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.

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

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 never risk our lives

murmured

and began to rise, “Could this be connected to the

sharpened as she looked

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

family’s head wanted to drop off a floral arrangement. I did

signal beeped in her

The shipment had arrived.

time, Patrick’s phone buzzed with a message. He wanted to check it but

yawned, her eyes

she

knew Vivienne was not dozing

a nerve, and his pale excuses and baseless

increasingly anxious as his phone continued to vibrate in his

shipment had arrived,

Why bother messaging him?

their post outside the cabin and were now at the Sea

had secured the docks, sealing off all incoming shipments and

we found it—it’s Keco,” Thomas reported, handing over

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

furrowed.

a glance with Leopold

“Three tons.”

Anna gasped. “How much?”

“Three tons,” Thomas repeated.

of Keco could profit enough to

had not imagined it

we’ve

research base, following leads to the Ashford family’s harbor, expecting a shipment for

breach the base, so Leopold and

and Vivienne kept their eyes on Patrick’s movements from the ship’s cabin; each of his moves was a potential

experimental substance,

in drug trafficking, a kingpin no

Three tons of Keco was no small find,

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