The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Richard was just about to chime in with Finnian’s train of thought when Maddox, seizing the chance to divert Fredrick’s razor-sharp glares from himself, interjected casually, “Hold up, Finnian. That’s not quite right. Our Vivienne’s just a young thing; babies are a ways off for her.”

“Exactly, my point! Vivienne’s only twenty. What’s this rush about kids?” Jasper nodded approvingly at his third son, waving his hand dismissively, “They should focus on their careers for now. Children can wait a few more years.”

Finnian is spouting nonsense again!

The family had only just reclaimed their precious lost lamb, and the score for whisking her away without so much as a by-your-leave hadn’t been settled yet. They couldn’t let Percival get too smug about it!

Leopold, shoveling down his food, glanced from one to another, then at Vivienne, whose cheeks were tinted with a fresh bloom of red.

Struck by a sudden inspiration, he blurted out, “But hey, they’re already hitched. Having kids is just a matter of time, and I bet any child of Vivienne and Percival’s will be a real looker, even prettier than the two of them.”

Silence fell like a curtain as he finished speaking. All eyes converged on Leopold.

Leopold shivered, “Did I, uh, say something wrong?”

Richard was the first to recover, “Wrong? Absolutely not. You nailed it, buddy. I’m right there with you, Leopold!”

Jasper opened his mouth to argue, but his brain, traitorously, continued along Leopold’s line of thought.

Well, it did make a sort of sense.

Their Vivienne was a dead ringer for Sasha, a real beauty, and that Ellington boy wasn’t too hard on the eyes either.

Wouldn’t their child be the cutest kid on the planet?

Jasper’s eyes sparked to life in an instant.

Meanwhile, a few aunts and uncles stared at their suddenly swayed father, on the verge of tears.

Yuri quietly sipped his drink, his gaze drifting noncommittally over to Percival.

Vivienne’s lips twitched, wondering how the conversation had veered back to procreation so quickly.

and glanced at Percival, “Mr.

“Vivienne, don’t worry. We can

urge to roll her

is one thing, but why was Mr. Wolf acting up

the disdain and frustration in the girl’s eyes, Percival’s gaze softened, and he ruffled Vivienne’s hair

elders’ plans weren’t important right now. They were still busy with a laundry list of

them to set up their own department, and while he and Vivienne had drafted a list of potential members, they hadn’t finalized their

lineage, not to mention that mysterious woman—none of these issues

that Karen hadn’t awakened, and Vivienne’s

to be carefully planned, to be held in the presence

into his eyes and smiled,

seemed to understand what was

…

Kaitlyn’s villa, the night

low-key black Porsche pulled into the

warm, yellow streetlights, the car approached Kaitlyn’s home at a

the engine cut off, Victoria stepped out, assisted by her assistant

took in the sprawling villa, bathed in cozy light, and removed

nodded, “According to our intel, yes. It seems like Vivienne found them this place. They haven’t been here long. Vivienne’s men were guarding the place, keeping us from finding it. But recently, their security seems to have slackened.

didn’t realize Vivienne held Kaitlyn in such high

the stairs with her heels clicking, arriving just as the Littleton

last dish on the table, heard the doorbell and wondered,

Hawthorn?” Tyler wheeled himself

dashed from the kitchen, “Dad, let me get it. I’ll see if

a response, she hurried to the

indulgent and worried gaze, Amelia swung open the

short as she saw who

“Amelia, come here!”

“Amelia!”