The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Dracon shook his head in panic, knowing all too well why he was here, yet hoping against hope that his actions could somehow be justified.

Arthur advanced on him, grabbing Dracon by the shirt and glaring with such fury that it seemed to emanate the dominance of someone born to lead. "It was you! You're the one who gave Alyssa that voice recorder!"

Caught in Arthur's iron grip, Dracon's face was a mask of terror. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he stammered, "Bro, please... I just... I lost my head for a moment. Please, let me off this time..."

But excuses would do Dracon no good; not when Arthur was this enraged.

He shouldn't have voluntarily entered the Linklater family's surveillance room.

Had he heeded the warnings, he wouldn't have been caught so swiftly-like a moth drawn to flame, he had sealed his own fate.

Sasha approached, her presence commanding. "Besides the voice recorder, what else did you give Alyssa?"

Dracon's eyes darted away, caught off guard by her insight. But before he could react further, Arthur's fist connected with his face, numbing his cheek and drawing blood from the corner of his mouth. His legs trembled beneath him.

Arthur's voice was a low growl, barely containing his rage. "My wife asked you a question. Answer her!"

his voice trembling. "I... I

eyes pleaded with Arthur, begging for mercy he knew wouldn't come. "Please, don't tell Dad... He'd disown me, and I... I don't want

"You should have been cast out of the Linklater family long

anger. "Why? Why am I the one to go? When you and Hector were away, I was the one who kept this

If not for me keeping things running smoothly at home, could you have pursued your battles without a second

drugged our father, did you think I wouldn't find out? If not for Dad's

Dracon had underestimated the

his own family. The secret of his betrayal wasn't as well-kept as he'd believed, with even Vivienne, the renowned Specter Heafer and Arthur's

family that seemed to overshadow him at every turn. His attempt to sabotage Arthu and Sasha's wedding was a misguided effort to claim a place of

that was doomed.

cold and unyielding, posed a final question, highlighting the core principle of the Linklater family ethos,

in shame, whispered,

chose this

was Dracon's only reply, a silence filled with the weight of his actions driven by a deep-seated need for validation-a need that had led him to the brink of ruin within the

no way he could let Sasha marry into the Linklaters. Better yet,

But he failed.