The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne had no patience left for pointless interactions, so she turned on her heel and walked away.

Hailey was left standing there, mouth agape in shock, unable to react before Vivienne, the spirited young woman, had already left her behind. How could she face anyone now?

Her face flushed with indignation as she huffed with frustration, looking desperately towards Yorick for some form of justice.

Yorick, seated comfortably in an armchair, fixed Hailey with a serious look. "Hailey, you're not getting any younger. You've just returned, and you're already picking fights with the younger generation? Thank goodness this is within the Linklater family. If this had been public, it would've been the talk of the town."

"Family is family. We should stick together through thick and thin."

With those words of wisdom, Yorick added before leaving, "And let me be clear, this isn't just for Hailey. This goes for every member of the Linklater family. Take it to heart!"

Arthur and Sasha nodded in agreement.

Dracon, standing off to the side, his expression a mix of emotions, suddenly felt guilty as if his grandfather had seen through his facade. Thus, he pretended to agree fervently with Yorick's words, and Cassidy, somewhat convinced, nodded along too.

As Vivienne left the grand entrance of the Linklater estate, she pulled out her car keys, ready to drive to Rivenwood to a boutique she had her eyes on for some time. She planned to order a pair of custom- made diamond rings there.

Her stomach betrayed her with its growls, reminding her she had skipped breakfast at the Linklater household. She stopped at a corner where a few breakfast joints beckoned.

perhaps a hand-held pie? I also have some homemade eight-treasure porridge," offered an elderly

by the aroma and sight of the eight-treasure porridge, noticing it contained lotus seeds. "Do you have a

first customer today, there are a couple of chairs over

eating, and ordered a hand-held pie with egg but no green onions, and

a pair of

extra slices for Vivienne, flipping the vegetables slightly for a bit more cook, adding a fried egg, and garnishing with special salad dressing and ketchup before rolling it up and delivering it personally

the attention, Vivienne thanked her and suggested, "I can fetch the porridge myself, no need

all. I see you're busy. Are those ring designs on your phone?" Vivienne nodded, not minding as she showed the designs to the

woman studied the designs intently. "The one on the left is the lady's ring, right? And the

for me, and the right one is for my fiancé,

the lady's ring could use more diamonds around the band, spaced just a bit. The main diamond should

epiphany in Vivienne, who then inquired if the lady had

to her past as a jewelry designer and shared a tale

Their conversation, surrounded by

the warmth of shared stories,

the

generations, bound

complexities of love.

Vivienne nodded, visibly moved.