The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

At the Perez Mansion.

Jasper, balancing a box of strawberry shortcake, made his way inside.

Natalia and Yasmine blinked their dewy eyes and scampered towards Jasper in unison.

Zelda was engrossed in a YouTube tutorial, trying to master the art of the perfect strawberry shortcake.

“Dad, didn’t you go play chess with Richard? What brings you back so soon?” Zelda asked, setting

aside her lopsided whipped cream to greet him.

Jasper opened the shortcake box and divided it into two generous slices for the eagerly waiting Natalia

and Yasmine.

He waved off her concern with a smile. “Richard got wind that Vivienne and her grandson leaped off a

cliff. Rushed off to check on them.”

Zelda gasped, startled. She had been preoccupied with her cake-making venture all day and had not

caught any news. “A cliff? What happened?”

“Nothing serious, just a rescue mission. Vivienne and Percival are quite the capable pair,” Jasper

chuckled.

Jasper had known about Vivienne and Percival’s heroic act at the racetrack since the previous night

and had already dispatched Yuri to gather details. Even the intel about the engineer had been

discreetly passed on to Leopold by Yuri.

So, his worry had long since passed.

Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. “You gave me quite the scare. I’ll have to remind Vivienne to steer clear

of danger next time. How terrifying.”

Jasper glanced at the yard, where beaten eggs and cream were strewn about – even on Natalia and

Yasmine. Sighing, he said, “Zelda, maybe you should steer clear of danger yourself.”

Zelda rubbed her nose with a grin. “No worries, I’m safe. The oven hasn’t exploded yet.”

Jasper did not protest further. His daughter-in-law was always chasing whims; last time, it was an

obsession with braiding Natalia and Yasmine’s hair, which nearly ended with the girls being bald.

Now, it was strawberry shortcake, and who knew how long that phase would last?

As they were talking, Yuri arrived home, also carrying a box of strawberry shortcake, and began to

clean up the eggshells from the girls. “Zelda, have Eva wash them. Look at their little faces.”

Zelda put down her utensils, knowing Yuri had matters to discuss with Jasper, and took the girls to

bathe.

In the yard, Jasper shut off the oven Zelda had left on and asked, “What’s the situation?”

“CK’s people have definitely been spotted in Rivenwood, but we’re unsure if it’s the same F-Poison

from back then. I’ve looked into the engineer you mentioned, but there’s not much to go on apart from

his connection to CK.”

Yuri helped Jasper sit in a wicker chair. “Another thing – Percival and his right-hand man have been

suspended, and Leopold’s been reassigned to the outskirts, away from core operations. Apparently,

Fiona submitted a statement to the higher-ups involving some confidential matter, but there’s scant

evidence.”

Jasper nodded. “Take care of it. We can’t let them get the upper hand.”

“Understood,” Yuri agreed, and just as he was about to leave, Jasper stopped him with his cane,

pointing at the chaotic front yard. “Clean this up and find a proper place for your wife to bake, would

you?”

Yuri sighed silently. “Zelda bake? If she can separate eggs without making a mess, I’d call it a miracle.”

He looked at the bowls of unsuccessfully separated eggs, already dreading the egg-heavy meals

ahead. In the Perez Mansion, nothing went to waste!

…

After Vivienne returned from the Ellington family, Anna came home from school to find Thaddeus doing

homework in the living room.

Her tutoring style was nothing like Charlotte’s. It was cold efficiency, but it got results – unlike Charlotte,

who would play with Thaddeus after just a brief study session.

“Ms. Vivienne, you’re back,” Anna said, ruffling Thaddeus’s hair and handing him a PSP. “Time’s up. Go

play.”

“Thanks, Anna!” Thaddeus finished his last stroke, grabbed the PSP, and scampered to his room for

some advanced Sudoku.

The two women entered Vivienne’s bedroom, and Anna closed the door firmly behind them. “Ms.

Vivienne, I can’t reach headquarters, but Hotshot sent me a coded message telling me not to report in

for a while. I don’t know what’s happening.”

Vivienne nodded. “Alright, I got it.”

“I have this feeling that headquarters is trying to sideline the captain’s people. Husky’s been sent to the

outskirts, Captain Charlotte’s been suspended, Hotshot is on standby without details, and the third

squad has been scattered. There aren’t many left under Hotshot’s command.”

Anna looked worriedly at Vivienne. “Is something going to happen?”

Vivienne sprawled lazily on the bed. “How’s Aaron?”

“I wait for Mark to pick him up before I leave each day. All the tails Quincy sent have been dealt with.”

“The net’s closing. Play bodyguard for a few more days, and it’ll be over,” Vivienne said, stretching on

the bed, feeling sleepy after the evening meal.

Anna looked a bit embarrassed. “Ms. Vivienne, how many more days till it’s done?”

Curious, Vivienne turned to face Anna, propping her head with one hand. “What’s up?”

Anna bit her lip, her expression troubled. “It’s just… Kenneth. He’s a bit of a nuisance.”

Oh?

Vivienne perked up – unexpected gossip?

Seeing Vivienne’s eager look, Anna’s mouth twitched. “It’s nothing major, but Kenneth keeps hanging

around Elite University, getting in the way. It’s hard to get things done, and he even…”

Anna’s voice trailed off, leaving Vivienne all ears for the latest drama unfolding.Books Chapters Are

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“He what?” Vivienne sat up, clutching her throw pillow, and stared at Anna with wide eyes.

Anna heaved a weary sigh, “He even paraded around with a bouquet of roses every day. It’s like he’s

begging for attention. It’s so annoying.”

Ever since she was little, Anna had kept her existence under wraps. At first, even Vivienne hardly

noticed her presence.

Whether it was back in Havenwood or now at Elite University, Anna had always managed to blend into

the background. Even when she took the initiative to team up with the popular Aaron, it barely caused a

ripple.

But now, Kenneth had to turn it all upside down, marching behind her with his ostentatious roses,

cooing ‘Anna’ at every turn.

The whole campus was buzzing with the news that Anna was the latest conquest of Kenneth, the rising

star of the E-sports world.

Rumors of a love triangle between Kenneth, Anna, and Aaron were rampant. There were even fanfics

cropping up on the university forums with titles like “Gamer King’s Love” and “Invisible Girl Caught in

the Spotlight…”

It was driving Anna mad!

And since Kenneth was Percival’s brother, she could not just get rid of him even if she wanted to!

Besides, Quincy had her spies all around – not that Quincy was a problem herself, but in such a

crowded place, Anna had to be patient and endure Kenneth’s antics without lashing out.

Vivienne burst into laughter after a few seconds of stunned silence.

Hooking a finger under Anna’s chin with a mischievous grin, she teased, “Girl, looks like someone’s got

a crush on you.”

Anna felt like her face was on fire, “Stop it! I could never fall for Kenneth!”

Vivienne chuckled. “Sort out your own love life. As for the mission, it’s coming up soon.”

Indeed, it was almost time.

Anyone who needed to be dealt with would be dealt with.

Just then, Vivienne’s phone rang. It was Percival.

Anna did not want to eavesdrop, so she turned and left.

Vivienne answered the call. “Mr. Wolf!”

“Half an hour after Fiona left home, she was rushed to the hospital. She’s in critical condition and in the

ER right now. The doctors say it’s a complete organ failure.”