The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

As the quartet happily indulged in a cozy fondue dinner, Leopold brought over the documents from

headquarters.

Peering through the empty doorway, Leopold hesitated, unsure whether to enter.

He texted Anna: [Where are you guys?]

Anna, who had not quite finished chewing her lamb, hit the voice message button, “On a mission, gotta

stick to Ms. Vivienne like glue.”

Vivienne said, “Just drop the stuff off, and don’t be a nuisance. You mess up the deal, I’ll break your

legs.”

Percival added his own threat, “I’ll dislocate your arm.”

Thomas kept it simple, “Good luck, man!”

Listening to the sounds of bubbling fondue, fizzing sodas, and the stubborn mastication of lamb,

Leopold was in disbelief.

Was this really a mission?

This was sheer torture!

But he had no choice; he had to deliver the documents quickly.

Griffin had already sent a reminder in the Little Bombs group chat – a special group Vivienne had

created for convenience.

With no other option, Leopold donned a mask and hat, covering himself completely, and entered

Griffin’s home.

The evening was setting in, and Griffin had only a desk lamp on, leaving the main lights off.

Three different-colored pens lay strewn across documents, each marking various annotations.

Leopold cleared his throat gently, but Griffin showed no reaction.

He moved closer and tapped Griffin’s head with the documents, “Hey, the papers…”

“Ah!”

Bam!

Stars danced before Leopold’s eyes as he staggered backward and collapsed to the floor.

When he came to, or more accurately, when he could finally open his left eye again, all the lights in

Griffin’s place were on.

Griffin was there, casually perusing the documents, and upon seeing Leopold awake, she nonchalantly

remarked, “Are you nuts? Sneaking up behind people all in black with a mask? How do you expect

someone to react?”

Leopold clutched his right eye. “You’re the one who’s nuts! Didn’t you say you didn’t want to see me?

How else was I supposed to hide my face?”

Griffin nearly burst out laughing. “Since when did you start following orders so well?”

Leopold exhaled sharply. “I don’t have the energy to argue. I’ve delivered your stuff; I’m out of here.”

“Not so fast,” Griffin pointed outside, “It’s pouring rain, and the cops towed your car.”

Leopold was dumbfounded, “Wait, what? Why would they tow my car?”

“You were blocking traffic,” Griffin said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Leopold clenched his fists, grinding his teeth, “Couldn’t you, just maybe, help me out and move the car

into your garage?”

Griffin smirked. “Sorry, my garage isn’t for storing Husky sleds.”

Leopold was speechless, finally settling on the couch in frustration.

Griffin continued her work as if he was not even there.

Eventually, Leopold’s stomach began to rumble. He tapped the desk, “Hungry?”

Without looking back, Griffin gestured toward the fridge, “Help yourself.”

Leopold found nothing but instant noodles and pre-made sandwiches inside, alongside cans of soda –

the classic bachelor’s feast.

He could not help but ask, “Is this what you usually eat?”

Griffin hummed an affirmation, “Just me here, so I make do.”

For some reason, Leopold felt a sudden pang of sadness.

For the first time, he noticed Griffin seemed much thinner than he remembered.

Well, of course, she would be on a diet like that.

Leopold started preparing two cups of noodles, mumbling, “For a young woman, you could take better

care of yourself. Why not keep some veggies or some meat in the house? This…”

He turned to find Griffin with headphones on, ignoring him.

A shadow stretched out on the floor under the light, falling across her back.

Leopold licked his lips and silently added the only sausage left from the fridge into Griffin’s noodle cup,

then placed it quietly on the desk beside her.

He sat on the couch, wolfing down the nutritionally void noodles.

After eating, the rain had not stopped, and Griffin was still engrossed in her research. Bored out of his

mind, Leopold eventually dozed off on the couch.

When he awoke, he found Griffin asleep on the carpet, leaning against the couch, blue pen still

clutched in hand, the other two pens precariously perched in her hair.

Her instant noodles were untouched.

Leopold sighed. “You’re working too hard.”

With his right eye less swollen, he approached and squatted beside her, staring at her with unknown

thoughts in his mind. Suddenly, Griffin’s head dropped, and Leopold caught it as quickly as possible.

His face was a little flushed, and so was his hand.

After a few minutes of silence, he lifted her into a more comfortable position on the couch, draping his

jacket over her.

Glancing at the untouched instant noodles, he tossed it aside, grabbed Griffin’s car keys, and left.

No sooner had the door closed behind him than Griffin buried her face in his jacket, a secret smile on

her lips.

Only when she was certain Leopold had truly left did she sit up from the couch, staring at the instant

noodles on the table.

Despite not having eaten all day, she felt no hunger.

She had never been in love before, except for Leopold.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay

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She always remembered his words. “A kiss seals the deal, and we’re bound for marriage.”

Because of that promise, she had pursued him for fifteen years.

She chased, he ran, but he could never truly escape.

It was almost comical, yet only she knew the bitterness behind it.

What girl would relentlessly pursue a man for fifteen years without reserve?

She was stubborn, her tenacity in chasing Leopold matched only by her dedication to her research in

weaponry.

At first, she did not even understand why she followed him so doggedly, just that he had promised to

marry her, and he could not break that promise.

As she matured, her understanding of youthful love still in its naive stages, she suddenly realized she

had been chasing Leopold simply because he was handsome.

Time passed, and as she grew older, her life gradually became filled with her own passions and

interests. She discovered that Leopold, too, was deeply immersed in the same field as she was.

The difference was that he was on the front lines while she was in the lab.

Yet, both were united by the same goal of world peace.

Only then did she truly understand that the boy she had once pursued so earnestly was genuinely

exceptional.

Everyone, including Kellan Sterling, would say his grandson was quite the goofball.

But in her eyes, Leopold was the finest man in the world.

Bearing the comical “Husky” code name, he charged into the fray repeatedly, flawlessly accomplishing

every mission.

How could such a man be considered a goofball?

And so, she was certain that her affection for Leopold was not due to a childhood jest or years of habit.

It was because he was truly outstanding and truly deserving of her admiration.