The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Gillian’s scream pierced the silence of the night, startling her from her dreams into a gasping reality as she fell to her knees on the floor, breath heaving in her chest.

“Mr. Ellington, Mr. Ellington…” She gasped.

Patrick rushed to his daughter’s side, steadying her with a firm grip. “Gillian, are you alright?” He asked, concern written all over his face.

Confusion clouded Gillian’s eyes as she noticed the cluster of people around her, her last memory of being tucked into bed by Percival, wrapped in a cozy comforter.

She was quick to react, though, sobbing as she collapsed into her father’s arms. “Dad, I… with Mr. Ellington, we’ve already… We’ve…”

Her words hung in the air, leaving an unspoken understanding among the gathered crowd.

The sight of a naked beauty would test any man’s resolve, and poor Yannick had been dealt a rough hand, his legacy usurped by another.

A flicker of rage crossed Patrick’s eyes as he turned to Percival, his voice rising in anger. “Percival, what do you have to say for yourself? You animal!”

Mara quickly came to the defense. “Mr. Patrick, there were drugs in the room. It was not intentional; it was the drugs that took control. Just think about how Gillian was acting!”

Gillian clung to her father’s hand. “Dad, I remember bits and pieces. Mr. Ellington saved me from Yannick. We tried to leave, but… I smelled something strange. Even though my mind was clear, our bodies would not listen…

It’s not Mr. Ellington’s fault. It’s all Yannick’s doing. Really, it’s not his fault.”

Tears streamed down Gillian’s face as she clutched the blanket. “Dad, I’m so ashamed.”

Mara, with tears in her eyes, looked at Percival. “Bro, it was Gillian’s first time. You can’t just abandon her.”

Patrick was at a loss, torn between anger and the need to comfort his daughter. He looked at Percival with a mixture of anger and pleading. “Mr. Ellington, given the circumstances, if you don’t take responsibility, Gillian will have no future.”

“Yeah, Percival, we can’t just leave things like this.”

Their performance could have outshone even the likes of Meryl Streep and Anthony Hopkins.

Vivienne smirked. “Ms. Ashford, ever heard of Rainbow Entertainment? If you’re interested in signing, I’ll have someone contact you.”

A talent like Gillian’s could not be wasted. She could cry on cue, immerse herself in the role—who would not be enticed?

was a money-making machine, not just a drama

“Vivienne, just how broke

completely,

ask Vivienne how much she

absolutely in love with

wiped away her tears. “Ms. Hawthorn,

of hearing at such a young age? Need me to give you

of anger passed through Gillian’s eyes. “Vivienne! I know you’re upset about me and Mr. Ellington, but I would never lie about my reputation. I remember what happened, and there’s no need to frame Mr. Ellington or ruin

to Mara. “Are you absolutely sure what Gillian is

though nervous, knew she could not change her story now

Percival was the only one there. Now that Gillian’s awake, there’s no way she’s

have something interesting

Vivienne signaled with her hand, and Anna handed her a sleek tablet that was

no idea where the

and soon, a high-definition video began to

with Mr. Ellington, we can blame it on

Vivienne out of the way

video captured every detail of Gillian and Mara’s conversation, even filtering out the background noise so every word was

have anticipated that their private exchange

with righteous indignation, now felt the

Ashford family’s reputation would

present from the start of Yannick’s troubles but had kept out

chance for a counterattack, perhaps even to implicate Gillian

Gillian or not. Thus, they could

looked like their chance for revenge

now, the priority was to

her sleeves and pushed her way through

framing my boy like that!” Teresa fumed, her voice a tempest of maternal fury. “I knew there was no way he’d just pass out for no reason. You’re scared of getting caught, so you knock him out? Well, let’s see

at Gillian and Mara, her hands entangling in their hair

confusion when the sharp pain snapped them to the

she threw them to the ground without

particular, was at a disadvantage, and now she lay exposed and defenseless as Teresa pinned her

to intervene, but his body was frozen in