The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

William pondered for a moment before speaking up, “It was about two weeks before the boss took her own life. She sent it to me over the local network; it was a burn-after-reading kind of deal, leaving only this file with instructions to keep it safe, saying it would come in handy later. Then she just vanished without a trace.”

“It was the same for me. The boss made me promise not to let these secrets out,” Zachary also chimed in.

Vivienne’s brow furrowed with concern. It would come in handy later?

How so?

Her mother was dead. What good could it possibly do now?

“Master, could this be… bionic technology?” William ventured to ask.

Vivienne nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m entrusting to you. I’ve consolidated all the Ashford and Boyd family resources, and the labs are all set up, but I don’t have the time to manage them. I’m hoping you can handle it. Will that work for you?”

“Of course, it’s perfect,” William replied, his voice tinged with excitement. “Master, aside from my work in holistic medicine, I’ve been relying on this document from the boss to research bionics. I always felt something was missing, but now that you’ve brought this to us, it’s all starting to make sense.”

Zachary nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve always wondered what the boss meant by it might come in handy. Turns out she was waiting for you to come to us, Madam.”

Vivienne’s lips curved into a slight smile.

Waiting for her to come to them? Did her mother have the same capabilities as her mentor, to know the future?

How could her mother be so sure that she would come?

A myriad of questions flickered through Vivienne’s mind, slowly shaping into a theory.

“You guys can handle the Havenwood and Rivenwood affairs. Patrick has been making progress with the bionics project over the years, but he never quite cracked it. Keep pushing in that direction, and you’re bound to see results soon.”

After giving her instructions, Vivienne stood up. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

With those final words, she left without looking back.

Vivienne felt confident entrusting the bionic technology to the combined expertise of the Pendleton and Churchill families.

With that matter settled, Vivienne made her way to the underground prison where Patrick was being held.

the DEA, Patrick had been secretly transferred here

in his water cell, Patrick was a pitiful sight

pale and swollen face without a shred

stealing her mother’s research

was a betrayal that struck at Vivienne’s

approach, Patrick struggled weakly and managed to gasp, “Madam… I know I was

narrowed as she asked

don’t know. I’ve never met him.

met F-Poison, yet you

a lot. They said I could make a fortune if I followed them. I

could finish, Vivienne’s hand was already tightening around

could feel the fury in her grip as he struggled for

wrong… Madam… I was wrong. Please, I beg you, let me

right off.

moment, he thought he

but I did meet a girl from

his loyalty meant nothing

sharpened, “Did F-Poison ever ask you for the

did. But the technology is still immature. It only functions for ten seconds in front of people before it collapses. It’s useless. Madam, that doesn’t change anything,

connection

all, the high-purity drugs they produced were extraordinarily lucrative and had sustained GTO’s

Patrick out cold. His head sank into the water, bubbling

and sitting in her car, Vivienne could not shake the feeling that something was

matter what, she could not have escaped from under her and Percival’s

not a person at all—it was a biorobot created by Imogen using Patrick’s

was all

been on finding the bomb; no one

logical, but her expressions were

never expected a biorobot to be so

hair left at the scene

to cover up bionic technology—this F-Poison was indeed

of Karen and Percival

she drove away, her mind racing with the implications of