The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

As Dorian's panicked shout pierced the air, Vivienne and the others snapped to attention. Rushing to the doorway, they caught up

to Dorian just as he was bolting towards the garage.

"Whoa, hold up, cowboy!" Leopold grabbed Dorian's arm. "We'll drive you. Where to?"

"The hospital! Step on it, to Downtown Medical Center!"

His voice was raw with urgency, his fingers quivering like aspen leaves in the wind. He looked like a kid who'd lost his favorite toy,

eyes red and swollen with the threat of tears.

Only now did Vivienne notice the change in Dorian, whom she hadn't seen in a few days. Silver streaks had begun to weave into

his hair like frost creeping over autumn leaves.

Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before cold realization dawned upon her. She remembered Cordelia's mysterious

disappearance, and her expression turned to stone.

"Leopold, floor it!" she ordered.

Percival was already on the phone with Thomas. "Get the guys closest to Downtown Medical Center on it, pronto! Find a patient

named Cordelia Wilson. And make it snappy!"

They managed to shave the usual half-hour drive down to mere minutes.

Upon reaching the hospital lobby, Thomas was already there waiting. Dorian didn't need guidance; he punched the elevator button

and headed straight for the wards.

"What's the situation?" Vivienne asked, with Percival and the others close on her heels.

Percival glanced at Thomas, lowering his voice as he asked.

Thomas shook his head, hinting at grim news. "No idea when she was admitted, but I've got people digging into it. As for the

poison in her system, only Vivienne," he nodded at Vivienne, "can likely deal with that."

The elevator wasn't big enough to contain the tension. Everyone heard Thomas's words, including Vivienne, who turned a sharp

gaze back to Dorian.

She wanted to interrogate him, but the words halted at her lips.

When they reached Cordelia's room, which was already guarded by their own, Dorian burst in. Seeing Cordelia resting peacefully, a

semblance of calm washed over his distraught features.

Grasping Cordelia's hand tightly, tears began to cascade down his cheeks.

Cordelia lay on the hospital bed, her complexion ghostly pale, her lips devoid of color. Her usually gentle eyes were shut tightly, as

if bearing an immense pain, her eyelids fluttering in a futile attempt to awaken.

Vivienne's face darkened, and she strode forward. "Dorian, lethandle this."

With a single look, Percival and Leopold helped separate Dorian from Cordelia.

Vivienne's slender fingers touched Cordelia's wrist, and the longer she felt the pulse, the graver her expression became.

"Vivienne, how is she?" he asked, voice laced with dread yet clinging to a sliver of hope.

Vivienne's expression was icy as she interrogated him. "Cordelia was poisoned. Why didn't you tell me? Who has been in contact

with you?"

Her anger was palpable. She couldn't bear to think what might have happened if she hadn't ctoday. Cordelia could've been

left to die!

Percival caught the shift in Dorian's demeanor after Vivienne spoke, his face turning ashen. "Is Cordelia's poisoning that bad?"

Vivienne gritted her teeth. "Bad? If | were any later, the Hawthorn family would be planning a funeral tomorrow!"

"How could this happen?" Dorian slumped, muttering to himself in disbelief, "They promised to leave Cordelia out of this..."

"Uncle Dorian, what's going on?" Leopold asked, puzzled. With a daughter like Vivienne, so fierce and capable, what could possibly

be so dire that it led to this?

Percival was equally baffled, standing alongside Vivienne. If he didn't know better, he'd think the broken man before them was an

imposter, not the Dorian they knew.

"I was helpless," Dorian sobbed, covering his face as tears seeped through his fingers. "They said if | informed Vivienne or Astrid

about Cordelia, they'd kill her on the spot. Just last week, they ambushed her on her grocery run, drugged her, took her to this

hospital, and then called me. They said they had surveillance all over the house, including bugs. If | reached out to Vivienne or

Astrid, Cordelia would be dead."

His voice broke with the weight of his helplessness. "They knew everything; they were always one step ahead. They toldwhich

room Cordelia was in and madewatch her suffer, powerless to do anything. | didn't know what to do!"

Despite knowing Vivienne's extraordinary nature, resembling her mother's, Dorian couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by this

shadowy organization that seemed omnipresent.

Especially when they used Cordelia to threaten him. Dorian was in a state of panic, unable to think clearly, and did as they

commanded.

Vivienne took a deep breath and pressed on. "What do they want you to do?"

"I don't know their endgame," Dorian shook his head. "They only orderedto make Ramona the face of Hawthorn Perfumes Inc.

and to follow their every command. Oh, and yesterday, they toldto break the contract with Kala."

He pulled out his phone, showing Vivienne the emails. Feeling a weight lift from his chest, he said, "I've been stalling, didn't send

out the tweet. Vivienne, can you save Cordelia?"

Vivienne reassured him, "Don't worry. I'll save Cordelia. Trust me."

Leopold, having heard everything, exclaimed in disbelief, "What the hell does this puppet master want? All this for a starlet?"

Thomas was equally puzzled. "Who exactly is this Ramona?"

Percival glanced at the email before him and let out a derisive snort. "Thomas, look into this. Dig up everything you can on

Ramona. If she thinks she can stir the pot, she better have the chops to back it up!"

In a villa somewhere in Northway City.

This was the second tin as many days that Samantha's bliss had been interrupted by the woman in red.

Had she not known that this woman shared a last nwith the man from last night, she might have thought she was the man's

wife and cto catch them in the act.

"What on earth do you want?" Samantha demanded. She was clad in a slinky nightgown, her fair and tender skin exposed to the

air.

She lounged lazily on a red velvet sofa, its rich color making her appear all the more enticing.

The woman in red raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with interest as they moved from Samantha to the impeccably dressed man

sitting upright beside them. "Samantha, you do take good care of yourself. You're a good few years my senior, and yet you look so

young. Even my high and mighty nephew is smitten with you, indeed shows sskill."

Samantha didn't seem to mind her age being pointed out. She smiled seductively, "Thank you for the compliment, Ms. Grimshaw.

You're not far behind me. Anyone who didn't know better would take you for Ethan's sister."

It had been a surprise for her. The man she had randomly taken to her bed had such a significant background.

The head family of an ancient warrior lineage. The second son of the Grimshaw family, Ethan Grimshaw!

All she knew was that his last nwas Grimshaw, and his first nwas a mystery. She had never expected him to from the

scion of the ancient warrior lineages.

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