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.

her legs shifting position

presence on the ship, my daughter and I were there, too. I would

know,” Vivienne murmured absentmindedly, frowning

rise, “Could this

sharpened as she looked

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

and during preparations yesterday, my men told me the Boyd family’s head wanted to drop off a floral arrangement. I did not question it, but it’s suspicious now that I think about it. I had always dealt with Eliza, not the head of the Boyd

a signal beeped

The shipment had arrived.

time, Patrick’s phone buzzed with a message. He wanted to check it but could not do so in front of Vivienne,

eyes closing. “Let me

she

to move. He knew Vivienne was not dozing off but

and his pale excuses and baseless

phone continued to vibrate in

shipment had arrived,

Why bother messaging him?

post outside the cabin

had secured the docks, sealing off

Thomas reported, handing over

identical to flour and often sold alongside grains to

furrowed. “How

glance with Leopold

“Three tons.”

Anna gasped. “How much?”

“Three tons,” Thomas repeated.

tons of Keco could profit enough

significant haul but had

we’ve found nothing else,”

come to Sea City to uncover GTO’s virus research base, following leads to the Ashford family’s harbor,

breach the base, so Leopold

the ship’s cabin; each of his moves was a potential key to unraveling the web of

of securing the experimental substance, they

of all people, was neck-deep in drug trafficking,

substance was a dead end by now. Three tons of Keco was no small find, and it demanded the

as he took the Keco bag. “And keep this under wraps; we don’t need the HQ