The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Indeed, no sooner had Percival finished speaking than he received a confidential message from the higher-ups.

He was ordered to return to Rivenwood immediately to take control of the situation at Rivenwood headquarters.

Stretching languidly, Vivienne remarked, “Looks like it’s time to wrap this up.”

That evening, Mara sat anxiously in the living room of the Ashford Mansion.

“Gillian, I’m still worried. What did Percival mean? I didn’t say anything, and he said he’d bring what you want. This…”

Gillian handed Mara a cup of steaming cola. “Oh, don’t fret, sweetheart. If your brother said so, we just wait. Dad mentioned that as long as the contract and the Boyd family signet ring are brought over, you can inherit the Boyd family. Trust me.”

To Gillian, neither the contract nor the Boyd family signet ring mattered much; she could not understand why Patrick was so hung up on them.

Earlier tonight, she had merely phoned Patrick to inform him that Mara had brought the items without getting into details.

Before long, Percival arrived at the Ashford Mansion with Vivienne, knocking on the door.

Gillian quickly primped her hair and went to answer the door, brimming with excitement. To her absolute surprise, the door opened to a squad of armed individuals who stormed in and surrounded the Ashford Mansion.

Staring at Percival in disbelief, Gillian asked, “Mr. Ellington, what is this?”

“Patrick is suspected of drug trafficking. We’re here to search the premises.” Percival produced a search warrant, flicking it so that agents from Vanguard Agency began scouring the Ashford Mansion.

“You must be mistaken; my father has been framed…” Gillian stepped back, only to see someone retrieve a plaster doll from her room.

It was a gift from Patrick for her eighteenth birthday.

With a crack, the doll shattered, spilling its contents on the floor: a bag of Keco!

Vivienne approached, opened the bag, and took a sniff. “This is the original Keco we’ve been searching for, identical to the batch seized at the docks.”

doors closing

target identified as Patrick in person, suspect

Patrick was led inside, his face contorted in horror at the sight of the plaster doll fragments on

doing. I don’t

Keco, shaking it with

Vivienne’s reaction, a flicker of guilt

was Patrick’s code name within the GTO

knees, realizing his end

did you

been operating under GTO for the past

Karen’s legacy potion, Patrick

been amassing wealth through drug production and trafficking, providing GTO

the years, he had become bolder in his illicit

chuckled. “What’s done in the

his ambition to absorb the Boyd family’s mysterious business network was too great to

to outsiders, yet Patrick schemed to overtake the Boyds and

their investigation. Tracing Keco led them to the

bionic tech, but in truth, it was a front for drug production, exploiting bionic channels for

Leopold also arrived

found a five-ton stockpile. This guy’s bigger than some international kingpins,” Leopold slapped Patrick on the head, “Damn, thought I’d have a big bust, but the DEA got there

Leopold’s words that the factory was just a drug production site, not GTO’s virus

another dead end, though not

purpose in Sea City was known to the local division, and GTO’s virus

him away.” Percival gestured for the agents to escort

entire ordeal, too stunned to grasp

involved in drug trafficking? Who were Percival and

earth was

not understand how everything had changed overnight; all she knew

he and Vivienne left without a second glance at