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

and the red-clad woman gone – he

thought I

looked at him and wanted to punch him out

of familiarity as if they had met before. The mention of having held Vivienne as a child had also piqued

face under the

disguise; they wouldn’t dare show

up. “Vivienne, she mentioned

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

Wolf, it’s time to

returning home without having completed their mission.

“Okay,” Percival nodded.

cause a problem. After all, they had deliberately

here in M State? Apart from being

and Percival:

You get used to

was the first time Vivienne had encountered such tactics. The silver needles from her

for Larry, and a severely shaken Huxley,

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

torture! But when I almost lost it, she suddenly brought me to this sanatorium, where I found Carl.

hiding the look

you want to come back with

Huxley replied without

lips curved in a

roar of private jets could be heard outside. The uncles peeked out to see two sleek private

ask, “Just two planes? How will we all

head back first. In a

Everyone was puzzled.