The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Brody stepped aside, his hand gently cupping Gillian’s cheek, directing her gaze toward the front door.

There, Percival and Vivienne stood, arm in arm, beaming at her with the radiant joy of a blooming bouquet.

Gillian’s eyes widened in disbelief, unable to comprehend the spectacle before her.

What on earth was happening?

Hadn’t Percival taken the bait already?

How could this be?

Where in the world was she?

With a casual wave, Percival called out to Gillian, “Don’t just hop into a stranger’s ride.”

With that, he wrapped his arm around Vivienne’s waist, and they strolled away.

Despair engulfed Gillian. It felt like she was staring into an abyss that was her life’s end.

But unbeknownst to her, dying wouldn’t be easy—not with Brody holding the reins.

Brody fished out a spray bottle from Gillian’s purse, examining it with a smirk, “Whoa, isn’t this the powerful aphrodisiac I whipped up a few years back? Just a drop, and it’ll have you in a frenzy of desire.”

Swallowing hard, Gillian glared defiantly, “What… what do you plan to do with me? I’m warning you, don’t you dare touch me!”

Brody let out a scoff. “Lady, are you for real? Even if I were desperate to hit the sack with you, you’d be the one getting lucky. Where’s this confidence coming from?”

With that, he sprayed half the bottle on Gillian’s lower body. “I’ve never seen someone that eager, and I’m curious.”

In a mere second, Gillian was writhing in agony, her cries filled with torment. It was hell.

Brody relished her suffering, his gaze shifting to the curious Calista as a wicked idea took root.

“Calista,” he said slyly, “this lady here is crazy about Percival. It’s because of her that he ditched you.”

in an instant, and she lunged at Gillian, fists flying. “Vivienne,

to reason, Gillian grabbed Calista’s hands, directing them toward

was relentless, nearly tearing Gillian

two women,

arrival in Rivenwood, she had been

now, her fate seemed

finding the spectacle immensely entertaining. “Gillian’s gonna make

Percival and Vivienne had left the YQ Research Center

reached for the car door, Percival grasped her wrist. “I’ve given this car to

such a spendthrift,”

was a recent splurge by Percival. When

tossing it along with the car keys onto the hood of

car and

“All this

nothing,” Percival insisted

for his Vivienne.

agreement. “Alright, we’ll do it

they spoke, Thomas wheeled up another car. “Mr. and Mrs. Ellington, shall

settled in when her phone rang

and she rarely received unsolicited calls. Who

at Percival, she answered on speakerphone,

it’s really you! I’m in an M

“Hand it over.”

anxious, the other frail and unsteady,

Vivienne found the second voice

“Carl?”

moment before saying, “Yes, it’s me,

dead before he could

but there

that? A sanatorium in M State? Why does that ring

perplexed. Why would Carl call her, urging her to

already started tracking Carl’s signal, pinpointing a

head out of the country now?”