The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Evening had settled when Eliza stepped into Wendy’s room.

“Mom, why are you still up at this hour?” Eliza perched herself beside Wendy, the picture of a dutiful daughter.

Wendy cherished Eliza deeply, having protected her like the apple of her eye since she was a child.

Now, in her current state, she trusted no one more than Eliza.

“Eliza, with me in this condition, I would not put it past my daughters-in-law to have all sorts of ideas. We can’t let them get the better of us, darling. Your brothers are no use either, only seeing dollar signs.”

Eliza nestled close to Wendy, chuckling softly. “Don’t worry, Mom. The Boyds won’t be played by my sisters-in-law. Our family’s assets won’t fall into the wrong hands, not on my watch.”

Wendy nodded in assurance. “I knew I could count on you to ease my worries. Eliza, I’ve taken note of your ambitions all those years and prepared for it. This visit from Percival, it’s so you can get acquainted with the Ellingtons, you understand?”

Relief washed over Eliza with those words.

As long as she could see Nathan Ellington again, she would do anything.

“Yeah, I know you’ve always got my back, Mom.” Eliza leaned on Wendy’s shoulder, briefly catching sight of her amputated hand and quickly averting her gaze with a hint of distaste.

Wendy’s hand was already skeletal, a ghastly sight, and with the stump so starkly exposed, it was downright macabre.

“Mom, what are your plans regarding the Specter Healer?” Eliza inquired.

Wendy scoffed. “He’s just after money, isn’t he? I have plenty, though it might be a bit tricky to come up with 800 billion dollars at once. But, opportunities are not nonexistent.”

Eliza looked at Wendy skeptically.

Plenty of money? What a joke.

As the CFO of Boyd Group, she was all too aware of how much the Boyd family had.

Not to mention 800 billion, even 800 million would require careful consideration.

Where was her mother getting this confidence from?

Noticing Eliza’s doubt, Wendy smiled. “Have you forgotten our ace in the hole?”

the hole?” Eliza’s brow

switched on the news

Patrick’s apprehension. The screen also showed

Eliza in

control of the Ashford family’s fortune, turning their empire into

than feasible with the Ashford

Patrick

would want her? But, just one call from you, inviting her to turn to the Boyds, bringing all Ashford business

exploiting

Patrick in trouble, Gillian, as the sole Ashford heiress, would be desperate for

no one was a fool. With the gravity

the only ones to extend help, Gillian would agree to

unveiling the Boyd family’s clandestine

the call right

the Ashford business, it would be about more

to be kept secret from the other Boyds, or they would certainly want a

everything under her control to negotiate with the Ellingtons from a position of strength

family’s next daughter-in-law was within

you just wait to be cast aside,” She

…

processed Patrick’s arrest when she was bombarded with calls

company and its numerous projects, Patrick

arrest, the banks were aggressively

tossed her phone aside, clueless on how to

friends who once flocked around her had vanished into thin air, leaving her

the doorbell rang. Surprisingly, it was

her warily. “What are

way back, and I’ve watched you

comforting thing Gillian had heard in a while, and tears sprung

Gillian rushed forward

and had grown up calling

“Gillian, given the circumstances, there’s only one thing

her depth with business affairs. Having someone willing to help was the

a document. “It’s quite simple. You’re now the sole heir to the Ashford Group. After your father’s incident, you’ll take over as CEO. All you have to do is sign the Ashford Group’s over to the Boyd Group. That’ll help you tackle some of the debt with the banks. Once we stabilize the company, we can focus on getting your father

the fog. “Auntie, I don’t really understand

here and leave the rest to me. The Ashford will still be the same, just under the umbrella of Boyd Group. We won’t