The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Flynn's pupils contracted slightly at her words, and then he let out a scornful chuckle. “F-Poison? And who's Samantha? You're speaking gibberish to me.” Vivienne regarded him coolly. “You insinuated yourself into Flynn's life, bechis confidant, and waited till he let his guard down. The day before the shooting, you two switched identities.

In that massacre, the real Flynn died a hero, saving lives. And you—you lived on, wearing his face.

Francis, you've schemed for eternity at the cost of everything, even delivering yourself into our hands. Did you ever calculate that this life would be your last within these walls?” Flynn—no, Francis now—his expression cracked at her words, but he quickly masked it with laughter.

His face, or rather the lifelike mask he wore, began to split, revealing a much younger visage underneath.

Vivienne couldn't help but feel a pang of surprise. Willa was well into her forties, yet the man before her, supposedly her father, looked to be in his early twenties.

“Vivienne, you're even sharper than your mother,” F-Poison admitted defeat. There was no point in hiding anymore. He had lost, utterly and without a chance to turn the tables.

Yet, losing to her didn’t feel like a disgrace. Vivienne was the most formidable adversary he had ever encountered.

Her mother, Karen, was formidable too, but he sensed in Vivienne that rare quality of the student surpassing the master. Given time, she would certainly eclipse her mother.

“But I'm curious, how did you unravel my secrets?” Now that his true identity was exposed, he abandoned all pretense, his youthful face twisted with a grotesque smile that was wholly unsettling.

“I've explained once to Samantha, and | don’t fancy repeating myself,” Vivienne replied, her gaze piercing.

She leaned in slightly, a smirk playing on her lips. “But A. is one thing I will tell you.” Francis raised an eyebrow. “What's that?” “While you and Samantha devoted your lives to the quest for immortality, | haven't concocted an elixir of eternal life, but I have created a life-extension pill that adds five years to a person's life. It's based on your ST-1, and it's givena direction for my own studies into immortality.” The life-extension pill was indeed real.

It was an accidental invention Vivienne had stumbled upon during her leisure ton Emerald Mountain.

Initially aiming to devise a life-saving pill, she discovered that her first attempt could prolong life—though it wasn’t what she was looking for.

But she never brought the pills to market.

To her, tampering with the natural order of life and death was a sacrilege, even if it was technically possible.

To others, the pill might be a mere extension of life, but to her, it was defying fate.

She knew such a pill would cause chaos if released, with people killing for just one dose. That wasn’t something she wished to see.

So, she made just ten pills and kept them secured forever.

Now, though, the concept of an immortality drug intrigued her—not to sell, but as a scientific challenge, one she was determined to conquer.

Francis’ pupils dilated in shock. “What did you say?” She had invented the life-extension pill! If he had known, all the elaborate schemes of RST would have been unnecessary. Capturing Vivienne could have given him everything he desired.

Vivienne glanced at him dismissively. “I don’t waste words on the hard of hearing.” With that, she took Percival’s hand and strode towards the exit, pausing only to deliver a parting shot. “Francis, remember to please your masters in your next life as a lesser creature, to atone for your sins in this one.

Otherwise, you'll be trapped in a cycle of rebirth as an animal forever.” Leaving those words hanging in the air, she and Percival stepped out. From her backpack, she pulled a compact explosive and tossed it behind her.

Boom! The explosion echoed through the valley as Vivienne and Percival drove away from the inferno.

On the road, Percival was silent, his face etched with dark thoughts.

Knowing Percival was in a bad mood, Vivienne turned to him, held his hand, and said, “Mr. Wolf, let's go fetch Uncle Flynn.” Flynn had been Percival’s uncle, the one person in the Ellington family he trusted unconditionally.

To think that for years, it had been another man wearing his uncle’s face. Before uncovering Francis’ identity, he had despised Flynn for his perceived betrayal and the threat he posed to their legacy.

But learning the truth—that it wasn’t his uncle who betrayed him, but Francis—filled him with remorse for not trusting his uncle more.

Vivienne saw the burden weighing on Percival and knew how unsettled he must feel. Now that Francis was out of the picture, Percival was undoubtedly conflicted.

He had wanted Francis to suffer a torment that gnawed to the bone until his dying breath.

But they had to act fast. With Samantha still at large, they couldn't afford to let them continue the search for immortality. If Francis lived, they would find a way to rescue him.

And they didn’t have the luxury of keeping constant watch themselves.

It wasn’t a matter of distrust in their team—it was just that Francis, Samantha, and the shadowy figure behind her were too powerful. Their people simply couldn’t stop them.

So, killing Francis on the spot was the best choice.

“Thank you, Vivienne!” A wave of warmth coursed through Percival’s chest.

To know him best was, undoubtedly, Vivienne.

A thousand words could not express his gratitude, leaving him with only one sincere “thank you.” Vivienne chuckled. “Don’t mention it. If you thank me, it'll be like you don’t love me!”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

At her words, Percival hit the brakes hard, his hand snaking around her neck as he leaned in for a deep, lingering kiss.

His kiss was gentle and prolonged, and it was a while before he lifted his head to gaze intently at Vivienne.

“Vivienne, | love you! Only you!” A soft blush colored Vivienne’s fair cheeks, and with a slightly embarrassed cough, she teased, “Next time, could you givea heads-up before you go for a kiss? So | can brace myself?” It seemed every tbefore she had her fill, he broke away too soon. She always wanted more! Percival let out a laugh, his earlier gloom about Francis scattering away instantly. He dove in for another kiss and, after a long moment, nibbled on her lip and asked, “Vivienne, is that enough?” “Enough, it's enough!” Vivienne stammered! That kiss was downright life-threatening! And the thought of tackling her Mr. Wolf was tempting! But here they were, in the middle of a bustling street...

She reasoned she just couldn't. Not here. Not now.