The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Gillian screamed, her voice edged with sheer terror, “Are you out of your mind? You’re in the car too, Mara!”

Panic clawed at her, urging her to leap from the speeding vehicle, but courage failed her.

As the car hurtled towards the end of the winding mountain road, Gillian curled up in the backseat, bracing for impact.

A jarring symphony of rubber grinding against asphalt pierced the air. Gillian’s head slammed against the seat, her forehead instantly blossoming with a bruise.

Mara exhaled a long sigh of relief, casting a scornful glance back at Gillian. “Scared now?”

“Just go off and die by yourself; don’t drag me into it!” In a fit of rage, Gillian hurled her purse squarely at Mara’s face.

Mara, now prizing her beauty more than ever, caught sight of the incoming assault and immediately yanked at Gillian’s hair, snarling, “Dare to mar my face? I’ll make sure yours isn’t worth keeping!”

Gillian let out a piercing shriek.

And so, the two women grappled inside the car, exchanging blows and pulling hair—an unseemly spectacle.

Exhausted and breathless, they eventually stopped, both bearing the marks of their skirmish, neither having gained the upper hand.

Touching up her makeup in the mirror, Gillian said, “If you’d actually swallowed vitamins, Vivienne would have caught on in a heartbeat. She’s the Specter Healer, and with her all-knowing mom, those two are sharper than anyone. You’d be the first to go if you slipped up.”

Mara scoffed. “You could’ve warned me. I would’ve taken less. You’re just looking to get rid of me!”

Gillian couldn’t be bothered to argue. “I’ll be transferring to Rivenwood soon. You’ll have to play along with a few more of my performances, so don’t forget.”

With a cold snort, Mara started the car and drove away. She would have never kept up this charade with Gillian if it were not for her thirst for vengeance. Once that was quenched, she would be the first to kill this bitch and drop her and Vivienne into the pigsty!

Her thoughts mirrored Mara’s—each plotting the demise

dropped Karen off at the Perez Mansion and then headed

was bustling with the energy of youth—students engaged in sports, romance, and lively chatter. Only Aaron was in his dorm, bombarding Kenneth

you have your own dorm? If you’re

at his wit’s end. His own dorm was

latest season’s game on his tablet, paid no mind to

Damn! With those reactions, how do you

about to explode in frustration

the sight of Vivienne’s name, the irritation

the university that day because Vivienne had said

answered the call, grabbed a cake from the fridge, and dashed out, leaving Kenneth no time

sat up, considering Aaron’s words,

Elite University’s

the steps, observing the couples

Elite University, her classmates treated her like

those days, she realized how mundane college life

panting and sweaty, clutching a strawberry cheesecake that had miraculously survived the run, save for one berry that had fallen

cake, noting the lost berry. “Still lacking finesse, Aaron?

Aaron’s nerves. “I’m sorry, Vivienne. I’ll be more careful next

best. Any slip-up could be fatal. If

was harsh, not out of cruelty, but because, as the new head of the Miller family, Aaron was a target of GTO. The Nine Mystics Society had already

Miller family soon, he would be swallowed by its undertow—a puppet emperor unfit

head, guilt flashing in his eyes.

I’ll have Draven step up your training. And if I see you like

see you next, Vivienne, I’ll have surpassed Percival,” Aaron blurted out his innermost