The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Hearing that, Ronald chuckled—a chuckle laced with arrogance and confidence.

“Protégé? He's not even in my league!” Ronald's eyes danced with mockery.

Vivienne nodded in agreement. “True. Compared to you, his tactics are lacking.” Ronald's brow arched, the smirk on his face growing more profound. “It seems you're quite familiar with my affairs.” “Only bits and pieces.” Vivienne’s voice was soft, devoid of excess emotion. “A man who aims to dethrone F- Poison and becthe new power behind the GTO certainly plays a different gfrom someone like Scott, who only knows how to obey.” Since she had walked in, Vivienne had maintained a cool and aloof demeanor, leaving one to wonder what was really on her mind.

“So, what brings you here today? Coming to capture me?” Ronald asked with a smile, utterly composed and not showing the slightest sign of panic.

“What makes you think you can catch me? Having taken Scott's place, | won't make the sinept mistakes he did.” Vivienne lifted her gaze to Ronald, her smile deepening. Then, she patted Kala on the shoulder. “Kala, we need to talk. Why don’t you head upstairs?” “|...” Kala didn’t want to leave.

The Brooks family had seen one mishap after another, and just when things had settled, trouble found Ronald again.

She didn’t want to face it anymore! But judging by Vivienne’s demeanor, she wouldn't leave until this issue was resolved.

Kala pressed her lips together, not uttering another word, and turned to go upstairs.

Once Kala was gone, Vivienne turned back to Ronald. She took a sip of her drink and said evenly, “I'm not here to nab you.” Ronald paused, then raised an eyebrow. “Not here to nab me?” He followed with a scoff. “That doesn’t sound like you.” Vivienne just smiled. “What do you think my style is?” “You,” Ronald ventured, “would typically have the Brooks Mansion surrounded, tight as a drum, ready to catchand forceto reveal where F-Poison is hiding.” Vivienne tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “And if | asked, would you tell me?” “I would!” Ronald declared without a moment's hesitation. “In fact, by now, Percival should already be leading a team to find F-Poison, right?” Vivienne raised an eyebrow. “You are definitely smarter than Scott.” “I tend to agree!” Ronald boasted.

Vivienne laughed lightly, leaning back on the couch, her words casual. “But sometimes, being too smart can be your downfall.” Ronald's eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent.

Vivienne also stayed quiet, her gaze lowered. Ronald could not fathom her thoughts.

The room fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the wind rattling the windows from outside. Neither spoke for a long time.

Finally, Vivienne spoke up, “The androids have all been destroyed, | presume. Starting tomorrow, | don’t want to see another one.” With that, she stood up and walked towards the door.

Ronald, surprised, stood and called after her. “You're really not going to catch me?” Vivienne paused, looking back at him with icy eyes. “Ronald, being smart is good, but if you drag the entire Brooks family down as collateral for your folly, that’s beyond foolish.” Ronald froze. “You!” Vivienne continued coldly, “Your personal vendetta against Scott and Judith is just that—personal. Your parents, Carl, and Kala, don’t share your hatred. Don’t impose it on them.” Ronald collapsed back onto the couch, his eyes hollow. “I knew you were clever. | thought after all this tplotting and scheming, | could grasp your thoughts, but you still saw through me.” Vivienne stood in the center of the living room, just watching him coldly, wordless.

Ronald looked up, a hollow laugh escaping him. “Yes, | hate Scott and Judith. One caused Lauren’s grandmother's death; the other captured Lauren for GTO’s virus experiments. | hate them, and | hate F-Poison even more.

Lauren is dead, and | want them all to be destroyed, damned for eternity.” He laughed again, his laughter tinged with madness. “That's why, the day you cfor Judith, | stealthily gave her a drug that drove her mad. After her death, | buried her body on a deserted hill and hired a shaman to curse her, to whip her spirit daily.” Looking up at Vivienne, he added, “You must have known I didn’t have her cremated, right?” Vivienne didn’t speak, nor did she deny it.

After Judith’s death, Scott had left the funeral arrangements to Ronald, who chose not to cremate her but to take her to a deserted hill and bind her spirit with a shaman’s curse to ensure she could never find peace.

Vivienne was aware of this but had chosen not to intervene.

Seeing Vivienne stay silent, Ronald continued, “As for Scott... how could | get close to F Poison without gaining his trust ? so When you came for him, | gave him a little push. It worked quite effectively; F-Poison trusts” .

now.” Vivienne’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Your so-called trust was bought with Carl's life. Was it worth it?” “It was!” Ronald insisted. “Anything is worth it for Lauren's revenge, even if it costs the whole Brooks family. Who in this house is truly innocent, anyway?” Vivienne looked at him deeply. Hate is the most terrifying thing in the world; it can make a person unrecognizable.

No one knew that Ronald had a deeply cherished girl, and her nwas Lauren Piper.

Lauren's grandmother had been one of the unfortunate souls to fall by Judith’s hand.

The Piper family in Rivenwood could hardly be called aristocratic; at best, they were a minor family on the fringes of society .Back in the day the Pipers wee nothing more than average working folks.Lauren's grandmother had been thick as thieves with Percival's grandmother back then.

Yet, at that time, Lauren's father was still a bachelor, and Lauren herself had no memories of her grandmother nor did she know the violent circumstances of her death.

There was no seed of vengeance in , Lauren's heart, but Ronald, who dearly loved Lauren, had learned at a tender age that Judith was a murderer, and one of her victims had , been Lauren's grandmother. That knowledge had sowed the seeds of hatred within him towards Judith.

To Vivienne, Ronald's grudge seemed utterly illogical.

However, she could understand his hatred for Scott.

Scott had uncovered Lauren's discovery of his dirty secrets and had snatched her up for his virus experiments at the clandestine GTO labs.

Ronald had been a powerless witness to it all. After Lauren was taken, Ronald never saw her again, only later receiving the devastating news of her death.

So, he hated Scott, and he despised F-Poison.

Vivienne cast a cool, indifferent glance at him and said calmly, “You never really understood Lauren.”