The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Percival tightened his embrace, resting his forehead just above Vivienne’s brows, whispering tenderly, “Looking at my Vivienne.”

My Vivienne.

Few words in the world could send Vivienne’s heart fluttering quite like those.

She felt as if she had plunged into a pool of spring water, her entire being drenched in its soothing embrace.

Their gazes locked, neither willing to take a step closer.

In their eyes, there was only each other, each deeply etching the other’s features into their memory.

They tugged at each other, eyes speaking volumes.

Creak…

The lab door swung open, and Karen marched in, dragging Rex by the ear, the awkwardness in the room thick enough to cut with a knife.

Karen was the first to snap out of it. “Carry on, lovebirds. I’ve got a bone to pick with this good-for-nothing apprentice!”

Vivienne watched as Karen pulled Rex aside and, with a swift kick, sent him sprawling.

Meanwhile, she and Percival were still wrapped up in each other, fingers interlocked.

“Boss, your daughter’s over here making goo-goo eyes, and you’re not saying a peep? She’s underage and being seduced by an older man—aren’t you gonna do something about it?”

Rex’s outburst was swiftly silenced by Karen’s expert move.

“If you don’t spill the beans on all those toxins you’ve been cooking up over the years, you might as well forget about talking ever again.”

Karen had zero tolerance for her underlings causing trouble.

If she had known Rex was actually Brody, she would have cut him down long ago!

Vivienne pursed her lips, conceding that when it came to inner strength, her mom was unbeatable.

“Old man, gonna let go, or do you want to play a live show?” Vivienne teased, pulling away with a mischievous wink.

Percival let go, touched his nose awkwardly, and stepped forward, handing Karen a stun baton. “Master, this might come in handy.”

at the push of a button and was designed to simulate the debilitating

gave the baton a twirl. “Not

shot Percival a look of

Alright, he got it.

a feather flock together—Karen was shamelessly cunning, Percival was sly

of revenge, Percival, with Vivienne

the way, Vivienne relayed the events that had unfolded at Mara’s house to Percival, “Looks like they’re targeting the Miller family again,

said a lot, but all Percival heard was: “Something, something… Aaron saw me today, something,

“Alright, I got it.”

paused, “Got

the subject, “Thomas called me earlier and said Gillian

quick? What position?” Vivienne

on par with Vance, appointed as the new Secretary-General. Officially, she’s there to learn, but reality is she’s the main office’s eyes

Agency became a

of Rivenwood’s Vanguard Agency were Percival’s people. Even with him

from becoming entirely Percival’s domain,

the agents, they had to send Gillian, who had

clear: Rivenwood was

spy? They should’ve at least picked someone with brains like Leopold—that’s the bare minimum, and yet

someone’s praising

discern the main office’s true

Agency, Vance called a

just arrived, unfamiliar with everything around here. As the captain of the headquarters, take care of her,

up—never had he seen a former suspect become his

with the

issues there. Just focus on

begrudgingly acknowledged. “Will

of his

deeply, pondering over

recommended her—Gillian was no small

matter how he looked at it, her ties to the ancient warrior lineage

assets of the once-mighty Boyd family, an ancient warrior lineage. Now, with Patrick Ashford locked up, Gillian Ashford had managed to join the Vanguard Agency and

was hard to believe she had no connections to the

was backing

place Gillian safely within the Vanguard Agency, this person’s influence

his suburban home when he bumped into Gillian, who was on her way to deliver some

Captain Thomas,” Gillian said with a smile, unfazed