, were now huddled together in

the butler to call the police. But before

in her wheelchair, she swung her cane desperately, but the more she fought, the more vicious they became, shredding her clothes with their

were torn to ribbons, leaving her

silent, having never anticipated this development. The wolves were not biting—they were stripping

with anger and embarrassment, were helpless

dare wrestle with a

butler turned his back,

into a frenzy of hide and seek. But they were quickly subdued,

every member of the Boyd family, from Wendy

The great hall was empty save for him, and he was too scared to

main course at a feast,

and daughters-in-law sobbed and screamed

to die! Grandma, save

never faced anything like this. As her children and grandchildren clung to her,

still far from composed. They stood rigid,

the brink of collapse, the

and Vivienne

them made Percival’s typically composed face twist with disgust. Without a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed Vivienne, spun her

was becoming more rebellious by the

she would handle everything. He trusted Vivienne and nodded in agreement, not expecting to

never consented if he had known that Vivienne intended

to deal with the Boyds without letting

underage, yet she was supposed to witness the Boyds’

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