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.

stated, her legs shifting position as she lounged back on the

if we set aside your presence on the ship, my daughter and I were there, too. I would never risk our lives by planting a bomb.

murmured absentmindedly,

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

sharpened as she looked at

just find it odd. After the engagement party fiasco, I cut all ties with the Boyd family. But for the sake of the bionic tech, I could not completely

yesterday, my men told me the Boyd family’s head wanted to drop off a floral arrangement. I

signal beeped in

The shipment had arrived.

message. He wanted to check it but could not do so in front of Vivienne, so he

eyes

she went

to move. He knew Vivienne was

a nerve, and his

grew increasingly anxious as his phone continued to vibrate

had arrived,

Why bother messaging him?

their post outside the cabin and were now at the Sea

Thomas had secured the docks, sealing off all incoming shipments and detaining the

handing over a bag of what seemed to

the black market, identical

brow furrowed. “How

glance with Leopold before

“Three tons.”

Anna gasped. “How much?”

“Three tons,” Thomas repeated.

could profit enough

had not imagined it would

Keco, we’ve found nothing else,”

Sea City to uncover GTO’s virus research base, following leads to the Ashford family’s harbor, expecting a shipment for

so

ship’s cabin; each of

substance, they had stumbled upon a

in drug trafficking, a

was no small find, and it demanded the

as he took the Keco bag. “And keep