The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

As they chatted, the pair arrived at the meeting spot.

Griffin was waiting outside, and upon spotting the duo, she bounded over with earnest warmth.

Being the daughter of the Martinez family, Griffin was inevitably a bit biased toward her own kin.

Her complete trust in Vivienne and Percival was undeniable; otherwise, she would not have collaborated with Vivienne on developing a new bomb detection device.

Griffin’s role was pivotal in arranging for Stellan to come out for this meeting.

“Vivienne, my dad came alone, without the company’s legal team. You guys got this,” Griffin cheered, pumping her fist in encouragement.

Vivienne understood. Stellan’s choice to come without his lawyers meant he was not planning to finalize anything today.

He knew that relying on the Vanguard Agency would ultimately spell trouble for the Martinez family.

The Martinez family was an ancient warrior lineage that came out of seclusion, but they lacked venerated elders like those in the Perez family. It was only Stellan keeping up appearances, along with Griffin, who was a rare prodigy in the arms industry.

This was the only way the Martinez family could maintain their status.

But this recent incident, almost costing them Griffin, was a clear sign that someone was targeting the Martinez family.

If they did not adapt, the road ahead would be rocky indeed!

Inside the café, Stellan sat at a table, exuding a casual vibe in his leisurewear, quite the opposite of Vivienne’s expectation of a suit and tie. His demeanor, though relaxed, carried an air of authority that demanded respect.

Griffin let go of Vivienne’s hand and led the way, introducing, “Dad, this is the Vivienne Hawthorn I told you about, and her husband, Percival Ellington.”

Stellan stood up, his face breaking into a warm smile as he extended his hand, “Mr. Ellington, Ms. Hawthorn, a pleasure to meet you both.”

“Mr. Martinez, it’s good to

they all

place, stayed quiet and busied herself with

broke the ice. “I’ve always heard from Griffin how well Ms. Hawthorn has looked after her. I apologize for not expressing my gratitude

to you, Mr. Martinez. My junior did something regrettable to your

waved off the apology. “I’ve known Leopold since he was a boy. He might be

out to make contact with Leopold’s

for years, it was impossible for him not to know the

Stellan’s words that he held Leopold in high

Leopold had already won the favor

small talk, they finally ventured into the heart of

your thoughts on the Ellington Group

fingers together, rubbing his thumbs thoughtfully. “Mr. Ellington, you must be aware of what the Martinez family specializes in. As a former deputy

but

response. “Mr. Ellington, we both know the score. Let’s be frank with

a business card. “The company that truly wants to collaborate with Martinez Tech Group is

widened in disbelief.

pouring coffee, nearly missed the cup. She looked up at

Martinez family had broken away from the ancient warrior lineages,

pressure from their ancestral lineage. At fifteen, the weight on Stellan

family was on

deal was fair. He requested a

pressure of the ancient warrior

the man was a ghost, leaving not a

yet, it turned out to be

“Mr. Martinez, my goal is quite simple: to assist you in developing the latest biochemical weapon. I can assure you that the ownership of this weapon won’t fall into

solemnly, a flicker of doubt passing