The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Gillian’s scream pierced the silence of the night, startling her from her dreams into a gasping reality as she fell to her knees on the floor, breath heaving in her chest.

“Mr. Ellington, Mr. Ellington...” She gasped.

Patrick rushed to his daughter's side, steadying her with a firm grip. “Gillian, are you alright?” He asked, concern written all over his face.

Confusion clouded Gillian’s eyes as she noticed the cluster of people around her, her last memory of being tucked into bed by Percival, wrapped in a cozy comforter.

She was quick to react, though, sobbing as she collapsed into her father’s arms. “Dad, I... with Mr. Ellington, we've already... We've...” Her words hung in the air, leaving an unspoken understanding among the gathered crowd.

The sight of a naked beauty would test any man’s resolve, and poor Yannick had been dealt a rough hand, his legacy usurped by another.

A flicker of rage crossed Patrick’s eyes as he turned to Percival, his voice rising in anger. “Percival, what do you have to say for yourself? You animal!” Mara quickly cto the defense. “Mr. Patrick, there were drugs in the room. It was not intentional; it was the drugs that took control. Just think about how Gillian was acting!” Gillian clung to her father’s hand. “Dad, | remember bits and pieces. Mr. Ellington savedfrom Yannick. We tried to leave, but... | smelled something strange. Even though my mind was clear, our bodies would not listen...

It’s not Mr. Ellington's fault. It's all Yannick’s doing. Really, it’s not his fault.” Tears streamed down Gillian’s face as she clutched the blanket. “Dad, I'm so ashamed.” Mara, with tears in her eyes, looked at Percival. “Bro, it x] Gillian’s first time. You can’t just abandon her.” Patrick was at a loss, torn between anger and the need to comfort his daughter. He looked at Percival with a mixture of anger and pleading. “Mr. Ellington, given the circumstances, if you don’t take responsibility, Gillian will have no future.” “Yeah, Percival, we can’t just leave things like this.” Their performance could have outshone even the likes of Meryl Streep and Anthony Hopkins.

Vivienne smirked. “Ms. Ashford, ever heard of Rainbow Entertainment? If you're interested in signing, I'll have someone contact you.” A talent like Gillian’s could not be wasted. She could cry on cue, immerse herself in the role—who would not be enticed? Gillian was a money-making machine, not just a drama queen.

Percival: “Vivienne, just how broke are you?” Vivienne: “Utterly, completely, and absolutely broke!” Leopold: “You should ask Vivienne how much she loves money.” Vivienne: “Utterly, completely, and absolutely in love with money!” Gillian wiped away her tears. “Ms. Hawthorn, what are you implying?” “Hard of hearing at such a young age? Needto give you another shot?” Vivienne’s lips curled in amusement as she watched Gillian.

A flash of anger passed through Gillian’s eyes. “Vivienne! | know you're upset aboutand Mr. Ellington, but | would never lie about my reputation. | remember what happened, and there's no need to frMr. Ellington or ruin your relationship!” Vivienne nodded, then turned to Mara. “Are you absolutely sure what Gillian is saying is true?” Mara, though nervous, knew she could not change her story now and nodded in affirmation.

“Yes, | believe Gillian. And it's true, Percival was the only one there. Now that Gillian’s awake, there's no way she’s lying.” Vivienne nodded again. “I see! Well, | have something interesting here. Care to take a look?” With that, Vivienne signaled with her hand, and Anna handed her a sleek tablet that was not available on the market, foldable to the size of a smartphone.

The crowd was baffled, having no idea where the tablet had cfrom.

Vivienne tapped the screen a few times, and soon, a high-definition video began to play.

“Just send Yannick away, and I'll place the hallucinogenic drugs in the room. Once I've had my way with Mr.

Ellington, we can blit on Yannick. All you need to do is bring my dad and the others over, okay?” “Sure, I'll help you. Just to get that Vivienne out of the way and ensure you marry Percival. Be careful, Gillian!” The video captured every detail of Gillian and Mara’s conversation, even filtering out the background noise so every word was crystal clear.

Neither Gillian nor Mara could have anticipated that their private exchange would be recorded so vividly.

Patrick, who had been ready to confront Percival with righteous indignation, now felt the weight of shame. His daughter had drugged a man to offer herself to him? The Ashford family’s reputation would be tarnished for generations! In the crowd, Teresa and Theodore breathed a sigh of relief. They had been present from the start of Yannick’s troubles but had kept out of sight, fearful of Patrick’s wrath.

Now, they saw a chance for a counterattack, perhaps even to implicate Gillian instead of Yannick.

After all, no one saw if Yannick had drugged Gillian or not. Thus, they could totally say that Gillian and Mara were deliberately ruining Yannick’s reputation.

As for Percival and Vivienne, it looked like their chance for revenge would have to wait.

For now, the priority was to save Yannick.

Teresa rolled up her sleeves and pushed her way through the crowd, ready to defend her son.

“Seriously, you two little sluts, framing my boy like that!” Teresa fumed, her voice a tempest of maternal fury. “I knew there was no way he’d just pass out for no reason. You're scared of getting caught, so you knock him out? Well, let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine!” With a lioness’s fury, Teresa lunged at Gillian and Mara, her hands entangling in their hair like claws.

They were both still reeling in confusion when the sharp pain snapped them to the harsh reality. There was no tto react.

Teresa was frighteningly strong, and she threw them to the ground without breaking a sweat.

Gillian, in particular, was at a disadvantage, and now she lay exposed and defenseless as Teresa pinned her down and slapped her repeatedly.

Patrick wanted to intervene, but his body was frozen in shock.

His eyes darted to Vivienne in horror.

He knew—all of this was a trap set by Vivienne! She sidled up to him, whispering in a voice only they could hear, “I told you, if Gillian stopped bothering me, | would not go after her.” Resigned to his fate, Patrick closed his eyes.Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

Vivienne was as ruthless as his boss. Once she took action, she left no room for survival.

All he could do was silently pray that Gillian would cout of this unscathed... Otherwise...

Gillian and Mara were still under Teresa's relentless assault, their faces swelling and bruising under her blows.

Teresa knew her limits, though. Mara was from a secondary branch of the family and could not be harmed too severely. But Gillian was a different story. She could not control the Ashford family if she did not ruin Gillian’s reputation! She had to ensure Gillian left tonight utterly disgraced so no one would consider marrying her.

“Madam, this whole mess is the Ashford family’s fault. Could you maybe... go easy on them for Boss's sake?” Patrick attempted to intercede.

But Vivienne cut him off before he could finish.

“Had it not been for my mother’s sake, do you think your daughter would still be breathing?” Vivienne's voice was calm, but her gaze was tumultuous as the ocean during a storm, the waves hiding treacherous rocks beneath.

One wrong move and one would be dashed to pieces! Bored with watching Gillian take her punishment, Vivienne beckoned Patrick with a crooked finger. “Cwith me. We have more important matters to discuss.”