The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne’s eyes narrowed as she and Percival rushed to the attacked stronghold of the

Miller family.

“Imogen’s got some nerve,” Percival said, his voice turning cold.

Launching a preemptive strike on the Miller family’s stronghold, she aimed to distract

Vivienne, buying herself time to escape.

Vivienne gripped the steering wheel, her tires leaving deep marks on the asphalt as she

drove.

Her face was as dark as a storm cloud, fury simmering within her.

With a screeching halt, the car arrived at the Miller family’s stronghold.

It was an old Victorian mansion that served as the Miller family’s headquarters within the

Nine Mystics Society.

Mark had been one of the first Vivienne had brought into her fold, and this place was a

home base for the Nine Mystic Society’s members in Rivenwood.

Draven would often stay here when he was on missions.

It had always been secure.

But now, it had been struck with devastating damage!

The bronze front door was blasted halfway to oblivion, and the building was belching thick,

black smoke. Firefighters and police officers were swarming the scene.

Aaron was there, talking to them, trying to piece together how the blaze had started.

After an investigation, they concluded it was a gas leak that led to the explosion.

But everyone inside the Nine Mystics Society knew better. Someone had planted a bomb

at their doorstep, leading to the destruction and sending several brothers to the hospital.

After the firefighters and police had left, Aaron approached Vivienne, sweat beading on his

forehead.

“Vivienne,” he said, obviously fresh from receiving the news.

Vivienne nodded. “Just you here? Where’s your dad?”

Aaron pursed his lips, “He was here when it happened. He’s been taken to the hospital.

Vivienne, can you… save him?”

Despite their strained relationship, Mark was still his father. The thought of losing him had

never crossed Aaron’s mind.

Vivienne’s eyes took on a shadowy gleam. “Yeah, I got it. Anna will take care of things

here.”

Aaron did not respond; they just looked at Vivienne deeply.

He knew his strength was not enough, not by far.

Like the panicked call he received about the explosion at home, it had left him in utter

disarray.

He felt inadequate beside Vivienne.

Sensing the turmoil in Aaron’s eyes, Vivienne clapped him on the shoulder. “The future of

the Miller family is in your hands now.”

Aaron was taken aback, not quite understanding her meaning.

But Vivienne was not one for explanations. When the time came, Aaron would understand.

Vivienne and Percival got back in the car and headed to the hospital.

Most of the Nine Mystics Society’s members had been treated at the hospital. Only a few

who were near the blast were still in surgery.

Mark had been closest to the explosion and was the most severely injured.

Vivienne stood outside the operating room, already in her surgical scrubs.

She had managed to save the others upon arrival at the hospital.

Now, only Mark remained.

Slipping on her gloves, she looked back at Percival.

He gave her a reassuring half-smile and said, “Everything’s ready. Go on.”

With a nod, Vivienne entered the operating room.

Although Mark’s injuries were severe, they were not life-threatening, and with Vivienne’s

skilled hands, he would soon be on the road to recovery.

In the recovery room, Mark slowly opened his eyes. He wiggled his fingers and toes –

everything seemed normal.

He sighed with relief. As his vision cleared, he saw Vivienne sitting at his bedside.

“Young Ma…”

“How do you feel?” Vivienne asked, holding a syringe, expertly tapping out the air before

injecting its contents into Mark’s IV line.

“Just a heavy head,” Mark replied, swallowing hard.

Vivienne emptied the syringe, her tone cool, “With all those secrets, it’s no wonder you

feel weighed down.”

Mark tensed, licking his dry lips. “You’re right, Young Master. It wasn’t easy bringing Aaron

back, especially with all the conflicts between us. I guess it’s been weighing on me.”

She tossed the empty syringe in the trash and said, “If you really cared about him, you

wouldn’t have done the things you did, Dark Brew.”

Mark’s eyes widened in disbelief, his face flashing with panic. Dark Brew was his code

name within the GTO, a secret known only to F-Poison and Mr. B.

Even Scott, his seemingly innocuous brother-in-law, was unaware they were colleagues!

Mark looked at Vivienne, wanting to flee but feeling utterly powerless, his body no longer

under his control.

There was no point in pretending any longer.

“I’m sorry, Young Master. I betrayed the organization. But Aaron is innocent. Please, let

him go, will you?”

Vivienne leaned back in her chair, her long legs crossed at the ankles. “Aaron is my

protégé, not like you.”

Hearing this, Mark relaxed a bit. He knew Vivienne was just and had her own sense of right

and wrong.

He swallowed hard and confessed his betrayal of the Nine Mystics Society.

“They found me eighteen years ago, just after Aaron was born, and his mother… Well,

they helped me get my son back. I’ve been watching over him ever since, even though we

never acknowledged each other.”

Vivienne chuckled with a hint of irony. So, before Mark had even joined the Nine Mystics

Society, he was already in the clutches of GTO.

For years, he had kept his double life a well-guarded secret.Books Chapters Are Daily

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“Listen, I didn’t join the Nine Mystics Society under orders from GTO,” Mark confessed,

breathing more easily as he spoke. “They just wanted me to remain undercover and hide

my identity. All these years, I’ve done nothing but stand guard over the Miller family. When

I joined the Society, I gave it my all, never once straying in loyalty. It wasn’t until you

came to Rivenwood that GTO reestablished contact.

But they still never gave me any real tasks, not even when Scott got arrested. They didn’t

ask me to intervene. Only after you caught Mr. B did they finally send me on a mission—to

locate where Mr. B was being held.”

“So, you disregarded Aaron’s safety and allowed CK’s goons to target him just to force my

hand in trading Belle for his life?” Vivienne’s gaze was icy as she stared at Mark.

He claimed to be sorry, to love his son Aaron above all else.

Yet all the danger the boy faced came from his own father!

Aaron’s martial arts skills were negligible; even Kenneth could hold his own against him.

And now, GTO’s top fighters had him in their sights.

No one within GTO knew Mark’s true identity.

What if they tried to kill Aaron?

Had Mark never considered the risk?

No, he had. He had thought through all the consequences.

But to fulfill the mission GTO had charged him with, he was willing to push his son toward

the brink of danger.

Seeing that Vivienne was unmoved, he had staged this elaborate ruse to add insult to

injury. It was a ploy to protect Imogen while simultaneously begging Vivienne to disclose

Belle’s identity—a two-for-one deal.

But Mark had not anticipated that Vivienne had already suspected his true identity all

along. She had covertly sent Quincy to hack into GTO’s classified files. After breaking

through countless firewalls, they had finally unearthed the whereabouts of Dark Brew.

Hearing Vivienne’s words, Mark hung his head in a mixture of shame and regret. “I’ve

been watching over Aaron from the shadows. He shouldn’t be in any real danger. I’ve

made sure of that.”

Vivienne sneered. “Shouldn’t be?”

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