The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Sasha nodded in agreement, her face a mask of nonchalance. Even though she was concerned, she didn't want to delve deeper

into the issue, especially with Daphne still under the weather. There was no need to burden her with more worries.

Pointing to the bowl of soup on the table, Sasha mentioned, "I've had someone whip up a fresh batch for you. Best not to touch this

one, someone wille to take care of it."

Daphne nodded weakly, her voice barely above a whisper, "If it weren't for the captain swinging by today, | reckon | might've been

a goner."

Sasha reassured her, urging her to take it easy and focus on her recovery. "As long as you're under the Linklater family's roof, no

one's going to lay a finger on you," she promised, before turning to leave.

She had only taken a few steps when she heard someone call out to her.

Anna emerged from the house, her voice laced with concern as she asked, "Karen, how's Vivienne doing?"

Anna had been cooped up at the Linklater's without venturing out, but even from within, she could sense the tension brewing.

It was clear to her that Vivienne must have encountered sdanger.

Sasha offered aforting smile, assuring her, "She's fine, don't you worry. Just focus on looking after your mom. Vivienne's got

Percival by her side."

Relieved by the news, Anna bit her lip in a silent nod.

Just as Sasha was about to leave, she noticed two pots of geraniums by her feet, plants that she hadn't spotted in the dim light

earlier.

Curiosity piqued, she casually asked, "Anna, why are these flowers out here?"

Anna glanced back inside, "Mom's been feeling a bit stuffy lately, couldn't stand the smell, so we moved them outside."

Sasha acknowledged with a nod, saying she'd have someone see to them later, then waved Anna off, insisting she didn't need to

be escorted out.

The next day, Vivienne woke up to the sound of Mr. Wolf softly speaking into his phone, catching only a fragment of his

conversation, "If grandpa needs us, Vivienne and | will be there."

The mention of ‘grandpa’ instantly made Vivienne realize he was referring to Yorick.

Post-call, Vivienne inquired, "Mr. Wolf, what's happened to grandpa?"

Percival turned to her, a solemn look on his face, "Your mom called to say, grandpa was poisoned last night and hasn't woken up

since."

Vivienne's expression hardened, "What happened?"

Percival recounted the poison incident at the Linklater estate from the night before, an event Vivienne was bound to hear about

from others sooner or later.

Thankfully, the poison was detected early, preventing widespread harm.

"Someone dared to poison the Linklater family!" Vivienne seethed with quiet fury. "They're courting death!"

Percival explained his suspicions, "With several prominent families facing troubles one after the other, it's clear she's trying to

throw us into disarray, to catch us off-guard and ensnare us in her trap."

Vivienne narrowed her eyes, her resolve firm, "She's playing a dangerous game, not considering whether she'll live to see it

through."

Percival shared her sentiments but stressed the importance of her health, especially given her pregnancy.

"Right now, your and the kids' safety is what matters most," he insisted.

Vivienne understood his concerns but couldn't help wondering, "If we don't act, who will be her next target?"

A cold glint passed through Percival's eyes.

From a broader perspective, the families of Rivenwood were all significant, but at the heart of it all was Vivienne.

If these families weren't enough to provoke her into action, then someone close to her would be next, as the Linklaters had shown.

Someone was explicitly forcing her hand.

It was obvious who was behind it.

Percival's grip tightened on her hand, his tone earnest, "Vivienne, promise me, no matter what happens, you won't stray from my

side."

Vivienne nodded, knowing well that Mr. Wolf would always stand by her.

"Mr. Wolf, didn't the master say our child would arrive safely?"

Trying to ease his worries, Vivienne reminded him of the master's predictions, not realizing it only deepened Percival's concerns.

Finnian had divined their future before leaving, assuring a safe birth for their child. However, he'd also warned Percival to remain

vigilantly by Vivienne's side, particularly during these crucial months, emphasizing the danger Abigail posed to Vivienne alone,

especially with the Millennia Aegis shard in her possession.

"Mr. Wolf?" Vivienne's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"I've been craving your strawberry cheesecake," she said, a hint of a smile on her lips.

Percival chuckled, tapping her nose, "I'll get right on it."

As he left to fulfill her request, Vivienne reached for her phone, considering a call to her mother. But realizing her mother had only

contacted Mr. Wolf, likely to spare her the worry, she hesitated.

Before she could put the phone down, it lit up with an iing call from Draven.

Her eyes sparkled with a mix of emotions as she quickly answered, "What's the news?"

On the other end, Draven reported in a hushed tone, "We've located the village where Daphne resurfaced years ago, right on the

route she would've taken after her supposed death at sea."

The people we sent to investigate cback with news about her. They said there were traces of her living there. Because she

was badly injured when she was rescued, the folks in that village didn't know her real identity and just randomly named her

Ate."

Vivienne pressed on, "And then what happened?"

Draven replied, "According to the locals, she woke up three months after being pulled from the sea. As soon as she regained

consciousness, she was determined to find someone and then she just vanished from there."

"For the past decade or so, there's been no trace of her."

"But one thing's for sure, Daphne didn't lose her memory."

"I got it," Vivienne acknowledged.

Just before ending the call, Draven added, "Boss, there have been ssuspicious types spotted around Rivenwood lately. If I'm

not mistaken, they might be the gifted folks Abigail's been harboring. Our people are on it, and if there's any discovery, we might

just find Abigail's hideout."

"Keep on it," Vivienne instructed.

"Will do, boss."

After hanging up, Vivienne listened to the sounds outside. Mr. Wolf was probably in the kitchen whipping up breakfast for her.

Judging by Mr. Wolf's earlier reaction, he wouldn't let her go off on her own.

She'd have to find the right moment to bring it up.

After all, if she didn't strike back now with the enemy practically on her doorstep, it wouldn't be fun.

At breakfast, Vivienne got her wish of having cake, even if it was served to her in bed, all because Mr. Wolf went to great lengths to

ensure she wouldn't have to get up.

But there was one thing Mr. Wolf seemed to et—she was a doctor, too.

She was merely experiencing spregnancy difort, notpletely incapacitated.

In such cases, a little caution was all that was needed, while being confined to bed could actually make her body weaker and more

fatigued.

No matter how she explained it, Mr. Wolf wouldn't listen.

He was so intent on treating her as if she was about to give birth any minute, almost as if he was the one carrying the twins.