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.

daughter! No wonder I couldn’t just beat you like

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 some pretty deep medical mysteries. It’s

a knack for things that align with my thinking,

show, with no intention

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

this, Vivienne finally spoke up leisurely. “Mom, let him

released her grip, having no real intention

his shoulder. “No wonder this lab looked so familiar. I couldn’t beat you because you’re

running into Karen here, Brody would never have remembered that before he became ‘Brody,’ he had

name of Evelyn. She was busy with her own lab while leading

by Brody’s talent, she had given

know this gifted young man would

never imagined that, years later, he

I gave you coming along?”

you ask your mom? Wasn’t this

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

moved into another lab, one Brody was

smart enough to keep his potion experiments separate to avoid another

a mind of its own. It keeps changing direction with every bit of progress we make. It’s devouring the old cells and spawning new ones, like

before the potion cultures, engrossed in the phenomenon

initially thought it only had healing effects, but now it seemed that those effects were merely a prelude to cellular

was like a

keeps giving me surprises

previously discovered the potion’s healing properties and found them

kind of virus is GTO researching that could cause such a

Vivienne was deeply puzzled.

has a dual nature, saving or taking lives at the

adequately diluted,

medicines, with just a pinch of the

with reactions of healing, self-healing, regeneration, and expansion, was entirely

we imagined,” Karen mused,

Vivienne shared the sentiment.

not just