The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Eliza squinted her eyes and then burst into tears, spilling the beans about everything Vivienne had done in the Boyd Mansion.

From the first day she arrived, insisting the whole family disinfect and kneel to welcome her, to the gruesome act of cutting off Wendy’s hand, Eliza left no stone unturned in her vivid recount.

The crowd was in disbelief. How could Vivienne, just a young girl, be so extreme?

Eliza then produced a video as evidence. “This is from our home security system. Every single thing she did is captured here. I’m not lying!”

The video played out before their eyes, and gasps of shock were heard, especially during the chilling moment Vivienne severed Wendy’s hand.

Vivienne did not deny her actions and calmly admitted, “Yes, I did those things.”

“Vivienne, if you hadn’t done all this, how could my mother have passed away so suddenly? It’s all because of you. You better give me the Boyd family signet ring back now. It belongs to our family, and you don’t deserve to wear it!”

Eliza’s accusations, backed by the video, filled everyone with righteous indignation towards Vivienne.

Watching Eliza’s tear-stained face, Vivienne just smiled. “Why don’t we watch the rest of the video?”

Eliza was puzzled. The footage of the hand-cutting had already played.

What more could there be?

The crowd turned their attention back to the screen only to see Vivienne reattach Wendy’s hand, followed by the Boyd family members beating her on the ground. Then, the video showed Eliza smothering her mother to death with a pillow!

Eliza stumbled backward in shock.

Impossible. She had deleted that part of the video and even destroyed the hard drive.

How could it still exist?

The room fell silent.

“Eliza killed her!”

“My God, her own mother…”

Someone,

on cue, a police car pulled up outside the funeral home, and out stepped Cecilia and

the Boyd family signet ring from her

had

Boyd family ring and caught sight of Nathan, whom she had not seen

to Cecilia, and Nathan was there with the

Boyd, the main culprit behind the murder of my beloved mother. Please, take her away,” Nathan said, sheltering Cecilia in his

deaf to the murmurs around her; her eyes

approach him, to ask why he did not

was too

ground, handcuffed her,

with

Nathan! Let me go! I’m Mrs. Ellington! That Cecilia is nothing,

and whispered, “Vivienne, did

her head. “No, it was her own

thought she could secure the ring and get closer to Nathan by orchestrating this funeral, but she

twenty years ago or today, Nathan’s eyes had

her family

Cecilia’s hair. “It’s okay

at her mother’s portrait, and Eliza’s deranged screams

that, Cecilia’s ties to the Boyd family had

it was a story that demanded discussion due to the sheer weight

to her villa, not expecting that Maddox would already be waiting for

introduce myself. I’m Vivienne’s uncle, Maddox Perez. You can just call me Maddox,” he

warmly. “Mr. Perez, I’ve

Nathan’s shoulder chummily. “We’re all family here, no need for formalities. Come on, Cecilia, take a seat. I’ve been briefed about the family situation. Don’t worry. I’ll handle the

with Maddox’s boisterousness, Nathan was

unsure how to interact with Maddox, leading to

in to smooth things over. “Uncle, why

get some rest. We can plan some fun activities for tomorrow,”

Cecilia back to

Perez family not supposed

the character, unsettling yet oddly