The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne’s brow furrowed with concern as she reached out to the other junior disciples. Larry was in trouble, and they needed to rally immediately! Soon enough, the disciples gathered at the hospital.

The sight of Percival made their blood boil, each itching to deliver a swift punch, but Larry’s well-being was paramount. With a collective glare at Percival, they turned their attention to Vivienne.

Dawson had been the last to speak with Larry. “Vivienne, didn’t he say he was heading up to the M State sanatorium to pick up your protégé? How did he go off the grid?” “No idea. We can’t reach the sanatorium, and Draven’s already headed there with a team. Everyone, stay sharp —we're too close to cracking this case to slip up now.” The disciples nodded in unison. “Got it!” Vivienne delegated key positions to her crew; they were on the lookout for any sign of Larry, Carl, or Huxley.

Leopold, still nursing his injuries, was relegated to base camp at the hospital.

After scouring every news outlet, Leopold finally had something. “Vivienne, | found out why the sanatorium went dark.” “What happened?” Vivienne asked, her voice steady but laced with tension.

“Last night, there was a violent robbery. The thieves cut all communications and set the place ablaze after they were done. Local cops didn’t get wind of it till dawn. By the tthey arrived, the sanatorium was ashes.” Percival frowned. “That sanatorium’s isolated, but not isolated enough to be burned down without anyone noticing.” “Apparently, someone jammed the police frequencies. The station missed several distress calls,” Leopold handed over the news report to Vivienne and Percival.

Vivienne closed her laptop, her eyes smoldering with barely contained fury.

This was it—the last straw.

Her phone rang. It was Ronald.

“Talk to me.” “Vivienne, trouble. Got a call from M State. The sanatorium had gone up in flames, I...” “How are you handling things? Any trouble from Vanguard Agency?” Vivienne asked, her tone eerily calm.

Only Percival and Leopold knew this calmness was the eye of her storm.

“They're not making it easy, but we're out. Heading to the warehouse to check on things, though the agency has everything locked down. Not sure what to do next.” “Head to the warehouse. Leave Carl to me.” “Okay. I'll deal with the lockdown and then head to M State. Dad’s already on his way.” Ronald paused, his voice choking up. “Vivienne, thank you. We'd be lost without you.” A shadow of a smile crossed Vivienne's lips, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “We're family. No need for thanks.” After hanging up, Vivienne tapped her phone, planning her next move.

She stood up, placing a hand on Percival’s shoulder. “Mr. Wolf, | could use your help.” Percival took her hand, pressing a light kiss to the back of it. “It would be my honor.” Meanwhile, in the underbelly of M State, Larry was at his wit’'s end.

“If you don’t stop crying, | swear I'll turn you into coal dust!” he threatened the sniveling figure beside him.

Carl, weak as he was, tried to mediate. “He's just a kid. What's the use in getting mad?” “He's twenty for crying out loud!” Larry groaned, sitting down in frustration. “Huxley, one more peep, and I'm leaving you here to mine coal!” Huxley stifled his sobs, muttering, “We're in a sewer, not a mine.” Larry was about to explode when Carl intervened. “Let's focus on getting out of here. We don’t even have a phone. How do we contact Vivienne?” Swallowing hard, Carl felt a wave of dizziness—he had barely recovered before their frantic escape.

Larry handed Carl a life-saving pill. “I left signals along the way. Let's hope the Nine Mystics Society finds them.

Now we wait.” Back at the hospital, Faye Churchill and Charlotte Redwood cto visit Anna.

“How did you get so banged up? It's been weeks, hasn't it?” Charlotte sat by Anna, horrified at the sight of her bandages. “You're not going to scar, are you?” “No,” Anna reassured, folding a paper crane with a distant focus.

Faye nodded in agreement. “Ms. Vivienne is the Specter Healer. She fixedup; she’ll take care of Anna.” Charlotte blinked, taking Anna’s hands in hers. “Since when did you start with these girly crafts?” Back at Havenwood, Anna was an enigma to her classmates, only growing closer to them through Vivienne's influence at Rivenwood.

In the impression of Charlotte and others, Anna did not even have an idea of what paper cranes were, let alone make them. It was unimaginable for her to start folding paper cranes after an injury.

Anna blushed, her folding growing frantic. “Just killing time.” But for those who knew her, it was a peculiar change indeed.

Faye seemed unfazed, but Charlotte, that clever imp, had other ideas. She picked up on the faint blush on Anna's cheeks. “Really? Just killing, huh? Why do | get the feeling that for someone, it’s more like spring has sprung in the heart department?”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

Anna ducked her head even lower, finally just tucking the origami she had been working on under the covers.

“Don’t talk nonsense.” “I'm not talking nonsense. Con, who are these paper cranes for, huh?” Charlotte pinned Anna’s hands and leaned in close, locking eyes with her.

Anna was never good at lying, and under Charlotte's intense gaze, she was at a loss for words, her face turning so red it looked like it might start bleeding.

Faye stepped in to smooth things over. “Charlotte, cut it out. Is it so bad that Anna has a crush? | thought no guy would ever catch her eye.” Charlotte backed off at that, plopping down in a chair with a sigh. “Ah, you two and your crushes, must be nice.

Me? | march to the beat of a different drum—I've got my eyes on more than one guy!” Anna looked up at Faye with questioning eyes, clearly asking—who? Faye choked, waving her hands dismissively. “Don’t mind her blabbering. I'm not into anyone.” “Bull! You're practically betrothed!”