The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

In an instant, Brody’s mind raced with countless ways to make a break for it, his feet itching to bolt.

Unfortunately for him, in Vivienne’s grasp, there was no chance of escape.

“Blowing up my lab now, huh? Living a little too comfortably these days, aren’t we?” Vivienne said, her grip firm on Brody’s shoulder, patting his head like he was a naughty puppy.

Brody glared at Vivienne and retorted, “Cut me some slack, Specter Healer! I was just experimenting!”

“You’ve got some nerve!” Vivienne raised her hand, poised to strike again.

A real man knows when to fold. Brody, raising his hands to his ears, shouted, “Okay, okay, I was wrong!”

Only then did Vivienne relax her stance.

On the sidelines, Karen chuckled. “You must be Brody, right?”

Hearing her, Brody shot Karen an impatient look, “Yes, and who might you be? Have we met…”

He took a closer look at Karen and realized something about her face seemed familiar. Suddenly, his eyes widened in recognition. “It’s you! You’re Evelyn!”

Vivienne was taken aback, not expecting Brody to know her mother.

Karen just smiled at Brody, her gaze filled with an enigmatic meaning as she stepped forward and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “Still as impolite as ever, huh? Don’t you know how to greet your master properly?”

As she finished her words, a sharp pain shot through Brody’s shoulder, causing him to buckle under her grip.

Vivienne was even more surprised.

Since when had her mother become Brody’s master?

But Brody was wise enough to know when to give in. He wailed, “Master, I’m sorry! I was wrong!”

“You’re sorry? Stealing my research papers, running off with lab secrets, do you think a simple apology is enough?” Karen’s gaze was fierce, her grip tightening.

Brody’s body was nearly doubled over, powerless to resist, like a lamb in the grip of a lioness.

“Mom, since when did he become your disciple?” Vivienne asked with a hint of amusement.

two are mother and daughter! No wonder

snorted with laughter. “The boy’s got talent. Met him on a mission once, and with a bit of guidance, he was able to unlock

wonder he seemed to have a knack for things that align with my

enjoying the show, with no

expression, “Vivienne, I’ve got something to tell you.

“Mom, let him go. I’ve got a job

released her grip, having no real intention

shoulder. “No wonder this lab looked so familiar. I couldn’t beat

have remembered that before

under the name of Evelyn. She was busy with her own lab

she had given him a few

gifted young man would one

imagined that, years later, he would run

I gave you coming along?”

breath. “Why don’t you ask your mom? Wasn’t this

his experience in Karen’s

moved into another lab, one

smart enough to keep his potion experiments separate to avoid

it seems this thing has a mind of its own. It keeps changing direction with every bit of progress we make. It’s devouring the

Karen crouched before the potion cultures, engrossed in the phenomenon Brody

but now it seemed that those effects were merely a prelude to

was like

keeps giving me surprises

properties and found them odd. But now, this reaction

of virus is GTO researching that could cause such a

Vivienne was deeply puzzled.

remedy in the world has a dual nature, saving or taking lives at the flick

poisons, adequately diluted, could become

medicines, with just a pinch of the wrong

the potion before them, with reactions of healing, self-healing, regeneration,

might be deeper than we imagined,” Karen mused, her

Vivienne shared the sentiment.

not just