The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

F-Poison narrowed her eyes, her voice dropping to a serious growl. “What do you mean? Did this guy named Vesper save Vivienne, or because of him, you couldn’t drop the poison?”

F-Poison’s rare display of emotion took Diana aback. “Yeah, it was Vesper who saved Vivienne.”

She relayed the details of Vivienne’s rescue by Vesper, which she had meant to share before, but F-Poison had seemed disinterested.

However, upon hearing the story, F-Poison’s gaze turned gravely serious. “Are you sure that this Vesper guy stepped in after Vivienne drank the juice?”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?” Diana asked, perplexed.

F-Poison usually had little change in expression, whether it was committing arson or enjoying a fondue as if nothing mattered to her. But this time, Diana could see the weight in her thoughts.

After a moment, F-Poison let out a sardonic laugh, her eyes lifting to meet Diana’s. “Go see Flynn again.”

Diana’s surprise was clear. “But we agreed on only one visit. How can I keep coming up with excuses to see him?”

“No matter the excuse, you must see him, Diana. If you want to stay in the Perez family, it’s essential,” F-Poison said, standing up, a dangerous aura enveloping her.

Swallowing hard, Diana pressed, “Can’t you tell me why?”

A sly smile played on F-Poison’s lips. “Sasha might be coming back.”

Diana shot up. “What are you talking about? That’s impossible! Didn’t you say she was dead?”

The solemnity had vanished from F-Poison’s face, replaced with mockery. “Dead doesn’t mean she can’t come back. Sasha’s a clever one. You should be glad she remembers nothing.”

“What do I do? One Vivienne is trouble enough, now with Sasha possibly returning? No, she cannot come back!”

Pacing in front of F-Poison, Diana was in a panic. “Right, I must see Flynn. He’s F-Poison’s apprentice, so he must know the details of Sasha’s disappearance and how to deal with her.”

Diana grabbed her purse and hurried

a quiet chuckle

asking to see Flynn would raise suspicions within the Perez family, especially from Maddox, whose hostility had

to Dracon of the Linklater family. Even though they were uninvolved with CK, they had connections to GTO, and Yorick had once fought alongside Jasper

in Yorick’s name, it

that thought, Diana dialed Dracon’s

so late?” Dracon’s

my call,

already harbored feelings for Diana, and

waiting for your call for twenty

need to

mine,” Dracon

Diana explained

disagreed immediately. “Why do you need to

fallen asleep, things might’ve been different.

added, “You know my older brothers don’t trust me

her. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. You were only a child. Don’t

Diana said, her voice catching with

visited the Perez family the next day with gifts, seeking Jasper’s permission to

were solid, and

doesn’t bother with Linklater family affairs. Why the sudden interest?” Yuri asked,

brother and two younger siblings who were pillars of their nation, especially the eldest, whom Yuri greatly admired. Dracon was the only one who seemed to

his head. “Who knows? But keep an eye on Diana. Don’t let her get too close to Dracon. She didn’t want to marry him back then, but now they’re still somehow entangled. Plus, I don’t like Dracon much, so Yorick and I both don’t agree to

that’s where you’re mistaken. It’s a classic case of playing hard to get. Who knows what your darling daughter

of trail mix from the bowl, and lobbed it at Maddox. “Hard to get, huh? Well, don’t you know it all? So why hasn’t Willa fallen for your