The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Wendy was the first to pick up her milkshake and take a gulp, setting off a reluctant chain reaction among the others. They had no choice but to follow suit and sip away.

It was not until the last drops of the milkshake were consumed that Vivienne stood up, flicking her wrist in dismissal, “That'll do for today. Get srest, folks. See you all tomorrow.” With that, Vivienne and Percival left the Boyd residence and returned to the house Maddox had prepared for them to catch ssleep.

No sooner had they left than Wendy, forgetting her cane, bolted to the bathroom and began to hurl.

The other Boyds followed suit, much to the dismay of the household staff, who pinched their noses in disgust.

It was revolting.

To have so many people retching at once was unheard of, and Yannick even spewed on Wendy's beloved woolen rug.

Already, the house was tainted with the smell of barbeque and smoke, and now this collective upheaval of recently chewed food added insult to injury.

The odor was insufferable.

The Boyds spent a grueling half-hour vomiting before they finally collapsed back onto the couches, utterly spent.

The once prized woolen rug had been relegated to the trash, a sight that made Wendy's heart ache.

Theodore, drained and pale, leaned on his wife's shoulder, still dry-heaving.

Teresa, repulsed, shoved him away. “Get off me. You stink of decay. It's disgusting.” Theodore weakly slapped Teresa, not because he could not bear to hurt his wife, but sheer exhaustion. “You wench, you think you smell any better?” [x] “You dare hit me? Believe it or not, I'll divorce you for this!” Teresa howled, her voice nearly giving out from the strain.

Dehydrated and powerless, no one had the energy to argue further.

Wendy, propped up on the couch, accepted a glass of water from a servant and said weakly, “Enough bickering.” Hayden, the second son who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. “Mom, if you hadn't eaten so much, we wouldn't have followed suit. Why did you have to be so compliant?” “Yeah, Grandma,” Huxley chimed in. “I gave you so many glances, but you just kept eating, forcing us to join in.” Wendy sighed. “Do you really think | wanted to eat that much?” The others were taken aback.

Eliza, puzzled, looked at her mother. “What do you mean, mom?” Hayden added, “It wasn't just you. | didn’t want to eat either, but my hand acted on its own, reaching for food and bringing it to my mouth.” Margot choked back a sob. “Dad, could it be we've been possessed?” Both Teresa and Yannick felt similarly manipulated. Teresa confessed, “It was indeed like being possessed. | moved when Vivienne moved and ate uncontrollably even though | was fully aware.” Mara shuffled closer to Hayden, frightened. “Don’t scare me, not this late at night.” “Don’t forget who Vivienne is,” Wendy reminded them coolly.

Before Vivienne and Percival’s arrival in Sea City, Wendy had thoroughly investigated Vivienne—or so she thought. What she found was likely only what Vivienne wanted to show.

Eliza connected the dots. “Vivienne stayed in sconvent in Havenwood before going to Rivenwood. Maybe she picked up sdark arts there to hex us.” Mara gasped. “That explains why Percival, of all people, would fall for a country girl. She must have bewitched him. What do we do now?” “We'll handle it,” Yannick growled, still seething from the recent nausea. “Sbackwater girl isn’t going to best us, especially not here in Havenwood.” Hayden, however, sensed something amiss. “She’s just a girl. Even if she learned something, it couldn't be that powerful. The real masters are all over fifty. There must be another reason.” “Regardless, Vivienne is trouble. We can’t let her be with Percival, or who knows how much he will suffer.” Mara pressed, her lips thin. “Plus, Gillian is a far better match for my brother, right?” The other Boyds agreed with Mara’s statement.

This aligned with the Boyds’ intentions for inviting Percival to Sea City—to marry him to Gillian Ashford and cement an alliance between the Boyd and Ashford families. No matter how far Vivienne and Percival had gone, Gillian was destined to wed into their family.

Meanwhile, back at their villa, Vivienne and Percival were settling in for the night.

Percival was curious about Vivienne’s earlier antics. “What did you do to make Wendy so compliant?” Vivienne giggled, “Just a little trinket from Brody. It’s supposed to control people for half an hour, making them do as they wish. | simply enhanced it a bit, extending the effect to an hour.” “Smart,” Percival said, ruffling Vivienne’s hair with pride. “Look at you, my clever girl.” They laughed together, making their way into the villa, where the servants had everything prepared for a restful evening.

“Miss, this is your bedroom. It’s equipped with everything you might need. If anything is missing, just press the button by the bed, and we'll be at your service. We won't disturb you any further—have a good rest,” the head servant said before leaving them to their privacy.

The maid shot Percival and Vivienne a knowing look, her smile broadening as she scurried off, as if she could not bear to delay whatever awaited them.

Vivienne and Percival exchanged a puzzled glance.

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As Vivienne swung the door open, it took just one look to grasp the meaning of the maid's cryptic words and why she had taken to her heels.

The room was dominated by an enormous circular bed, a waterbed no less, flanked by a wardrobe that showcased an array of lingerie in every conceivable style.

Scattered across the bed were little boxes of condoms and various instruments that were unequivocally not for the faint of heart.

Only two sets of what could be considered normal pajamas hung on another rack.

But that was not all. A carpet of rose petals stretched across the floor, leading straight to the bed, and the air was infused with the heady scent of essential oils emanating from the en-suite bathroom.

Vivienne felt like she had stumbled onto the set of sadult film! Even Percival, with his usually stoic demeanor, felt a blush creeping across his face.

He had, after all, entertained more than a few thoughts about devouring Vivienne in the most intimate of ways, but not like this! This was just too... explicit.

His gaze inadvertently caught a glimpse of a particularly seductive nightie, and his eyes involuntarily darted towards Vivienne.

The very thought of Vivienne, clad in such attire, lying beside him...

He shuddered, trying to push the thought away.

It was a battle between his primal instincts and self-control, and he managed to keep his desires at bay with sheer force of will.