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 to

draped it over Griffin’s shoulders,

mumbled, “Dad said you were alright, so

wrapped her arms around Leopold,

not sure how

“Couldn’t you try to comfort me just a

seen Griffin cry. In his impression, Griffin had always been the woman who was either forcing him to marry her, chasing after him on a motorbike, or

a little, he blinked in surprise. “You

annoyed. All the tears she had shed for him when he was captured, and he

yelped,

to stand on one leg, and she could

see her smile

that moment, he vowed never to make

her hand in his.

skipped a beat as she held his

and she was

again, burying her face in the curve of his

hesitating before wrapping

and pulled them around her waist,

rolled her

pretty hopeless. Our dad’s way

at bedtime, he never lets

mouths before they could

shared a laugh

air,” Jasper said as he stood up from his wheelchair, Vivienne

help

her own hands, Diana watched

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

Vivienne

let’s join them. The

nodded in agreement. Jasper must have wanted to talk to Vivienne privately, and he would not intrude on that.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay