The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

After leaving the Brooks Mansion, Vivienne and Percival had hopped aboard a private jet and touched down in M State.

Stepping off the jet, they were met by a line of Percival’s men, clad in black suits, standing rigid like soldiers. It was an impressive sight.

“Mr. Wolf, seems like you've carved out quite the kingdom for yourself here,” Vivienne said, her eyes crinkling with a teasing allure.

She knew her Mr. Wolf had more than one identity—there was the public one as the head honcho of Vanguard Agency, and then there was the private one, Mr. Percy, whose depths she hadn’t plumbed.

Looking at the reception they got, it was clear Mr. Wolf was a big fish in this area.

How much dough was he stashing on the side? Percival looked at her fondly and playfully tapped her nose. “This is my turf.” As if reading her thoughts about his secret stash, he chuckled softly. “There’s no secret fund. All the incfrom here is being accounted for. I'm going to hand it all over to you in due time.” “Not bad! You're on the ball,” Vivienne replied, clearly pleased.

Her three uncles trailed behind, cringing at the display. They were here for a rescue, not to witness this lovey- dovey nonsense! They settled into the lavish accommodations arranged for them, places that outshone even the grandeur of the Ellington and Perez family estates. Hardly had they sat down when someone cin with news: three men had been spotted down at SouthMine.

Maddox, Fredrick, and Yuri, eager to get to SouthMine and pull off the rescue, were bewildered to find Vivienne and Percival still lounging, sipping water without a hint of urgency.

“Aren't we going to move? Shouldn't we rush to save them?” they asked, baffled by the couple’s nonchalance.

Percival explained, “My people have got them covered. They won't let anything major happen.” Vivienne set down her teacup, shadows flickering in her eyes. “If they went through all this trouble to lure us here, why not play along?” At first, when the sanatorium went up in flames, it was Ronald's doing—he didn’t want her to find Carl and prevent him from seeking revenge. But as they were about to be escorted back by Percival’s men, they learned that Larry and the others had been abducted by another group, one that intended to draw her and Percival out.

Whether this was Samantha’s doing or someone else’s was still unknown.

Vivienne and Percival had cpersonally to see what grand schhad drawn them to M State.

“You two mean to say...” Fredrick was the first to catch on. Before he could finish, Vivienne nodded in confirmation.

Maddox, looking at the two, couldn't help but speak up. “Vivienne, if you guys had this figured out, why didn’t you clue us in sooner?” Anxiety had been eating at the three uncles over this whole affair.

Vivienne offered an apologetic smile. “We got caught up discussing things on the plane, and it slipped my mind.” Fredrick, Maddox, and Yuri exchanged looks of silent exasperation.

But surely, this couldn't be their niece’s fault.

No, it had to be that Percival’s influence was to blame! Yes, whenever there was trouble, it was surely Percival’s fault, not their innocent Vivienne! The uncles nodded in rare agreement.

It was just another day of Percival being unwittingly targeted.

Meanwhile, down in SouthMine...

” Larry, we can't wait any longer,” Carl said after a full day, hungry and thirsty, unable to bear it any longer.

“If we don’t find a way out, we're going to starve to death down here.” Larry, with furrowed brows and a grim expression, agreed. “We can’t keep waiting. Vivienne must be tied up with something, or this place is just hard to find. Waiting for her isn’t working.” The thought made Larry seethe. Vivienne had entrusted him with a solo mission, and not only had he failed, but he had also ended up trapped.

It was embarrassing for a man of Emerald Mountain's caliber to be kidnapped like this.

He had been drugged and overpowered without so much as a chance to fight back. The identity of those behind the kidnapping was still a mystery, and the more he thought about it, the more agitated he became.

Because his body hadn't yet shaken off the drug's effects, he hadn't dared to act rashly all day. But now, with no sign of Vivienne and their strength waning after a day without food, they were at their limit.

If they waited any longer, they might as well sign their own death warrants.

Larry's face set in determination as he stood. “The priority is finding a way out.” Still weak but resolute, Carl agreed. “We'll have to save ourselves. Maybe Vivienne can’t find the entrance to this sewer. Let's look around; maybe we can find it.” Huxley, shivering, stood behind the two men, silent.

Larry didn’t bother with Huxley, barely resisting the urge to punch the whiny man.

But right now, he didn’t have the luxury of indulging his anger. Standing up, he said, “Stick close to me.” Carl followed, still weak but keeping up with Larry's stride. Huxley lagged, clutching at Carl's sleeve as though fearing being left behind.

In this place, the only thing he could do was keep up with the other two. Though he knew their character was not to abandon him, he couldn't help but worry.

Ahead, darkness stretched out, seemingly without end.

Huxley's voice trembled as he surveyed the surroundings, mustering the courage to ask “How Iong before we can get out of here? Are we sure we're not lost?”

He had warned them earlier not to wander aimlessly. The labyrinthine tunnels below were a maze, and one wrong turn could mean they would never see daylight again.

Despite his warnings, the other two felt compelled to search for an exit. Huxley, too scared to be left alone, had no choice but to follow.

Now, he regretted not staying put.

Larry had little patience for anyone beyond Vivienne and their mentor. Annoyed by Huxley's question, he growled, “Shut it!”

Carl quickly intervened, “Larry has more experience than us. ongedt .Staying put would have beep signing our death warrant.Besides there's a draft in this mine shaft, which means there's got to be a way out.” Their current predicament was to figure out an escape. The kidnappers had yet to show their faces, and their intentions remained a mystery.

As they continued their search, they realized that what they had mistaken for a sewer due to the darkness was actually an old mine.

The further they trudged, the more expansive the mine seemed to become, but where it led was anybody's guess.