The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The grand manor was now cloaked in darkness, save for the small pool of light at their feet, where the beam of a flashlight fought

back the shadows. The two of them had been standing there in a defensive stance for what felt like an eternity, half an hour at

least, while silence reigned supreme.

Other than the sound of their own breathing, not a single sign of trouble pierced the quiet.

The burly bodyguard, whom the staff called "Bulldog," scowled, "Damn it, what's going on? Is this just a freaking blackout?"

The possibility of Huxley attempting an escape was laughable. From the moment he'd returned, the Boyd Estate had been locked

down tighter than Alcatraz. Mara, the pampered heiress, always had a bodyguard tailing her. Trying to slip away under these

circumstances? It would take a Houdini, not a Huxley.

The second bodyguard, known as "Hawk" for his keen eyes, slowly relaxed his stance but remained on high alert. "No idea," he

muttered before pulling out his radio.

"Team three, report in. We've got an electrical issue in the manor. Send someone to check the fuse box. | refuse to believe that in a

place this swanky, we'd just happen to run into a stroke of bad luck."

In the darkness, Mara crouched at the corner of the hallway, her eyes fixed on the only illuminated spot in the villa. She bit her lip

in frustration. She had managed to sabotage the lighting system, and yet these goons weren't budging. How was she supposed to

rescue Huxley if they wouldn't leave their post?

Her palms pressed against the wallpaper, her manicured nails inadvertently scratching it, producing a faint, telltale noise.

"What was that?" Hawk, with his acute hearing, picked up on the slight disturbance. In the hush that surrounded them, it might as

well have been a siren. At his prompt, the chandelier above flickered back to life.

In the renewed glow, Huxley looked up, his chapped lips twisting into a sardonic smile. "Idiots."

Outside, Mara was oblivious to his reaction. As the lights flared, her hiding spot was exposed, and the bodyguards downstairs

spotted her without even needing to look up.

Bulldog locked eyes with her. "Ms. Boyd, what are you doing here?"

His piercing gaze made her sweat, and she fumbled with her fingers. "I... | got scared! The power went out, and | didn’t dare stay

alone, so | cout to check..."

She batted her eyes, the picture of innocence.

The two bodyguards exchanged a glance, skeptical but bound by orders from Thomas to only keep an eye on Huxley. With no harm

done, they decided not to complicate matters further.

"The power's back now, Ms. Boyd. You should return to your room," Bulldog said, without a shred of warmth, his arm outstretched

and his eyes commanding.

Mara barely spared him a glance before averting her eyes and scampering back to her room, cursing under her breath at the

insensible oaf.

The next day, as Vivienne and her entourage approached the manor near noon, Mara burst out of the house, desperation in her

voice. "Percival, why have you taken so long to come?"

She hurled herself towards him like a live grenade, expecting her cousin to catch her.

Percival, however, stepped back, taking Vivienne with him.

Thud!

Mara hit the ground hard, her fall breaking the morning calm.

Anna, following Vivienne, couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Mara sprawled on the ground.

The scattered laughter of the onlookers filled the air as Mara lay there, indecision written all over her face. Eventually, she pushed

herself up, "Percival, you're finally here. If you hadn't come, my brother would've been tormented to death by your wife."

"What's that got to do with me?" Vivienne asked, genuinely confused.

Mara glared at Anna, still giggling, and wiped away the tears that had sprung from the pain. "You may not like my brother and me,

but you've drugged us, and now you've locked him up. This is an infringement of his rights!"

Anna scoffed, "Rights? Ms. Boyd, did you ever go to school? Remember, we live in Veridia, not M State."

Mara bit her lip. "Percival, look at them. It's illegal to detain my brother like this!"

Vivienne had no patience for fools and looked to Percival for guidance.

He took his wife's hand, and Thomas stepped forward to pull Mara aside. "| ordered Huxley's detention. If you have a problem with

that, go ahead and call the cops," he said coldly, then turned, escorting Vivienne into the manor.

Upstairs, Huxley finally saw someone other than his guards. "Percival, what right do you have to hold me? What have | done to

deserve this?!"

As his voice rang with indignation, Mara rushed into the room, tears streaming down her face. She stood protectively in front of her

brother, her face smeared with tears and dirt, invoking a pitiable yet defiant beauty.

"You're doing this to your own family. How can you justify this to our ancestors?" she challenged, her voice trembling with anger

and despair.

The sharp sound of a slap echoed in the room.

"Vivienne, what the hell?"

Vivienne had struck Mara, her patience finally wearing thin.

Percival looked on, unfazed, and held his wife's hand. "Next time, letdo it. You shouldn't dirty your hands on such nonsense."

Vivienne pulled out a napkin with deliberate calm, wiped her hands, and lifted her gaze to meet Mara's with a cool detachment.

"Have you been living it up with the Boyds for so long that you've forgotten you're nothing more than my lab rat?"

Mara's body tensed, and a flicker of resentment passed through her eyes.

She hadn't forgotten her status as Vivienne's experiment.

But it had been so long since Vivienne had done anything to her that she began to believe, maybe, just maybe, Vivienne had

decided to let her be.

So, she gradually let the memories of her past fade and started enjoying the privileged life with the Ellingtons, as if it was just like

old times with the Boyds—a carefree heiress without a worry in the world.

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