The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Tom raised his hand, signaling the squad to advance.

The crew approached the villa at a measured pace.

Vivienne and Percival lagged behind, letting the first wave take point before ambushing, quickly followed by the second. It wasn’t long before the villa was surrounded.

Inside the villa.

Samantha’s eyes snapped open, her hand instinctively touching her face. Sensing something amiss, she bolted up and strode to the mirror. Her eyebrows knitted tightly together at her reflection.

Her face was etched with wrinkles. Her skin was aging rapidly.

“Damn it!” she cursed, slamming her palm down on the wooden desk, which splintered under the force. “Another failure.” She had slept all day, yet the lines on her face hadn't softened. ST-1 couldn't stave off her aging.

At this rate, she would die before getting what she wanted.

Samantha composed herself, then dialed a number on her phone.

“Didn’t | say no calls unless it’s urgent?” a gruff voice snapped from the other end, clearly irked.

Ignoring his tone, Samantha went straight to the point. “Tto develop a new drug. ST-1 isn’t cutting it. | think we can start by...” She stopped mid-sentence, bolting to the window. Seeing the siege outside, her expression darkened.

“What's going on?” the man demanded.

“I've been made.” “Idiot!” he barked.

Samantha frowned, a cold edge to her voice. “Save your insults. Better hurry if you want to save me.” “You're useless,” the man scolded, but Samantha cut him off with a scoff.

“I have a new research direction. If you don’t save me, you can kiss your desires goodbye.” She knew she couldn't escape this time. She had evaded capture before, using her tech savvy, but if Vivienne was so prepared that she could not even notice the siege beforehand, her options were limited. She had to rely on that man to get out of here alive, or today would be her last.

The man on the other side of the call remained silent as if he were contemplating whether it was worth it to save her.

“Wait there!” After quite stime, the man finally said and hung up.

Samantha exhaled with relief silently, turning back to the scene outside.

Vivienne and Percival were at the villas front, and someone was unloading a cart full of explosives.

They mean to blow up the place, she realized, her eyes narrowing.

She had clearly underestimated Vivienne.

Samantha had chosen this location for its strategic advantage, using high-tech to cloak the area behind an illusionary barrier. But somehow, Vivienne had found her.

Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed an object from the drawer, her last resort.

As she contemplated her next move, the door burst open.

Vivienne and Percival stood there, their expressions cool.

Samantha chuckled. “Didn’t expect you to be first. Thought your mother would beat you to it.” Vivienne, hands in her pockets, looked down at Samantha, her eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief. Probably because of her running earlier, a few strands of stray hair dangled before her eyes, adding a unique allure to her.

“Mom’s not needed to handle you.” “So, you think you can take me?” Samantha taunted with a smile.

“Why not try?” Vivienne’s smile was bright yet unreadable.

Samantha, rattled by Vivienne’s confidence and beauty, recovered quickly. “Let's talk. Might be our last chance, nephew and... niece-in-law.” She needed to stall for tso that man could rescue her. She was fairly certain that she would not be able to escape using only the thing in her hand.

Vivienne and Percival chuckled.

Vivienne pulled up a chair, sitting down with an air of authority. “Feeling chatty today, Auntie. Does my uncle know about your affairs?” Samantha stiffened. “You know about that?” “I know a lot. Like the fact that the man you have locked up as Flynn Ellington isn’t the real one. He is Francis .

The real Flynn died in that shootout years ago,” Vivienne said, her gaze piercing.

“Francis, codenF-Poison. Founder of RST, CK, and GTO. And you, Imogen, your real nis Samantha! You and F-Poison grew up together. You must be 90 years old now, right?” Samantha's eyes widened in disbelief, and she took a step back subconsciously. “How did you find out?” “Patience. I'll explain,” Vivienne said, toying with the ring on her finger, the symbol of the Order of Nine Mystics Society.

“You've been involved in dark industries, even kidnapping infants and scientific prodigies, especially in medicine.

You've been using these geniuses for your twisted experiments.

ST, ST-1, virus research, and the potion my mother destroyed at the outset—these experiments were all aimed at the holy grail of immortality.

And you , craving eternal youth, delved into the secret arts of ancient warrior lineages, mastering the art of the face swap. You've lived under various guises, haven't you?'Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

Vivienne paused, her gaze locking onto Samantha before she allowed a sly smile to curve her lips. “Am | right?” Samantha swallowed hard, words failing her. At that moment, she was convinced Vivienne was the devil incarnate. A devil far more terrifying than she could ever be!

Vivienne was pleased with Samantha's reaction and continued, “You've poured fortunes into this, claimed countless tyes only to find that your results never quite satisfied your ambitions. Take your ST-1—it's impressive stuff, rapidly regenerating human organs, but that's where it ends. It falls short of granting eternal life—it can't even guarantee a lifespan of three years.

So, you resorted to sacrifice F-Poison. Since F-Poison wore Flynn's face, you were certain that no matter what atrocity Flynn committed, Percival would cover for him. That way, your mole in the Vanguard Agency could keep feeding F-Poison your latest findings. And should you ever strike gold with your experiments, F-Poison would break out of prison with ease. Unfortunately for him, he's never getting out now.”