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

how broke are

“Utterly, completely, and absolutely

“You should ask Vivienne

absolutely in love

wiped away her tears. “Ms. Hawthorn, what

young age? Need me to give you another shot?” Vivienne’s lips

“Vivienne! I know you’re upset about me and Mr. Ellington, but I would

to Mara. “Are you absolutely sure what

change her

was the only one there. Now that Gillian’s awake, there’s

nodded again. “I see! Well, I have something interesting

hand, and Anna handed her a sleek tablet that was not

crowd was baffled, having no idea

screen a few times, and soon, a high-definition video began

send Yannick away, and I’ll place the hallucinogenic drugs in the room. Once I’ve had my way with Mr. Ellington, we can blame it on Yannick. All you need to do is

out of the way and ensure you

Mara’s conversation, even filtering out the background noise so every word was

Mara could have anticipated that their private exchange would be recorded

the weight of

Ashford family’s reputation would be tarnished for

been present from the start

chance for a counterattack, perhaps

saw if Yannick had drugged Gillian or not. Thus, they could totally say that Gillian and

Percival and Vivienne, it looked like their chance

priority

her sleeves and pushed her way through

no way he’d just pass out for no reason.

lunged at Gillian and Mara, her hands entangling in their hair like

when the sharp pain snapped them to the harsh reality. There was no time to

strong, and she threw them to the

and now she lay exposed

to intervene, but his body was