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

remote and switched on the news

apprehension. The screen also showed

on Eliza

seize control of the Ashford family’s fortune,

billion was more than feasible with the

sure Patrick will turn to us for

looked smug. “The Ashford 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 to turn to the Boyds, bringing all Ashford business under our roof, and

was exploiting

in trouble, Gillian, as the sole Ashford heiress,

a fool. With the gravity of Patrick’s

to extend help,

and unveiling the Boyd family’s

I’ll make the call

business, it

Boyds, or they would certainly want a piece

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

next

be cast aside,” She

…

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

large company and its numerous projects,

with his arrest, the banks were aggressively seeking

her phone aside,

friends who once flocked around her had vanished into thin

the doorbell rang.

“What are

holding up. Your dad and I go way back, and I’ve watched you grow up. I could

thing Gillian had heard in a while, and tears

rushed forward and embraced Eliza,

close to Mara and had grown

her. “Gillian, given the circumstances, there’s only one

to do. I’ll follow your lead,” Gillian said, entirely out of her depth with business affairs. Having someone willing to help was the best thing she could

have to do is sign the Ashford Group’s over

lost in the fog. “Auntie, I don’t really

still be the same, just under the umbrella of Boyd Group. We won’t let