The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Willa's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red as she listened.

Without waiting for any further discussion about the wedding plans, she hurriedly made her escape.

Before Maddox followed her, he gave Vivienne a quiet thumbs-up, "If this wedding pulls through, you're the hero we celebrate." Vivienne chuckled, "If Uncle Maddox and Willa really tie the knot, I'm all for taking the credit." But she wasn't exactly lying earlier. Willa always dressed in dark colors, but with her naturally pale skin and raven-black hair, red would only make her look more striking.

In the backyard.

Finnian had just returned from the foyer when he saw Vivienne sitting at the outdoor stone table, clearly waiting for him.

Frowning slightly, he couldn't help but nag, "Young lady, you know your condition and yet here you are sitting outside in the night air. Aren't you worried about your fiancé fretting over you?" Vivienne poured a cup of tea and pushed it across the table, not intending to drink any herself, and tilted her chin up, "Mr. Wolf is makinga midnight snack. He'll be here soon." Finnian, "..." Maybe he was the one worrying too much.

After all, if his apprentice set her mind to something, not even her doting fiancé could stop her, let alone her old master. Sitting down, Finnian took a sip of the warm tea before speaking, "What's up?" "Abigail has disappeared." Vivienne's tone was calm, but Finnian nearly jumped, his eyebrows knitting tightly, "Disappeared? Didn't you capture her after injuring her?" "To be precise, she was consumed by a magical array, bing its first sacrifice. We didn't even get a chance to intervene." Vivienne was telling the truth.

Finnian was stunned.

He could hardly believe that Abigail's fate would end like this. During their encounter, he had sensed that Abigail's magical energy was formidable, especially the unique power within her, which was higher than he had anticipated.

But there was one thing.

He couldn't discern Abigail's true age.

A person without any signs of disguise or bone modification, yet whose facial features and bones didn't match, appeared to be only in their thirties.

This was a first for him, and if his suspicions were correct, then this person's age could be far beyond his imagination.

Shaking off this thought, Finnian asked, "What about the body? Did you find it? The array consuming her would only absorb her blood and vital essence, but the body couldn't have just vanished into thin air." Vivienne shook her head with a frown.

Draven hadn't called back yet, which meant they hadn't found any clues about Abigail.

This was her concern.

Abigail possessed the Wright family's teleportation ability, and the array was her creation, so escaping at a critical moment wasn't impossible.

The only way to confirm her survival.

Was to see Abigail's body with their own eyes.

Seeing her worry, Finnian understood, "If it was truly the array backfiring, even if she's still alive, she'd be barely hanging on. Arrays powered by magical artifacts are often tricky; breaking them usually requires a death." Vivienne bit her lip and looked up at her master, "When the array vanished, the Millennia Aegis disappeared with it." Finnian nearly choked on his tea, staring at Vivienne in shock, "What?" "The Millennia Aegis is gone!" Vivienne nodded, explaining the situation with the shattered armor.

After the burst of white light, it wasn't just Abigail and Delilah that disappeared; the Millennia Aegis, which they had damaged, was gone too.

That's why the array dissipated so thoroughly.

"This..." Finnian opened his mouth, eventually sighing, "That was a real treasure!" Vivienne, "...' She knew it. What really got her master worked up wasn't the situation itself, nor concern for her safety, but the loss of the Millennia Aegis.

Finnian seemed to think of something, pondering for a moment, "Are you suspecting Abigail might use the Millennia Aegis to heal herself ande back stronger?" Vivienne slightly furrowed her brow, "Abigail and another person, Delilah, entered the core of the array together. I suspect Abigail might sacrifice someone else to ensure her own safety." Finnian stroked his beard, "Has that person been found?" Vivienne: "Not yet." Finnian paused, "If, as you say, Abigail and that person were both consumed by the array, even if she used someone as a shield, Abigail couldn't have escaped unscathed." "Besides, you're underestimating the Millennia Aegis." Vivienne looked up to see Finnian continuing, "From what I've researched, currently, there's nothing that can repair it in a short et time. Plus, with Abigail severely injured, she'll likely hide and heal in secret. It's unlikely she'll show herself for a while." en kikistories Mentioning injuries, Vivienne instinctively looked towards Finnian's head, suddenly changing the subject, "Weren't you just suffering from internal injuries? Why's your head wrapped up too?" Finnian paused, struggling to follow Vivienne's quick change of topic.

Vivienne glanced towards her master's guest room, situated perfectly in line with a tree, and blurted out, "Master, you didn't happen to bump into a tree in the middle of the night, did you?" Finnian's face turned awkward, as embarrassed as one could be, "It's those boys' fault, claiming they'd take care of me. At this rate, their 'care' will be the end of me." Finnian refused to elaborate, and Vivienne didn't press further, instead pulling out a bottle of pills from her pocket and placing it in front of him.

Finnian's eyes lit up, knowing anything his diligent apprentice brought out had to be good, "What's this?" Vivienne replied, "Life-saving pill, it should help with your injuries." Finnian's face lit up with a smile as he swiftly pocketed the item, well aware of its value.

"See, this is why I always say, nothing beats having a darling like you around. Always thinking of your old man, not like those other rascals who don't know how to show a bit of heart." "I'll have them pack up and head hsoon enough. Savethe headache of having them around all the time." Seeing her mentor overjoyed, Vivienne took the opportunity to speak up. "Even though we won't be seeing Abigail for a while, I still hope you can keep an eye out for any information on her background for me. en.kikistories swn Having received a gift, Finnian was more than willing to agree, "Don't worry, I'd have looked into it either way. Someone who looks younger than they should, I've got to find out their secret." en.kikistories As Finnian spoke to himself about the Life-saving pill, Vivienne's expression grew thoughtful.

She had tried to discern the signs of age on Abigail's face as her mentor suggested, but couldn't find any.

If that was indeed Abigail's real face, her true age remained a mystery.

At that moment, Percival cover with a tray carrying two bowls of steaming porridge, placing one in front of Finnian.

"Always thinking of me, even at this hour. You're too kind," Finnian chuckled, accepting the bowl.

He was about to take a spoonful when he paused, eyeing the contents, "What kind of porridge is this?" Percival, who had just handed Vivienne her spoon, replied, "It's almond milk oatmeal with hints of vanilla and cinnamon. It's great for relaxation and should help with your sleep." Finnian's smile faltered as he looked down at the creamy mixture, barely hiding his distaste, "No thanks, suddenly not feeling very hungry. You two go ahead, this old man is off to bed."