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.

Patrick

shivering in his water cell, Patrick

him, studying his pale and swollen

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

every act was a betrayal that struck

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

as she

chains binding him clanking. “I don’t know. I’ve

met F-Poison, yet you chose to

stammered, “Initially, GTO approached me and offered me a lot. They said I could make a fortune if I followed them. I

could finish, Vivienne’s hand was already

could feel the fury in her grip as he struggled for his life, splashing

was wrong. Please, I beg you, let me go. I know

making her want to twist his neck right off. But as she saw

a moment, he thought he

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

loyalty meant nothing

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

he did. But the technology is still immature. It only functions for ten seconds in front

deepest connection was

drugs they produced were extraordinarily

Patrick out cold. His head sank into the water,

out of the water cell and sitting in her car, Vivienne could not shake the feeling that something

she could not have escaped from under her and Percival’s watch without leaving

nothing behind, was not a

was all

the bomb; no

but her expressions were stiff,

a biorobot to be

left at the

to cover up

could outmaneuver the likes of Karen and Percival for so long had to

engine hummed as she drove away, her mind racing with