The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

At the airline headquarters, Vivienne and Connor entered one after the other, the staff bustling about their tasks with practiced ease. Greetings were exchanged with subtle nods before everyone resumed their work. Connor led the way to his office, opening the door and half-stepping aside for Vivienne to enter, catching the hint of surprise on her face with a small, knowing smile. "I've got a surprise for you. Aren't you coming in?" Vivienne, masking her curiosity with indifference, stepped into the office.

Connor moved to his desk, retrieving a black box and placing it before her. "I know you've been after the original surveillance footage from that flight Mr. Wolf was on five years ago. Without digging into it yourself, how could you ever be at peace?" Vivienne looked at the black box, her expression unreadable yet intense.

Indeed.

Her agreement to partner with Connor was primarily driven by her desire to find the original footage of Mr. Wolf's last moments on that ill-fated flight.

She had obtained the video shortly after the incident, but it only contained the last few minutes of audio before the crash - the rapid descent, the chaotic noise, and then... the explosion.

The crash site was discovered three days later. To avoid drawing attention, Vivienne led a team there herself.

Hovering over the deep sea in a helicopter, she was greeted by the vast emptiness, with only white fragments of the plane floating on the surface. No islands in sight for a possible crash landing, and with the deep sea rendering their equipment useless, the chances of finding survivors were slim to none.

But Vivienne refused to give up hope.

Connor connected the black box to the computer, standing up to give Vivienne some space. "No one will disturb you without my say-so."

As the door closed, Vivienne took a moment to glance outside before sitting down at the computer. The audio, now fully decrypted, was complete and extensive. The only difference from five years ago was that she could now hear Mr. Wolf's voice, albeit briefly. Those few words sent a shiver down her spine.

For five years, she hadn't forgotten, not for a single day.

what he had discovered back then. Vivienne couldn't forgive him, even though she understood his reasons. He knew how long it took her to recover from her mother's supposed death, yet he chose this path, sacrificing

through the headphones made her wince, but she thought she heard a different voice, calling out a name.

re-entered the office as Vivienne removed her headphones, asking, "What

hacked our system.

now displaying an error message. As an investor in the company, she felt compelled to act but Connor's

the keyboard. Within minutes, the hustle and bustle outside

approached him, "What's

control, but it'll take some time to recover the data. If you're not in a hurry, there's a great diner

up to leave; she wasn't in the mood for food

me yesterday, Vivienne. Are

paused, considering

took her to a local

bustling headquarters they had just left "Hey, boss Two of your

an eyebrow in silent protest,

meal on the house. As they waited, Vivienne observed the simple yet comforting setting, a stark

seem to know this place well," Vivienne commented, picking

took me a while to find a place that felt like home. This diner is one of those rare finds for

chose to ignore

the Boyd family lived

a playful spark in his eyes. "Are you curious about me or