The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne was no stranger to using her imagination. She rummaged through her bag and handed Aaron a stack of papers. “I need the final product in three days. Get it done.”

Aaron accepted the papers, and to his surprise, they contained plans for a state-of-the-art camera system made from transparent crystal material. If installed as the eyes of a bionic robot, they would be indistinguishable from human eyes!

“I assure you, the task will be completed.”

This was Aaron’s first mission since joining the Nine Mystics Society, and he could not afford to take it lightly.

He had to nail it to impress Vivienne and to prove that he, not Percival, was her most capable assistant.

“Good.” Vivienne nodded, watching Aaron’s confident demeanor.

This was his chance to prove himself, and whether he succeeded or failed, she would finally be able to flush out the traitor.

The reason she had tasked Aaron was to test him, to ensure he was not naively treating the Society like some kind of adventure game.

As Vivienne prepared to leave, Aaron opened his mouth to speak when a deep, magnetic voice called out from ahead.

“Vivienne, I’m here.”

Both Vivienne and Aaron looked up, their expressions changing. Vivienne was elated. Aaron, on the other hand, was clearly annoyed.

“Mr. Wolf! Did you bring the strawberry cheesecake?” Vivienne ran over like a schoolgirl, throwing herself into Percival’s arms, her eyes lighting up at the thought of her favorite treat.

Percival chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Don’t you want to see me instead of just eyeing the cheesecake?”

cheesecake made by Mr.

not wait to dig into the cheesecake, and the stoic Percival unwrapped it for her to

sun cast its dying light across the playground, the

Vivienne’s profile as she savored each bite of the cheesecake, while the one he had waited half an hour in line to purchase sat abandoned

cake box before fading away, along with Aaron’s

at his futile

the scene unfold, a slow smile creeping across

methodically eating the strawberry cheesecake he had bought. The cloying sweetness

coffee.“I heard the campus

iced coffee. Though he had not spent much time with Mara, their

this about a

cake and popping it into her mouth. “You and Kenneth, man. The gaming ace and the future finance mogul, the ideal boyfriend, inheriting a fortune. You guys are always together, and people are shipping you two together,

“What’s all

the campus gossip, I guess. I knew about it on my first day. The

at all the confessions. People are saying if you

nothing between us. If anything, he’s

help but laugh at Aaron’s flushed face. “I know you guys are just bros, but it’s fun for

secret

painful. No amount of strawberry cheesecake could cure that kind of

having

If you want, I’m here to

did not

She’s been my entire youth, but she doesn’t like me

know how to get her to notice me. It feels

You’re outstanding, but Percival is many times more outstanding,” Mara thought silently, though