The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Everyone was absolutely floored by Vivienne's audacious move.

But Arthur? He was thrilled!

His daughter had given an order, and he was determined to see it through.

"Listen up, everyone!" he announced. "Ladies to carry a weight of 10 pounds, gents 20 pounds, and we're going to do an extreme cross-country run along the Rivenwood suburb roads, back and forth to the Perez household for a total of 12 miles!"

The Perez family just stared, dumbfounded.

What in the world were this father-daughter duo thinking?

20 pounds and a cross-country run?

And with added weight?

On one hand?

Did they think they were immortal beings or something?

This was going to kill them if it didn't leave them half-dead!

Seeing the Perez family unmoved, Arthur couldn't issue commands like he might in his squad, so he approached Jasper with a low voice, "Dad! Vivienne seems serious. Let's just go along with it, otherwise, who knows what she'll concoct next if we don't?"

Jasper glanced at Vivienne, unsure of what had gotten into her, but preferring the cross-country challenge to any unpredictable antics, he declared, "Let's do as Vivienne wishes!"

There was no arguing once the head of the Perez family had spoken. Everyone scrambled to fill their backpacks with items weighing exactly 10 or 20 pounds, then lined up and started running!

Vivienne, meanwhile, found a long bamboo stick and hopped into a car, sternly instructing the driver, "Follow them closely!"

Maddox, jogging beside Percival, looked back at Vivienne and whispered, "What did you do to Vivienne?"

Percival responded with a heavy silence, "...Nothing!"

"Why is she acting this way then?" Maddox was baffled. A perfectly fine day, and suddenly they're subjected to an extreme run?

felt like a death

hadn't even had the chance

number, but with no response, he then called Leopold

answered, "What's

me," Percival spoke in a

number, "Percival? Why are you calling me with Vivienne's

has us doing an extreme run out

a loss, "I've got no

when I mentioned Vivienne drinking. Maybe he knows something,"

Percival confirmed, "Around

12 miles now, who knows what's next? I better get out of here before she remembers me," Leopold said, hastily gathering

before abruptly hanging

the Emerald Mountain brotherhood chat, Leopold dropped

was, "Damn, what are we waiting

his phone in disbelief. He'd been with Vivienne long enough but had never seen her drink,

feeling a headache

everything, grimaced,

Percival sighed, "Yes."

Maddox groaned, as they all trudged on,

a call to Shane, "Get some cars and people over here; we need to stop

complied without

into Vivienne's, causing just enough damage to stop it

Shane and Dante approached,

the

having none of it.

ve

them, leaving

embarrass themselves in public.

already conveyed to him, albeit discreetly, to keep Vivienne from going further, out of concern for Arthur's

Though confused by Vivienne's