The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Anna was ravenous, a side effect of the adrenaline rush from exertions earlier. She grabbed a stick of

lamb kebab and devoured it with gusto.

On the other hand, Aaron felt queasy and crouched to the side, trying to catch his breath.

And then there was Kenneth. The guy who seemed invincible in the car was now hugging a tree and

retching his guts out.

Drifting was cool, sure, but it came with consequences.

After Kenneth’s stomach had settled, Mark and Thomas, the last to hear the news, showed up.

“You okay, Aaron?” Mark was the first to check on Aaron, and concern filled his eyes.

Slightly irked yet not wanting to make a scene with an audience, Aaron subtly withdrew his hand. “I’m

fine, really.”

Seeing Aaron was indeed alright, Mark relaxed.

Mark didn’t call out to the young master when he spotted Percival. Instead, he addressed Vivienne,

“Vivienne, thanks for letting me know about Aaron.”

“No big deal.” Vivienne continued munching on her kebab, her eyes briefly sizing Mark up before

looking away.

Suddenly, Mark’s phone rang. His expression darkened. “Got it, I’ll be there.”

Aaron caught the urgency in Mark’s voice and asked, “What’s up?”

“Some of our warehouses caught fire. I need to check it out.” Mark glanced at Vivienne, who nodded

silently, and he took off.

Percival handed Vivienne another kebab, a faint smile playing at the corners of his eyes.

“Tasty, but a bit charred,” Vivienne commented, flicking the kebab with such finesse that it spun through

the air and landed perfectly in a nearby trash can.

Even the most delicious food and the most valuable people become disposable with a single flaw.

Kenneth choked on his water at the sight, spraying a mist that caught Aaron full in the face.

“Kenneth, what’s wrong with you?”

“It’s not like I did it on purpose!” Kenneth wiped his mouth, incredulous at Vivienne’s nonchalance.

Vivienne stood, brushing off her hands. “Aaron, stick with Anna for the next few days. If anything

comes up, call…”

“Call me. Vivienne is busy with her fashion designs and won’t have time,” Percival interjected, wrapping

an arm around Vivienne’s waist.

Vivienne shot him a sidelong glance. Was he really being jealous now?

Percival would say, “Jealous? Me? Never!”

Aaron clenched his teeth, knowing he had no ground to stand on, and cursed Percival silently.

“Got it, Vivienne,” Aaron replied curtly.

Vivienne didn’t linger on the matter. After all, Percival was currently without a job—a perfect candidate

to handle calls.

When Thomas arrived with two new cars from the Ellington Group, he said, “Percival, I’ll take you and

Ma’am home.”

Anna took the driver’s seat of another car. “I’m taking Aaron back to Elite University.”

Kenneth hurriedly joined them. “I’ve got to get back too. This is my ride!”

Anna rolled her eyes; she hadn’t planned to leave him behind to begin with.

The trio drove off, with Kenneth still puzzled over the day’s events and their unknown assailants.

It all seemed so unreal.

Meanwhile, Vivienne received messages from Matthew and Quincy.

Matthew: [Vivienne, multiple Miller family warehouses have been destroyed. They were decoys for

Belle’s holding place. The enemy’s pushing for the real location.]

Quincy: [The motorcycle wasn’t mine. After finishing the job, I got orders to tail Aaron!]

With this information, Vivienne could guess GTO’s motives—to force Mark into giving them what they

wanted.

Vivienne curled her lips in amusement. “Mr. Wolf, how’s it going on your end?”

Percival glanced at Thomas, who looked glum at the wheel. “Thomas has been suspended.”

“That was quick.” Vivienne nodded. “You guys at Vanguard Agency really don’t waste any time.”

Thomas sighed, “Ma’am, no jokes, please.”

His suspension was for a ludicrous reason—leaving his post and carrying his service weapon to meet

Percival, supposedly creating a public safety threat.

Now, Percival was not only restricted from acting on his own but also from contacting his colleagues,

Leopold and Soren.

Their superiors were clearly trying to isolate Percival, forcing him to give up Belle.

The pressure from both sides had driven Vivienne and Percival to a rather dire situation.

Vivienne yawned, still sleepy from waking up too early. She leaned against Percival lazily, saying, “Mr.

Wolf, let’s just go on a date.”

Percival nodded approvingly. “Yeah, great idea.”

Thomas glanced at them through the rear-view mirror, incredulous.

With the situation so dire, they were planning a date?

…

Back at Vanguard Agency, Micah summoned Leopold to his office.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated

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“Vivienne is your senior?” Micah inquired.

Leopold proudly responded, “Of course, I’m her favorite protégé. She never gets mad at me and gives

me whatever I ask for. Boss, you have no idea. Vivienne is like a goddess…”

Micah furrowed his brow. “She’s Karen’s daughter.”

This time, it was a statement, seemingly just a warning to the ever-chatty Leopold.

Leopold thumped his chest confidently. “Boss, I swear, Vivienne is even more badass than the old

captain. She’s seriously amazing, like a goddess to us. You just haven’t seen her in action, man. If you

had…”

“Where’s Belle?”

Leopold finally clamped his mouth shut, taking a long pause before responding, “Boss, her name is

Vivienne!”

“I know that. I’m asking you, where’s Belle?” Micah’s brow creased further as he spoke in a low tone,

“For Vivienne’s sake, have her bring me the person I’m looking for.”

Scratching his head in confusion, Leopold looked at Micah, perplexed, “Boss, what are you talking

about?”

“Leopold, do you want a suspension just like Thomas got?” Micah slammed his hand on the table,

causing his cane to clatter to the floor, “If it wasn’t for the fact that you can talk to Vivienne, even I

couldn’t save your hide. Do you get that?”

“I honestly don’t know, okay? Even if you suspend me, I still don’t know who Belle is, man. Isn’t this like

asking the impossible?” Leopold slumped back into his chair, the picture of aggrieved innocence.

Micah took a deep breath, then spoke again after a moment, “If not Vivienne, what about Griffin? You

can handle that, right?”

At the mention of Griffin, Leopold clutched at his chest dramatically, “Boss, you can’t ask me to

sacrifice my body!”