The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Rivenwood.

The abandoned GTO research facility stood eerily silent.

A woman with a leather jacket and a high ponytail stood at the entrance, her gaze icy as

she surveyed the desolation before her.

The layout, the machinery—it all felt vaguely familiar as if it had once danced through the

edges of her memory.

But no distinct recollections surfaced. It was a lot to expect, given that the remnants of

her infancy were entangled with this place.

Familiarity? That was asking too much.

“Willa, I swear, it was empty when we got here. You gotta believe me.”

The woman was none other than Willa, who had grown up under the watchful eye of

Jasper within the Perez family.

The speaker was a scattered disciple of the Perez family, once a subordinate under Willa’s

command in the organization.

Even though Willa had left the Perez family, they had never revoked her access. She could

summon the family’s resources at a moment’s notice, anywhere in the world.

Willa’s expression remained unreadable as she fingered a bracelet on her wrist, engraved

with the mysterious moniker “F-Poison.”

Her waterfall-like hair swayed in the breeze, occasionally whipping the face of her former

subordinate, who stepped back quietly. Willa cherished her hair, and it would not do to

lose its luster on someone else’s face.

After a final stroke of her hair, Willa turned and strode away, her subordinate hurrying

after her. Before he could utter a word, a deafening explosion shattered the silence.

They turned to see the GTO facility now reduced to rubble.

Willa did not look back. Tossing the detonator over her shoulder, she hopped onto her

motorcycle.

“F-Poison, where the hell are you? Alive or dead, I need to know. I have to get Sasha

back!”

Her subordinate let out a heavy sigh. “Willa, how am I supposed to get back?”

But no plea would bring her back. He reluctantly pulled out his phone and dialed the

number.

“What’s going on?”

The voice that came through was deep and charismatic, yet the tone carried a hint of

amusement.

The subordinate was used to this and did not miss a beat. “Bro, Willa took off on her

motorcycle and blew the place.”

“Blew it up? She’s not hurt, is she?”

“Willa? Of course, she’s fine. But I’m stranded,” he complained. “I rode here on the back of

her motorcycle.”

“What! You got to ride Willa’s motorcycle? Dammit, don’t you dare come back. I’m green

with envy. Just disappear!”

The line went dead, leaving the subordinate feeling like the sky was falling.

Meanwhile, the man the subordinate addressed as “Bro,” righteous indignation fueling his

wait at the airport, sat in a flashy sports car, his aviators barely concealing his frustration.

“That’s just unfair. I grew up with Willa. That motorcycle was my present to her for

Children’s Day, and I haven’t even ridden it yet, but that bastard got to it first!”

As he cursed, VIPs began to emerge from the airport terminal. He floored the gas pedal

and pulled up at the pickup area, leaping out without even opening the car door.

From a distance, he saw Vivienne and Percival walking arm in arm.

His gaze lingered on Vivienne. She was the spitting image—it was no wonder the old man

had demanded two paternity tests.

He closed the gap quickly, waving as he approached. “Vivienne, I’m here!”

Vivienne paused, puzzled.

Who was this eccentric calling out to her?

She glanced back. No one else seemed to be the target of his calls—it appeared he was

indeed beckoning her.

“Who’s that?” Vivienne asked, perplexed.

Percival’s brow furrowed. “Seems like it’s someone Jasper sent?”

As they converged, the man removed his aviators and ruffled Vivienne’s hair. “Hey, kiddo,

I’m your Uncle, Maddox Perez.”

Realization dawned on Vivienne. This was the Perez family’s third son, Yuri’s elder brother

Maddox. And to think she expected the Perez men to be as composed as Yuri; instead,

here was Maddox, channeling the spirit of a middle-aged Leopold.

“Let’s roll. Your uncle’s gonna show you a good time,” Maddox declared, any previous

gloom now lifted.

Vivienne was confused. “Mr. Perez, why should I call you uncle?”

The paternity tests had shown no blood relation to the Perez family, yet Maddox insisted

on the familial title.

Maddox clicked his tongue. “Didn’t you accept our old man as your grandfather? You gotta

call me uncle. Mr. Perez sounds too cold, don’t you agree, nephew-in-law?”

Percival was momentarily taken aback before nodding. “Uncle’s got a point.”

They followed Maddox to his car, with Thomas initially poised to drive. However, Maddox

refused on the foundation that this car was a gift from his love, and no one was allowed to

touch it.

Once inside the car, Vivienne took a quick glance around.

Although both she and Percival had several sports cars, they rarely drove them, let alone

with an open roof.

Seeing Vivienne was a little uncomfortable, Maddox closed the roof and gave Thomas a

few keys.

“Here’s everything: house keys, car fobs, the works. You’ll need to get your fingerprints

and retina scans done when you have a moment—I’ve already squared it with the bank.”

Thomas was taken aback by the array of limited-edition luxury cars. The gesture was

grand, to say the least.

Vivienne felt somewhat awkward. “We already have a place to stay.”

“No way, we can’t be cramped in the Boyd family’s little space. Take it!”

Vivienne was speechless.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All

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Extravagance beyond measure!

Maddox rolled up to the temporary residence he had arranged for Vivienne and Percival, a

standalone villa tucked away in the heart of downtown—a perfect haven of peace and

privacy.

“Go ahead and unpack your stuff. I’ll take you out for some fun.”

Vivienne sighed, “Uncle, we still need to visit the Boyds, maybe some other time. We can’t

exactly skip town right now.”

Maddox thought momentarily, then fished out a sleek black credit card from his coat and

handed it to Vivienne. “Take this. Just flash this card whenever you want to go somewhere,

and you’ll be set. My contact info is on it, too. Hit me up anytime. And if the Boyds give

you any trouble, I will come right back to back you up!”

Vivienne did not refuse; there was no point in doing so. She had her own black card, but

Maddox’s was definitely more convenient.

“Thanks, Uncle,” Vivienne said as she took the card and exited the car.

Maddox slid his sunglasses back on and waved at Vivienne and Percival. “I’m off. Give me

a ring when you’re done with your business. I need to report back to the old man!”

After Maddox drove off, Vivienne massaged her temples, feeling a mix of frustration and

admiration.

“Poor Jasper must get his fair share of headaches from Uncle Maddox,” Percival said with a

chuckle, rubbing Vivienne’s shoulder. “You could swap notes with Jasper on how to handle

him.”

They shared a knowing smile as Thomas finished dealing with the luggage.

Not that there was much to handle—Maddox had already arranged for a staff.

They had not even reached the front door when a butler swiftly took Thomas’s bags and

sorted everything in no time.

Thomas headed to the garage to pick out a car. Maddox had thoughtfully provided a

selection of vehicles: sports cars, sedans, family cars, SUVs, and even a couple of

motorcycles.

Thomas chose a sedan, and with Vivienne and Percival aboard, they set off to navigate

their way through the intricacies of their stay and the impending visit to the Boyd family.

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