The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Yorick sat at the head of the table, with space for four on one side. Arthur and Sasha, along with Percival and Vivienne, naturally chose to sit together, leaving the four seats on the opposite side momentarily empty.

Before long, Dracon and Hector Linklater entered together, even Hector, the seldom-seen youngest Linklater, had made it back for dinner tonight.

Vivienne's gaze landed on Dracon subtly. Her sources had recently informed her that Dracon had been busy searching for something outside. She was quite curious about what Dracon was looking for and whether he would find it. She wondered if Abigail would be dragged into this.

As soon as Dracon entered, he nervously chuckled, "Bro, Dad, I just bumped into our youngest as soon as I walked in. What a coincidence."

Yorick responded with a heavy silence, "Let's all sit down. Call Hailey down, let's have dinner together."

Hailey descended the stairs gracefully, taking her seat to Yorick's right. Her piercing gaze swept across each member of the Linklater family. Upon noticing Percival, her eyebrows furrowed, creating deep lines on her face, her voice low and displeased, "This is a family dinner, and the first meal I have upon returning, and there's a stranger among us."

Her comment instantly quieted the atmosphere. Vivienne's eyes shot a chilly glance, as sharp as a knife, "Let me introduce, Percival, my husband."

This was the first time Vivienne had publicly referred to Percival as her husband instead of Mr. Wolf. A simple title, which she never thought much of, but if someone was looking for trouble, she wasn't going to indulge them.

Hailey scoffed indifferently, her gaze darkening as she looked at Vivienne, "You rush to his defense with just one word from me. If the Linklater family ever faces trouble, are you going to side with him completely?"

"Enough!" Yorick's voice interrupted, "I gathered you all for a meal, not to argue. Percival and Vivienne are married; they're family now. And there's another important matter. I'm planning to set a date this week for Arthur and Sasha's wedding!"

wedding day, every member of the

the tension with a polite gesture. He poured himself a glass of wine and toasted to Arthur and Sasha. Arthur downed his drink in one go, "That's my brother!" Dracon, feeling awkward as Arthur's words seemed to exclude him, tried to dispel his irritation by also standing and toasting Arthur. Arthur reciprocated with a cheerful

chopsticks to offer Sasha a dish, then served Percival and Yorick, turning to Sasha casually, "Mom, Mr. Wolf and I were discussing a case. A woman in Rivenwood had her heart ripped out, and the

with concern, "When did you find

don't know if it's the first case in Rivenwood or if there are

for

what I was thinking. Mom, be careful out there, it's

Dracon, who suddenly felt nauseous at the conversation. Were Vivienne and Sasha doing this on

at the

Dracon's glare towards his wife and daughter, Arthur's mood soured,

Arthur's cold tone, managed to stammer,

some greens and washing it down with

muttered, "We were having a nice dinner, and you had to bring up heart removal. Who could eat after that? Why blame Dracon?" Arthur raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly mocking,

back, silently agreeing, feeling outmatched

by the squabbles, changed the subject, "Arthur, have you and

"Dad, we've almost decided. I really

your wedding sorted out as soon as possible. It'll put my mind at ease, after all, the Linklaters have