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!"

in pain, Dracon managed to shake his head, 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 to lose my

grip tightening. "You should have been

"Why? Why am I the one to go? When you and

things running smoothly at home, could you have

of it? When you drugged our father, did you think I wouldn't

Dracon had underestimated the

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 ally, being privy to his

to overshadow him at every turn. His attempt to sabotage Arthu and Sasha's wedding was a misguided effort

doomed. from

core principle of the Linklater family ethos, "What is our

whispered, "Together in glory,

this path

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

marry into the Linklaters. Better yet, he thought, to take Vivienne and get the hell away

But he failed.