The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Zelda nearly dropped her whisk when Leopold came crashing down onto the cobblestone path with a thud.

“Blimey, Leopold, that’s flagstone, you absolute brute!” She exclaimed, still half-focused on perfecting her cake recipe.

Jasper could not help but chuckle at the scene. “Alright, alright, enough with the dramatics. Get up,” he said with a grin.

Leopold rose, shaking his head with a laugh and holding a gift box. “Well, Sir, these are some of your favorite things. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I just grabbed a bit of everything.”

Jasper’s smile widened. “You’re quite the character, kid. No wonder that Martinez girl fancies you so much. Speaking of which, aren’t you going to come out?”

Hearing this, Leopold froze, his feet suddenly as heavy as lead.

His heart stopped for a moment as if encased in ice.

Vivienne and Percival exchanged glances that did not need words; it was clear Leopold was in the dark.

Percival just shrugged. If he knew, would he have even shown up?

Thomas muttered under his breath, “Percival’s as ruthless as ever.”

Zelda, putting aside her baking tools, dragged Griffin out from the shadows. “No use hiding now, love. It’s not like you’re being dragged to the altar.”

Griffin Martinez stood at the threshold, her eyes cast down, her feet rooted to the spot.

Both of them were wracked with unspeakable thoughts and mutual guilt.

Vivienne nudged Leopold forward with a swift kick. “Snap out of it, will ya?”

Leopold stumbled into Griffin’s space, and she looked up, her eyes rimmed with unshed tears, at a loss for words.

Zelda snickered and finally remembered to turn off the oven while she, along with Natalia and Yasmine, quietly exited the kitchen.

Percival and Vivienne ushered Jasper to the back garden, leaving the two frozen figures alone in their awkward silence.

chill breeze caused Griffin

off his jacket and draped it over

you were alright, so

arms around

aback, was not sure

a while, Griffin pulled back slightly, sniffling. “Couldn’t you try to comfort

impression, Griffin had always been the woman who was either forcing him to marry her,

little, he blinked in

breath and kicked him in the shin, annoyed. All the tears she had shed for him when he

Leopold yelped, rubbing

anger melted away as she saw Leopold’s comical attempt to stand on one leg, and she could not help but

see her smile through the

that moment, he vowed never to make

tall, he took her hand in his.

as she held his gaze, her

innocence, and she was

burying her face in the curve of

hands, hesitating

and pulled them around her

spot, Vivienne rolled her eyes. “Hopeless,”

“Yeah, he seems pretty hopeless. Our dad’s way better at this. He always hugs Mom

echoed, “Yeah. Especially at bedtime, he

their mouths before they could reveal any more family

Vivienne shared a laugh at the

a stroll, shall we? I could use some fresh air,” Jasper said as he stood up from his

to help but was a

Diana watched

in the way? Before Vivienne was here, she had always been the one to accompany

more certain that Vivienne would

on, Percival, let’s join them. The

talk to Vivienne privately, and he would not intrude on that.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join &