The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Willa took a bite of the salad and asked nonchalantly, “I don’t see the link.”

“But there is!”

Karen exhaled heavily and pinched Willa’s cheek. “Didn’t Dad drill it into you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper that you can’t be picky, that you can’t just eat the steak and ignore the salad? Because that’s just common sense, it’s the basics, it’s about not being wasteful.”

Willa nodded, confused. “Isn’t that how it should be?”

“But what if you just don’t like the salad? If you don’t want to eat it, then don’t. Not everything you do has to please Dad, nor does every action have to benefit the Perez family before you decide to do it. Everything you do should make you happy, got it?”

Willa sort of got it, but not really. She had always told herself that whatever happened, she needed to put the interests of the Perez family first.

The only time she ever went against Jasper’s wishes was when she had to leave the Perez family because of the F-Poison incident.

But technically, it was still for the benefit of the Perez family.

This mindset had become deeply ingrained in Willa.

Karen’s sudden outburst today left her at a loss.

What were the things that she actually liked?

Seeing Willa’s puzzled and lost gaze, Karen didn’t press on. She knew Willa had to figure it out on her own.

Some things are buried deep in the heart and aren’t so easily rooted out, especially for someone as stubborn as Willa.

Coming to a real understanding would take time.

“Alright, chew on that for a while. I’ll give this notebook to Frost. If there’s anything else, go straight to her.”

As Karen got up to leave, Willa grabbed her wrist. “Sasha, where are you going?”

Willa, with a keen sense, sensed a farewell in Karen’s demeanor. Her eyes held a tightness as if Karen would disappear the next second.

Jasper had just welcomed her back; where could she be going now?

Karen patted Willa’s hand gently, as light as a spring breeze.

I’m not going

didn’t know what Karen was planning, but she guessed it involved going somewhere very,

Karen wouldn’t have said what

grip firm, her eyes resolute as

Frost is going to treat my memory loss after-effects. Maybe by the next time we

before her deep voice finally broke the

denied nor confirmed. Danger was not an absolute

“I’m not

had no

had said she’d live to a ripe old

She believed him!

didn’t say anything more. She understood that Karen had her thoughts and decisions, and once

slowly

the steak from the

front of her with only a

watching her. “Eat up if you like it. Have

so lost in her thoughts that she had completely

darted back,

quick on her heels,

paid

steak house owner grabbed him. “Maddox, you can’t dine

you have to do

second, Willa would have

owner snorted and said, “Fredrick already told me you’re a gambling addict and a womanizer, too. Seeing

almost wished he could skin Fredrick alive. This was no way to spread rumors about

owner’s hands. “From now on,

Maddox and said with a

However, on the

when he had the chance to see her again, she slipped away.

Mansion, Karen and Vivienne were accompanying Jasper, who was

eyeing Karen, had a look of woe on his face. He

took it upon herself to clean up, sending

ladies started a game of poker, roping

was challenging Luke to a sparring match,