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.

in surprise, “Mom? You two are mother and daughter! No wonder

boy’s got talent. Met him on a mission once, and with a bit of guidance, he was able to unlock some pretty deep medical mysteries. It’s just

a knack for things that align with

back, enjoying the show, with no intention of intervening on

with a gloomy expression, “Vivienne, I’ve got something to tell you. Can you—can your

“Mom, let him go. I’ve got

her grip, having no real intention

I couldn’t beat you

not for running into Karen here, Brody would never have remembered that before he became ‘Brody,’ he had interned in a lab

then, Karen went under the name of Evelyn. She was busy with her own lab while leading a

had given him a few

gifted young man would one day steal her

that, years later, he would run into the daughter of

the task I gave you coming along?”

ask your mom? Wasn’t this what she was

Vivienne’s potion stemmed from his experience in Karen’s lab, and back then, he

moved into another lab, one Brody

was smart enough to keep his potion experiments separate to avoid another

keeps changing direction with every bit of progress we make. It’s devouring the old cells and

before the potion cultures, engrossed in the

effects, but now it seemed that those effects were merely

like

frowned. “This thing keeps

found them odd. But now,

is GTO researching that could cause such

Vivienne was deeply puzzled.

has a dual nature, saving or taking lives at

poisons, adequately diluted, could become

a pinch of the wrong substance, could turn into deadly

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

deeper than we imagined,” Karen mused,

Vivienne shared the sentiment.

was not just to develop something akin to a