The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Patrick’s limbs were beyond his control, his body betraying him as he followed Vivienne’s retreating steps.

Behind him, Gillian’s heart-wrenching cries for her father echoed through the air, but he was powerless to respond.

Patrick finally felt the command of his body returned when they reached a secluded cabin on the ship.

But now, with both Percival and Anna guarding the door, escape was an impossibility.

“Kneel,” Vivienne commanded, her voice serene as she sat on the seat representing authority.

Patrick fell to his knees with a thud, not out of compulsion but from the sheer force of Vivienne’s presence.

His legs tingled with numbness, sharp pains shooting through his knees as if a thousand needles were pricking them.

Beads of sweat formed on his brow, trickling down his temples and disappearing onto his shoulders.

Vivienne sat with her legs crossed, her slender neck held high with disdain, a hint of scorn in her gaze.

As Patrick knelt, Vivienne wondered what her mother had seen in him. How could such a spineless man be entrusted with the critical technology of bionics? She regarded him with contempt and curiosity, slowly pulling the small “Morning Glory” from her pocket and tossing it at Patrick.

Instinctively, he caught it, his forehead bulging with veins, paralyzed with fear.

When he saw what it was, he finally heaved a sigh of relief.

He had thought she had thrown a knife at him! “Madam, what is this?” he stammered. x] Vivienne raised an eyebrow, her voice calm. “A miniature bomb.” Shocked to his core, Patrick scrambled behind the couch for cover.

He thought it was a knife, but it was even worse - a bomb! Vivienne was more reckless than his boss.

Who in their right mind tosses a bomb around like a toy? Observing Patrick’s reaction, Vivienne could almost be certain of his innocence regarding the bomb incident that evening.

“It was found on your ship,” she stated, her legs shifting position as she lounged back on the sofa, lazily eyeing Patrick.

Patrick crawled back towards her, panting, “Madam, | swear | had no idea about this. Even if we set aside your presence on the ship, my daughter and | were there, too. | would never risk our lives by planting a bomb. This has nothing to do with me.” “I know,” Vivienne murmured absentmindedly, frowning slightly.

Patrick exhaled in relief and began to rise, “Could this be connected to the Boyd family?” Vivienne’s gaze sharpened as she looked at him. “You know something?” “No, no, | just find it odd. After the engagement party fiasco, | cut all ties with the Boyd family. But for the sake of the bionic tech, | could not completely sever our relationship. | thought of sending an invite, and the Boyd family’s head ctobefore | could.

He wanted to apologize, claiming their matriarch was indisposed and that he would represent her. | agreed, and during preparations yesterday, my men toldthe Boyd family’s head wanted to drop off a floral arrangement.

I did not question it, but it’s suspicious now that | think about it. | had always dealt with Eliza, not the head of the Boyd family.” Vivienne nodded, then a signal beeped in her earpiece—it was from Leopold.

The shipment had arrived.

At the stime, Patrick’s phone buzzed with a message. He wanted to check it but could not do so in front of Vivienne, so he remained kneeling silently.

Vivienne yawned, her eyes closing. “Letthink.” With that, she went silent.

Patrick dared not to move. He knew Vivienne was not dozing off but contemplating his fate.

The matter of the bomb had touched a nerve, and his pale excuses and baseless suspicions held little weight.

Patrick grew increasingly anxious as his phone continued to vibrate in his pocket.

If the shipment had arrived, just deliver it.

Why bother messaging him? Meanwhile, Percival and Anna had left their post outside the cabin and were now at the Sea City harbor.

Leopold and Thomas had secured the docks, sealing off all incoming shipments and detaining the dockworkers.

“Percival, we found it—it’s Keco,” Thomas reported, handing over a bag of what seemed to be flour.

Keco, a notorious new drug on the black market, identical to flour and often sold alongside grains to avoid detection.

Percival’s brow furrowed. “How much?” Thomas exchanged a glance with Leopold before revealing an astonishing figure.

“Three tons.” Anna gasped. “How much?” “Three tons,” Thomas repeated.

Three tons of Keco could profit enough to buy a small country.

Percival had anticipated a significant haul but had not imagined it would be this colossal.

“But other than Keco, we've found nothing else,” Thomas added.

Percival had cto Sea City to uncover GTO’s virus research base, following leads to the Ashford family’s harbor, expecting a shipment for virus experimental substances.

This was their chance to breach the base, so Leopold and Thomas had been on watch early.

Percival and Vivienne kept their eyes on Patrick's movements from the ship’s cabin; each of his moves was a potential key to unraveling the web of intrigue surrounding them.

To their surprise, and instead of securing the experimental substance, they had stumbled upon a whopping three tons of Keco.

Patrick, of all people, was neck-deep in drug trafficking, a kingpin no less.

Tracing the experimental substance was a dead end by now. Three tons of Keco was no small find, and it demanded the intervention of the local Drug Enforcement Agency.

“Pack up the gear and coordinate with the DEA officers,” Percival instructed as he took the Keco bag. “And keep this under wraps; we don’t need the HQ swooping in.” Anna and Leopold followed suit, while Thomas, disguised as a dockworker, tipped off the authorities about the drugs on the ship, erasing any trace of Vanguard Agency's involvement.

Onboard, Vivienne opened her eyes as the signal cthrough, a sly smile curling on her lips as she watched Patrick before her.

“Anything else you want to say to me?” Vivienne inquired.

A shiver ran down Patrick’s spine, his knees numbing from kneeling. “Madam, I've told you everything. | swear I'll get to the bottom of this bomb incident, and if it’s the work of the Boyd family, there will be no mercy!” Vivienne could not help but laugh at his emphatic words.

Well, now was not the tyet.

She stood up and picked up the bomb in front of Patrick, saying to Patrick, “Just control your daughter. That's all you need to do.”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

With that, Vivienne walked towards the door.

Patrick exhaled slowly, but before he could relax, he heard Vivienne’s parting words—"My mother’s debt is settled today.” Before Patrick could comprehend the meaning behind Vivienne’s words, Vivienne had vanished.

Sinking into the couch, he wiped the sweat from his brow, his mind racing. Disregarding Vivienne’s mysterious words, he grabbed his phone and called the dock.

“What's with all the calls? If the goods have arrived, just deliver them pronto. This shipment is critical; we can’t afford any mistakes!” Patrick cursed, leaning back to catch his breath.

On the other end was the foreman in charge of unloading, his voice laced with panic. “Mr. Ashford... it's a disaster! The DEA seized our shipment; our goods turned into three tons of drugs!” Patrick nearly choked. “What did you say?” Three tons of drugs was more than enough to cost his head!