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 as she lounged back on the sofa, lazily eyeing

had no idea about this. Even if we set aside your presence on the ship, my

murmured

to rise, “Could

sharpened as she looked

engagement party fiasco, I cut all ties with the Boyd family. But for the sake of the bionic tech,

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

nodded, then a signal beeped in her earpiece—it

The shipment had arrived.

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

her eyes

that, she

knew Vivienne was not dozing off but

matter of the bomb had touched a nerve, and his pale

grew increasingly anxious as his phone continued to vibrate in

shipment had arrived,

Why bother messaging him?

the cabin and were now at

and Thomas had secured the docks, sealing off all

Keco,” Thomas reported, handing over a bag of what

identical to flour and often sold alongside grains to avoid

furrowed. “How

a glance with Leopold

“Three tons.”

Anna gasped. “How much?”

“Three tons,” Thomas repeated.

tons of Keco could profit enough to buy

had anticipated a significant haul but had

we’ve found nothing

GTO’s virus research base, following leads

to breach the base, so Leopold and Thomas

the ship’s cabin; each of

instead of securing the experimental substance, they had

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

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

DEA officers,” Percival instructed as he took the Keco bag. “And keep this