The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Percival gestured reassuringly for Vivienne to walk in.

Griffin didn't give a damn, shot Audrey a glowering look, and shoved open the door to let Vivienne in, “Grandpa's in your hands now, Vivienne." Vivienne stumbled a bit from the push. Thankfully, her footing was solid, or she might have ended up face-first on the floor.

Talk about unexpected. No wonder she caught Leopold's eye. Both of them had a way of taking you by surprise.

Meanwhile, Kala was holed up at home.

When Darren got back from wrapping up swork outside, he walked in to find her chilling and watching TV, "Kala, you alright? All that online sorted out?" Kala popped a potato chip into her mouth, "Not even close." "So, you're just... chilling?" How could she be so laid-back? Ronald cout of the kitchen with a fruit bowl in his hands. "Don't mind her. She's been like this since she got back from the studio. Vivienne called earlier. The agency's taking over the whole mess, told her to take a few days off. Kala's over the moon." "Well, she's happy, at least." Darren was exasperated. “The agency's swamped. Ramona cprepared; high-def videos are all over the net, and the trolls are practically crashing the platforms with their venom." As he spoke, he couldn't even understand. “I'm baffled, really. What's your beef with Ramona that she'd set up such a schto target you?" "She's not after me.” Kala finally tore her gaze away from the screen. "She's trying to drive a wedge betweenand Vivienne, though I can't fathom her endgame." "But she's a lousy actress," Kala spread her hands dismissively, "I'm not falling for such a cheap trick." Darren clapped, impressed. "That's my cousin. I thought you were gonna be mobbed today when I heard you two squabbling." Ronald hadn't witnessed the confrontation. but he had seen more than enough of the videos online. “This Ramona chick, she cout of nowhere?" Darren nodded. "More like dropped from the sky. People in the biz first thought she had skind of backing, but turns out, zip. Nothing." The info on her was neat and tidy: parents were just regular company employees.

Aside from graduating from an Ivy League school, there wasn't much else notable about her. Her sudden rise to fin the cutthroat entertainment industry was baffling, not just to others but even to Darren, who didn't normally cross paths with Ramona's type.

Ronald frowned in thought after hearing Darren's take. "Seems like our adversary isn't afraid of us knowing she's a nobody." Darren agreed, "What's more, whoever is behind her has been laying the groundwork for a while now. Probably tied to that organization, the boss has been investigating." "What organization?" Kala was curious.

The last tVivienne cto talk to Ronald, they kept their conversation private in his room.

She only caught the tail end of it and was largely in the dark about what Vivienne and Ronald were up to.

Surprised that even Darren knew, her curiosity was piqued. "Vivienne's been out of touch for ages. Are you guys into something I don't know about?" Ronald was at a loss for words. Revealing anything might blow his past involvement with Scott.

Glancing at Darren with a hint of irritation for his loose lips, he switched off the TV and ushered Kala to stand, "It's nothing. What could we possibly be keeping from you? Let's go have dinner.” Meanwhile, at CK Penitentiary.

In a fully sealed room, identical to any ordinary cell, there was a bed, a desk, and even a coffee table set with coffee paraphernalia, indistinguishable from those outside, with the serene scent of coffee pervading the small space. Not a single guard was in sight.

Francis from the notorious GTO organization, who should have been resting in an unmarked grave, was sitting calmly at the coffee table. His wrists and ankles bore electronic cuffs.

Even his attire was the sfamiliar style recognized by those who knew him when he was alive, his face always wearing a faint, serene smile. He held a book, seemingly engrossed, turning pages just as he used to.

But if anyone were there, they'd see his eyes weren't focused at all. They were cold, empty, devoid of any emotion, much like a machine.

In fact, he was a machine. A flawed prototype of the androids developed by Ronald, capable of mimicking human actions and voice but not emotions.

He had escaped destruction solely due to Leopold's morbid sense of humor.

Leopold had figured having a decoy might draw out the remnants of GTO.

He hadn't considered that, at this point, no one from GTO would risk their life for someone who might not even be alive.

Thomas and Anna laughed at his fanciful thinking, saying he was too old to be daydreaming.

Percival, surprisingly, didn't object. After all, it was just an android following commands. And CK wasn't really of any strategic value; it was just bait in the water; who knew what it might catch? Now, after a month, the android that had survived a series of unfortunate events remained there, with the surveillance team having lost all hope and Leopold having completely forgotten about it.

But today, it seemed like there was a fish nibbling at the bait.

CK, as an organization rivaling GTO, boasted a penitentiary comparable to Vanguard Agency'sXOmaximum-security facilities.

Surveillance cameras were everywhere, and the corridors were riddled with traps. Anyone without a map of the place trying to break in would immediately be detected by the infrared scanners.

But at this moment...

Samantha strolled down the penitentiary corridor as if it were her own backyard, the click-clack of her high heels echoing crisply.

The android in the cell sensed someone approaching. Its rigid head finally moved, turning towards the door.

Blind to the outside, it could still hear a gentle female voice drift in, "Long tno see." Samantha caressed the wall, her eyes shimmering with a complex, shadowy light.

Voice recognition allowed the android to quickly find its corresponding master in its memory chip, "I heard Vivienne and her crew found you. Are all your wounds healed?"

Samantha's movements froze as she listened to the emotionless voice.

Suddenly, everything clicked, and she glanced up at the blinking red light of the surveillance camera, "Pretty much. I just cto see that you're doing 'fine.' Now that I see you are, I can rest easy." What she meant by 'fine' was anybody's guess.

The flawed programming of the reject was evident, and it failed to produce a response in tbefore the sound of high heels echoed again.

Just as Samantha vanished from sight, Percival, ensconced in the grandeur of the Martinez Mansion, received a call from his underling, "Are you sure she went to the prison alone?" The voice on the other end was cool yet respectful, "The face in the surveillance footage matches the photo you gave us." After a brief pause, the caller added, "However, initially, we couldn't access the prison's cameras. It seemed she used sgadget to jam them. We only realized she was there after she left." It was a daring move, no doubt about it.

And yet, they were at their wits' end with the female F-Poison, unable to catch the one who could skip through the fingers of both Vivienne and Percival. The leader of the GTO organization clearly had stricks up her sleeve. Percival frowned, his gaze shifting back to the closed door. "Understood. Wait for my instructions."