The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Cecilia nearly fainted upon hearing such words, but Vivienne quickly slipped a calming pill into her mouth, helping her to stabilize her emotions. Vivienne watched Mara with an expressionless face, radiating a fierce aura. Percival's eyes, sharp as an eagle's, coldly glanced at Mara. Mara's hands, which were clinging to Nathan's leg, trembled before finally letting go, weakly.

She bit her lower lip, "Regardless, my uncle did take liberties with me, that's an undeniable fact. Even if you kill me, it won't change anything! He's the one who wronged me!" Clutching the fabric of her dress tightly, she was filled with a mix of grievance and anger. Yet, deep inside, she harbored a dark thought: If Cecilia had any pride, she would divorce Nathan immediately. Then, perhaps, she could becNathan's wife and the Ellington estate would be hers! She would no longer need to live under someone else's roof and could enjoy a life of dignity in the Ellington family.

Vivienne's gaze, seemingly detached, drifted over Mara's flower-like face. Mara felt it and mistook Vivienne's intention, but then she heard Vivienne ask Nathan, "Dad, do you know where Mara's room is?" Nathan, who had been somewhat dazed, now appeared somewhat calmer. "I don't know where her room is. I've never been there. Besides, I'm usually so busy at the office, I wouldn't know these things. Cecilia handles all that, and I've never had to ask." Cecilia, still angry, refused to look at Nathan, but upon seeing Vivienne, she nodded affirmatively.

She was reluctant to believe Nathan could be that kind of person. After all, Eliza Boyd had tried every trick in the book to win Nathan over without success. To think Nathan would prefer Mara over her was something Cecilia was unwilling to believe. The Ellingtons had seen many an innocent flower like Mara; it was improbable that Nathan would be interested in just her. If Nathan had such inclinations, he wouldn't have stayed well-behaved in his earlier years. But being accused of sleeping with someone was a different matter altogether. If Nathan really had slept with Mara, Cecilia wouldn't be able to get over it. She couldn't tolerate the slightest bit of dishonesty.

Mara clung to her point of contention, thinking that a mere question could prove Nathan's innocence. Impossible. She cleared her throat with a sense of triumph, "Just because my uncle doesn't know where my room is, doesn't prove anything. He was found in my room, in broad daylight, for all to see! He was lying next to me, shirtless, and you all saw the bloodstains on the bed! There's no excusing that." Mara was determined not to let go of this point.

Vivienne stepped elegantly towards Mara, confronting her face to face. Still kneeling, Mara's disheveled hair added a touch of pity to her look. She looked up defiantly at Vivienne, whose long eyelashes slightly drooped, her gaze sharp and cold. Vivienne's slender leg extended, stepping directly on Mara's back. The sound of cracking bones echoed clearly in the room. Mara's spine broke instantly! The pain was so intense that Mara's chin was pressed against the floor, her fingernails digging into the ground, looking utterly defeated as she coughed up blood. Vivienne frowned, clearly disgusted, "So fragile, and yet so talkative? I was speaking to my father, what's your hurry?" "Are you rushing to haveuncover the truth and send you to your next life?" Mara trembled uncontrollably with each shiver, the pain from her broken spine almost unbearable. Gasping for air, Mara pleaded, "Vivienne, I'll sue you! This is too much. I'm the victim here, and yet you treatthis way! Brother, brother... please save me! Uncle, I beg you!" "I'm like this because of you!" Tears streamed down her face, no longer an act but genuine fear.

Percival had little patience for such shameless acts, his cold voice cutting through, "Silence!" Nathan, however, looked increasingly troubled, especially when Mara called him uncle. His complexion turned from pale to ashen. Vivienne noticed this and, showing a hint of mercy, lifted her foot off Mara, who continued to wail.

Crouching down, Vivienne's eyes sparkled as she smirked, "Nice manicure, seems like there's something inside. Can't quite see it..." She picked up a dagger from beside her and with a swift motion, sliced off the entire fingernail perfectly. Mara didn't feel the pain immediately, but as blood began to drip, the pain hit her, sweat beading on her forehead. At that moment, she wished for death.

Vivienne casually examined the fingernail, tapping it lightly, and a powder fell into her hand. Percival, crouching beside Vivienne, glanced at the powder, his expression darkening, his voice tinged with bloodlust, "Is this an aphrodisiac?" Although not an expert in medicine, Percival recognized ssubstances from his twith Vivienne.

Cecilia, shocked, covered her mouth in disbelief, "Vivienne, is that really an aphrodisiac? She dared to drug Nathan!" Vivienne patted Cecilia's back reassuringly, "It is indeed an aphrodisiac, but not an ordinary one. Initially, it clouds the mind, much like a sedative, then slowly ferments and permeates." "So Dad was taken to Mara's room without any awareness?" Percival's cold gaze flickered.

"Pretty much. But Dad woke up without any memory of it. If it was a side effect, it wouldn't have erased his memory.completely," Vivienne advised. Percival instantly grasped Vivienne's intent, stepping out of the room, he ordered the butler, "Search everything. Any other drugs, bring them toimmediately Find Huxley for me!" Percival's voice was laced with a chilling danger, his brows furrowed deeply. The person who was undoubtedly the most unsettled was Nathan. Middle-aged, at a point in life where respect and dignity should be paramount, yet here he was, subjected to such humiliation. Old enough to be Mara's father, yet he was drugged by a woman in her twenties. His face was a rotating palette of emotions, as he took deep breaths to calm himself. A cold glint shot from his deep- set eyes.

Mara, who had been vomiting blood on the floor, wished she could just faint and escape the ordeal. But she was unaware that even if she fainted, Vivienne would mercilessly wake her up! She had waited for the moment when Nathan finally had tto chome, especially when Cecilia happened to be at the beauty salon and the Ellington residence was relatively empty. She seized this opportunity to drug Nathan. Yet, as soon as Vivienne arrived, her plans were exposed! Now, her only hope lay with Huxley, praying he wouldn't give anything away. The moment Huxley entered, his eyes immediately found Mara, sprawled in a pool of her own blood, his pupils shrinking in shock. For a moment, his legs felt too weak to stand, his fingers gripping the doorfrfor support. "Sis! What happened to you? I just got back to the Ellington place, and you're like this!" "Did they do something to you?!" His eyes reddened, veins of anger and worry spreading through his gaze.