The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Patrick’s limbs were beyond his control, his body betraying him as he followed Vivienne’s retreating steps.

Behind him, Gillian’s heart-wrenching cries for her father echoed through the air, but he was powerless to respond.

Patrick finally felt the command of his body returned when they reached a secluded cabin on the ship.

But now, with both Percival and Anna guarding the door, escape was an impossibility.

“Kneel,” Vivienne commanded, her voice serene as she sat on the seat representing authority.

Patrick fell to his knees with a thud, not out of compulsion but from the sheer force of Vivienne’s presence.

His legs tingled with numbness, sharp pains shooting through his knees as if a thousand needles were pricking them.

Beads of sweat formed on his brow, trickling down his temples and disappearing onto his shoulders.

Vivienne sat with her legs crossed, her slender neck held high with disdain, a hint of scorn in her gaze.

As Patrick knelt, Vivienne wondered what her mother had seen in him. How could such a spineless man be entrusted with the critical technology of bionics?

She regarded him with contempt and curiosity, slowly pulling the small “Morning Glory” from her pocket and tossing it at Patrick.

Instinctively, he caught it, his forehead bulging with veins, paralyzed with fear.

When he saw what it was, he finally heaved a sigh of relief.

He had thought she had thrown a knife at him!

“Madam, what is this?” he stammered.

Vivienne raised an eyebrow, her voice calm. “A miniature bomb.”

Shocked to his core, Patrick scrambled behind the couch for cover.

He thought it was a knife, but it was even worse – a bomb! Vivienne was more reckless than his boss.

Who in their right mind tosses a bomb around like a toy?

Observing Patrick’s reaction, Vivienne could almost be certain of his innocence regarding the bomb incident that evening.

shifting position as she lounged back on the sofa, lazily eyeing

if we set aside your presence on the ship, my daughter and I

murmured absentmindedly, frowning

exhaled in relief and began to rise, “Could this be connected to

looked at him. “You know

the Boyd family. But for the sake of the bionic tech, I could not completely sever our relationship. I thought of sending

represent her. I agreed, and during preparations yesterday, my men told me the Boyd family’s head wanted to drop off a floral

signal beeped in her earpiece—it

The shipment had arrived.

phone buzzed with a message. He wanted to check it but could not do so in front

her eyes closing. “Let me

that, she

move. He knew Vivienne was not dozing off but contemplating his

bomb had touched a nerve, and his

increasingly anxious as his phone continued to

shipment had arrived,

Why bother messaging him?

and Anna had left their post outside the

and Thomas had secured the docks, sealing off all

Keco,” Thomas reported, handing over a bag

drug on the black market, identical to flour and often sold alongside grains to

furrowed.

exchanged a glance with Leopold before revealing an

“Three tons.”

Anna gasped. “How much?”

“Three tons,” Thomas repeated.

profit

but had not imagined it would be

we’ve found

to uncover GTO’s virus research base, following leads to the

the base, so Leopold and Thomas had been

their eyes on Patrick’s movements from the ship’s cabin; each of his moves was a potential key to unraveling the web of

of securing the experimental substance, they had stumbled upon a whopping three tons of

of all people, was neck-deep in

tons of Keco was no

up the gear and coordinate with the DEA officers,” Percival instructed as he took the Keco bag.