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

remote and switched on the news channel where Patrick’s

The screen also showed Gillian besieged by

on Eliza in

of the Ashford family’s fortune, turning

was more than feasible

Patrick

family is a hot potato right now. Who would dare get involved? And with Gillian’s reputation in ruins, who would want her? But, just one call from you, inviting her

was exploiting

heiress, would be desperate for connections to free

no one was a fool. With the gravity of Patrick’s

ones to extend help, Gillian would agree

business and unveiling the Boyd family’s clandestine

make the call right away.” Eliza

snatch all the Ashford business, it would be

kept secret from the other Boyds, or they would

to negotiate with the Ellingtons from a

the Ellington family’s next

you just wait to be cast aside,” She

…

the Ashford Mansion was in chaos. Gillian had barely processed Patrick’s arrest when she was bombarded with

sustain such a large company and its numerous projects, Patrick had inevitably borrowed heavily

with his arrest, the banks were aggressively seeking

tossed her phone aside, clueless on

flocked around her had vanished into thin air, leaving her utterly

the doorbell rang.

“What are you

up. Your dad and I go way back,

heard

forward

to Mara and

pulled Gillian to sit beside her. “Gillian, given the circumstances, there’s only one thing I can think of to

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

smile, presented 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

the fog. “Auntie, I don’t really

and leave the rest to me. The Ashford will still be the same, just under the umbrella of