The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Leopold, the leader of the first squad, knew the unwritten leadership rules all too well. So, it stood to

reason that Percival, the head honcho of the entire task force, would be even more clued in.

But now, even Leopold’s moves were being curtailed, never mind the liberty of the whole special

squad.

Percival set aside the application form he had been holding, tapping his polished fingertip on the

signature line. “Why don’t you take this up with the boss yourself?”

The rage on Leopold’s face fizzled out in an instant.

Would he dare?

For someone even Percival called “boss,” he was just a small fry; there was no way he would throw

himself into the shark’s jaws.

Leopold slumped into his chair, rubbing his temples in frustration.

After a few seconds of silence, he asked, “Boss didn’t even ask you before signing off on this? Why

didn’t you go to him first?”

Percival took a sip of his sweet fruit juice and said, “He said since Fiona’s my flesh and blood, having

me sign could give someone leverage over me. If anything went sideways, there would be no one to

cover for me, so he just went ahead without telling me.”

Leopold’s jaw worked silently, failing to snap shut.

Every word Micah said was for Percival’s sake. How could anyone argue with that?

Unable to sit still any longer, Leopold cursed under his breath, stood up, and stormed out. He slammed

the door behind him, not caring if he would end up getting a beating.

This was just too damn suffocating.

Percival neatly filed the application form away and glanced up at Vivienne, his eyes usually icy, now

melting with a certain warmth. “Vivienne, shall we go have a look?”

Vivienne rose, taking the fruit juice from Percival’s hand, and sipped the rest through the straw. “Yeah,

let’s check it out.”

…

Inside the Ellington family’s private hospital.

Heloise was wailing in the hospital room, and from her cries, one could have thought her daughter

Fiona was already gone.

“My poor baby,” she sobbed, “Dad, you’ve seen it. Fiona was fine when she went in, and now she’s in

the ICU. Can you imagine her suffering? It’s all Vivienne’s fault. If not for her, my girl wouldn’t be like

this. Dad, even if you’re mad at your son, you can’t just stand by and watch your granddaughter get

tortured to death!”

Heloise, her face wet with tears, laid the blame thickly on Vivienne, pouring out her grievances to

Richard.

“Dad, the things Henry did, Fiona and Jeffrey weren’t involved at all. I’m just an Ellington by marriage;

you can ignore me, but my children are Ellingtons by blood. If you don’t step up, we three might as well

die now and stop bothering you!”

Richard’s forehead knotted in irritation. He had never approved of Heloise marrying Henry, knowing

she was not the type to settle down. But she was pregnant, and the scandal was huge. The Ellington

family had no choice but to take responsibility.

He would have sacrificed half the Ellington fortune to keep such a woman out if he had known it would

come to this.

Fiona weakly tugged at Heloise’s sleeve on the hospital bed, her complexion ashen. “Mom, please

leave us. I want to speak with Grandpa alone.”

Heloise wiped her tears, knowing when to stop her theatrics. She left, allowing Fiona to make her own

appeal — it was always more effective than her own hysterics.

Moreover, the more she made a scene, the more reasonable Fiona appeared. That was the real reason

behind her relentless pressure.

“If you don’t stand up for yourself like before, I’ll disown you,” Heloise warned before slamming the door

behind her.

Fiona closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, they were rimmed red with distress.

She turned to Richard. “Grandpa, this mess is my fault. It has nothing to do with Percival or Vivienne.”

Richard seldom meddled in the younger generation’s affairs. He had taken even more of a back seat

since the Ellington family was now in Percival’s hands.

He knew Percival had his own fish to fry and never interfered.

Fiona’s stint in jail was not just a simple case of financial fraud; it was bound to be part of a bigger

scandal.

Percival had his way of doing things, and Fiona would not be wrongfully accused.

“Fiona, I’m glad to hear you say that,” Richard said, his voice softening. “Now that you’re out, live your

life well. I won’t let you down. My promises are still good, and I’ve kept that credit card for you. Think

about what you want to do next.”

Fiona nodded. “Grandpa, I don’t want anything. I’m too ashamed to stay with the Ellington family. Once

I’m better, let Mom, Jeffrey, and me leave Rivenwood. As for Dad… Grandpa, can you spare him?”

Richard did not immediately agree, nor did he have the heart to outright refuse. He could not forgive his

second son, but his granddaughter was a different story.

Fiona was his first granddaughter, and before Isolde was born, he cherished her like a treasure.

How could he not dote on her, the only girl amidst a houseful of rambunctious boys?

Fiona had always been self-reliant, never troubling the family, and had a knack for business.

While others jostled for the Ellington fortune and butted heads with Percival, she focused on improving

herself and genuinely considered the company’s welfare.

If not for her crime, Richard would have welcomed her back to the company without a second thought.

What a pity…

Richard sighed. “Don’t worry about your father. You’ve always been by my side, never left Rivenwood;

nowhere else is suitable for your recovery. Stay here. In a little while, your uncle will return, and you’ll

have to meet him. He’s always been fond of you young ones.”

Something in Fiona’s heart seemed to lift, and a genuine smile spread across her face.

Their Uncle Flynn, Richard’s youngest son, was the cool uncle of the bunch.