The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

When Vivienne and Percival turned to look again, the woman in red had vanished without a trace.

Vivienne wanted to chase after her, but Percival grabbed her wrist. “Vivienne, let it go. She hasn’t shown us her full hand yet.”

Even for Vivienne and Percival, it had been a stalemate at best. If they pursued her, their chances of victory were slim.

Besides, their main reason for coming to M State was to rescue people, and now that they had, their mission was complete. However, they still hadn’t figured out why the puppet master behind this charade had gone to such lengths.

Vivienne peered in the direction the red-clad woman had disappeared, her gaze murky and unreadable.

Atop a nearby hill, the woman in red stood, her eyes fixed on the scene below where she could see Vivienne’s group.

Lucky for her, she had packed a smoke grenade, which briefly obscured their vision, allowing her a swift escape.

It had been years, and it was time for her to return to Veridia.

She scoffed disdainfully, snapped her fan shut, and walked away. “Wait for it. We’ll meet again.”

…

Elsewhere.

Huxley had fainted from fright during the scuffle and was now jabbed awake by Vivienne’s needle.

“You guys alright?” Vivienne asked, looking toward Larry and Carl.

Larry, clutching his chest, replied, “Vivienne, we’re fine.”

He had sustained some injuries, but they weren’t a big deal for him.

his head, too, indicating he was

was a different story. Upon waking and finding familiar faces – and the red-clad woman gone – he knew he had been saved

I was a

him and wanted to punch him out of frustration but

woman had given him an odd sense of familiarity as if they had met before. The mention of having held Vivienne as a child had also piqued his curiosity. However, he combed through his memory

under the mask

they wouldn’t dare show their

“Vivienne, she

part of which was to investigate Samantha’s whereabouts. Instead, he ended

Wolf, it’s

uncles were full of questions, wondering why they were returning home without having completed their mission. Were they just going

“Okay,” Percival nodded.

control except for the woman in red. However, she was not exactly going to cause a problem. After all, they had deliberately allowed some things to happen so they

State? Apart from being third wheels, what else did

and Percival: Don’t blame

get used to

had been bizarre, and this was the first time Vivienne had encountered such tactics. The silver needles from her fan were coated in a deadly poison, which would have required her some time

examining them and finding only minor injuries, a cracked rib for Larry, and a severely shaken Huxley, Vivienne addressed the latter, “Didn’t F-Poison capture you?

“I have no idea! Back then, Mom lost everything for that man, leaving my sister and I with only each other to depend

was hell! It was torture! But when I almost lost it, she suddenly brought me to this sanatorium,

see.” Vivienne’s eyelids lowered, hiding the look in her

you want to come back with us?”

Huxley replied

a mysterious

could be heard outside. The uncles

two planes? How

In a day, someone will

Everyone was puzzled.