The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Richard was just about to chin with Finnian's train of thought when Maddox, seizing the chance to divert Fredrick's razor-sharp glares from himself, interjected casually, "Hold up, Finnian. That's not quite right. Our Vivienne's just a young thing; babies are a ways off for her." "Exactly, my point! Vivienne's only twenty. What's this rush about kids?" Jasper nodded approvingly at his third son, waving his hand dismissively, "They should focus on their careers for now. Children can wait a few more years." Finnian is spouting nonsense again! The family had only just reclaimed their precious lost lamb, and the score for whisking her away without so much as a by-your-leave hadn't been settled yet. They couldn't let Percival get too smug about it! Leopold, shoveling down his food, glanced from one to another, then at Vivienne, whose cheeks were tinted with a fresh bloom of red.

Struck by a sudden inspiration, he blurted out, "But hey, they're already hitched. Having kids is just a matter of time, and I bet any child of Vivienne and Percival's will be a real looker, even prettier than the two of them." Silence fell like a curtain as he finished speaking. All eyes converged on Leopold.

Leopold shivered, "Did I, uh, say something wrong?" Richard was the first to recover, "Wrong? Absolutely not. You nailed it, buddy. I'm right there with you, Leopold!" Jasper opened his mouth to argue, but his brain, traitorously, continued along Leopold's line of thought. Well, it did make a sort of sense.

Their Vivienne was a dead ringer for Sasha, a real beauty, and that Ellington boy wasn't too hard on the eyes either.

Wouldn't their child be the cutest kid on the planet? Jasper's eyes sparked to life in an instant.

Meanwhile, a few aunts and uncles stared at their suddenly swayed father, on the verge of tears.

Yuri quietly sipped his drink, his gaze drifting noncommittally over to Percival.

Vivienne's lips twitched, wondering how the conversation had veered back to procreation so quickly.

She patted her stomach and glanced at Percival, "Mr. Wolf..." Before she could continue, Percival picked up the thread, "Vivienne, don't worry. We can wait to have kids. I'll follow your lead." Vivienne, speechless, fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Everyone else is one thing, but why was Mr. Wolf acting up like these off-key elders? Seeing the disdain and frustration in the girl's eyes, Percival's gaze softened, and he ruffled Vivienne's hair playfully, "I'm just kidding. We'll think about kids after the wedding." Their elders' plans weren't important right now. They were still busy with a laundry list of things.

Lucas had tasked them to set up their own department, and while he and Vivienne had drafted a list of potential members, they hadn't finalized their assessments.

Samantha, the ancient warrior lineage, not to mention that mysterious woman-none of these issues were settled.

The most crucial reason was that Karen hadn't awakened, and Vivienne's father was still missing.

Their decision to get married was made on the fly, but the wedding would need to be carefully planned, to be held in the presence of Vivienne's parents, followed by children.

Vivienne looked up into his eyes and smiled, "Okay." Her Mr. Wolf always seemed to understand what was on her mind.

Over at Kaitlyn's villa, the night was deepening.

A low-key black Porsche pulled into the villa complex.

Beneath the warm, yellow streetlights, the car approached Kaitlyn's hat a leisurely pace.

After the engine cut off, Victoria stepped out, assisted by her assistant Walter.

"Is this where Kaitlyn's staying now?" She took in the sprawling villa, bathed in cozy light, and removed her sunglasses.

Walter nodded, "According to our intel, yes. It seems like Vivienne found them this place. They haven't been here long. Vivienne's men were guarding the place, keeping us from finding it. But recently, their security seems to have slackened. Our guys followed Amelia and found this place.” Victoria's lips curled. "I didn't realize Vivienne held Kaitlyn in such high regard." She slipped her sunglasses into her bag and ascended the stairs with her heels clicking, arriving just as the Littleton family sat down for dinner.

Kaitlyn, setting the last dish on the table, heard the doorbell and wondered, "Who could that be at this hour?" "Maybe Ms. Hawthorn?" Tyler wheeled himself towards the door.

Amelia dashed from the kitchen, "Dad, letget it. I'll see if it's Vivienne." Not waiting for a response, she hurried to the door.

Under Tyler's indulgent and worried gaze, Amelia swung open the door, “Vivien..." Her cheerful greeting was cut short as she saw who stood before her. Tyler's face paled.

"Amelia, chere!" "Amelia!" Victoria's face materialized before them, draining the color from Tyler's already fair complexion. Instinctively, he shouted at Amelia at the door! But it was too late.

By the tKaitlyn arrived, Amelia's small frwas already ensnared in Walter's arms.

Amelia had seen Victoria many times and burst into tears at the sight of her, "Letgo! Bad lady, letgo! Mommy, help!" "Shut up!" Victoria frowned in annoyance and ordered, "Walter, gag her!" Then, she turned her gaze to Kaitlyn, who stood frozen, her lips curving into a mocking smile, "Kaitlyn, long tno see. Seems like you've been doing quite well?" Her tone was as casual as if they were old friends catching up.

Kaitlyn's body involuntarily shivered as she gasped, "How on earth did you find this place? Let go of my daughter, Victoria. If you've got a beef with anyone, take it up with me!"

Victoria folded her arms across her chest, a smirk playing on her lips "You think cozying up to Vivienne would keep you safe? Kaitlyn, as long as you have what we want, there's no escaping us!" Her piercing gaze swept over the little girl, Amelia, who was crying incessantly in Walter's arms.

Her eyes flitted with a hint of resolve as she steeled herself. "If you want to save your daughter, hand over what I want! Otherwise, you know what I'm capable of." A sharp cry echoed through the room as Walter's grip tightened mercilessly.

The pain was too much for Amelia, who screamed out loud.

The commotion alarmed the elders upstairs, who, with shaky legs, descended the stairs only to be confronted by the sight of Victoria, which instantly brought back memories of that dreadful day.

Their bodies nearly gave way beneath them, almost collapsing to the floor in shock.

The panic that seized their hearts turned to rage upon seeing Amelia in their captors' hands Katlyn's in-laws, supporting one another, stepped forward. "Please, spare Amelia, she's just a child. If you must, direct your anger at us, the adults."

Victoria let out a cold, mocking laugh as she sauntered into the room, with Walter slamming the door shut m behind her "My quarret has always been with your daughter-in-law. She's playing hardball, refusing to give up the goods. So, it looks like your granddaughter will have to bear the brunt of it."