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.

head, too, indicating

waking and finding familiar faces – and the red-clad woman gone – he

I was a

wanted to punch him

of familiarity as if they had met before.

The face under

disguise; they wouldn’t

she

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

“Mr. Wolf, it’s time to head home. Some

they were returning home without having completed their mission. Were they just going to leave the woman

“Okay,” Percival nodded.

exactly going to cause a problem. After all, they had deliberately allowed some things to happen

M State? Apart from being third wheels, what else did we accomplish?”

Percival:

You get used

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

for Larry, and a severely shaken Huxley,

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

with those maniacs was hell! It was torture! But when I almost lost it, she suddenly brought me to this sanatorium, where I found Carl. You

lowered, hiding

you want to come back with

Huxley replied

in a mysterious smile. “Alright

be heard outside. The

couldn’t help but ask, “Just two planes? How will we

first. In a day,

Everyone was puzzled.