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,

– and the red-clad

I was a

and wanted to punch him out of frustration but

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 but found

face under the

are masters of disguise; they wouldn’t

up. “Vivienne, she mentioned Samantha. What’s that

a solo mission from Vivienne, part of which was to investigate Samantha’s whereabouts. Instead, he ended up being the one kidnapped, a humiliating turn of events

“Mr. Wolf, it’s time to head

having completed their mission. Were they just going to leave the woman

“Okay,” Percival nodded.

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 could

here in M State? Apart from being third wheels, what else

Percival: Don’t blame

You get used

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

for Larry, and a severely shaken Huxley, Vivienne addressed the latter, “Didn’t F-Poison capture you? How

began. “I have no idea! Back then, Mom lost everything for that man, leaving my sister and I with only each other to depend on. Later, I was captured, and F-Poison dumped me

she suddenly

Vivienne’s eyelids lowered, hiding the look

want to come back with us?” She

Huxley replied without

curved in a

roar of private jets could be heard outside. The uncles peeked out

ask, “Just two

“Uncles, Vivienne and I will head back first. In

Everyone was puzzled.