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.

ship,” she stated, her legs shifting position as she lounged back on the sofa, lazily

crawled back towards her, panting, “Madam, I swear I had no idea about this. Even if we set aside your presence on the ship, my daughter and I were there, too. I would

murmured absentmindedly,

began to rise,

looked at him. “You know

engagement party fiasco, I cut all 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

he would represent her. I agreed, 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

then a signal beeped in her earpiece—it

The shipment had arrived.

to check it but could not do so in front of Vivienne, so he remained

her eyes closing. “Let

she

He knew Vivienne was not dozing off but contemplating

the bomb had touched a nerve, and his pale excuses and baseless

increasingly anxious as his phone continued to vibrate in

had

Why bother messaging him?

had left their post outside the cabin and

and Thomas had secured the docks, sealing

handing over a bag of

a notorious new drug on the black market, identical

furrowed. “How

glance with Leopold before revealing

“Three tons.”

Anna gasped. “How much?”

“Three tons,” Thomas repeated.

tons of Keco could profit enough to buy a small

haul but had not imagined it

other than Keco, we’ve found

following leads to the Ashford family’s harbor, expecting

so Leopold and Thomas had been on

on Patrick’s movements from the ship’s cabin; each of his moves was a potential

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

all people, was neck-deep in drug

experimental substance was a dead end by now. Three tons of Keco was

coordinate with the DEA officers,” Percival instructed as he took the Keco bag. “And keep this under wraps;