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

water cell, Patrick

his pale and swollen face without a shred

manufacturing and trafficking drugs, stealing her mother’s research for profit,

every act was a betrayal

to gasp, “Madam… I know I was

narrowed as she

swallowed hard, the chains binding him clanking. “I don’t know. I’ve never met him. We’ve only ever

yet you chose to betray my

icy tone, Patrick shivered and stammered, “Initially, GTO approached me and offered me a lot. They said I could make a fortune if I

could finish, Vivienne’s hand was already tightening around

in her grip as he struggled for his life,

I beg you,

her grip, her anger making her want to twist his neck right off. But as she saw the blood in Patrick’s eyes, she

For a moment, he thought

truth. I really haven’t seen F-Poison, but I did meet a girl from GTO. She’s the only one I’ve ever met.” Patrick hastily

loyalty meant

ever ask you for

“Yes… he 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

drugs they produced were extraordinarily lucrative

Vivienne knocked Patrick out cold. His

sitting in her car, Vivienne

the help of a projector, but no matter what, she could not have escaped from under her and Percival’s watch without

person who had “exploded” before them, leaving nothing behind, was not a person at all—it was a biorobot created by Imogen

seconds was all she

focus had been on finding the bomb; no one had noticed anything odd about

movements had been logical, but her expressions

Vivienne had never expected a biorobot

explained why the hair left at the scene was made

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

outmaneuver the likes of Karen and Percival for so long had

her mind racing with the implications of