The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Brothers in arms, Dante dropped the formalities and followed Arthur's lead to sit down in the living room. "They've got a warrant out for the arrest, and yet he insists on being a stickler. Says that Ms. Hawthorn stuffing someone in the trunk ain't right, lucky for him she didn't take it personally and just drove off, otherwise there would have been a brawl." Chase, nursing a sore spot on his head, retorted, "How is that my fault, huh? Even cops let a perp ride in the car, and Ms. Hawthorn just shoves someone in the trunk! What legit law enforcer acts like that? She's more like mafia than police!" "Just asking questions, mate. Did you see how on edge they were? And how could I not be suspicious, not knowing who she really is?" Dante couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity, "Givea break. You don't know Ms. Hawthorn, fine. But don't tellyou don't know Leopold? Remember the mess we cleaned up at Vanguard Agency with Arthur? He was their guy. With him around, what could possibly go wrong?" "He quit, though!" Chase gritted his teeth.

Unable to out-argue Dante, he turned to Arthur with his complaint, "Arthur, you didn't see it. Ms. Hawthorn, tiny as she is, she's so damn imperious. The woman she tied up nearly beat someone to death, and without a second thought, she went in for the collar. Nearly choked the life out of them. I asked around, the victim was supposedly a relative of srapist. You tell me, even if what Raquel did was wrong, is it right for her to go choking people? Isn't that like taking the law into her own hands?" "Maybe Raquel had other charges that couldn't be disclosed, huh?!" Dante rubbed his temples, turning to Arthur, "You gotta settle this. This guy, he's unbelievable, always sticking to his guns, even when there's a warrant and all." Their argument was giving Arthur a headache, his eyes half-closed.

His gaze fell on a corner of the coffee table, his brows tightening, "Chase did nothing wrong. Without the full picture, it's only right he stepped up to question." He knew his friend's character well.

If even Chase, the simpleton, felt something was off, it had to mean Vivienne was indeed overstepping the bounds.

With that thought, Arthur's irritation grew, "But Vivienne has always been a bit off-kilter. I'm surprised Lucas chose them to spearhead the new division." Percival was one thing. But Vivienne, from all the signs, he didn't see her as someone reliable - selfish, untrustworthy, cunning. Now add imperious to the mix, and none of it spelled upstanding.

"See, I told you. Arthur doesn't like that girl either." Chase preened, relishing the rare moment someone agreed with him over Dante.

Dante shot him a disdainful glance, his curious eyes on Arthur.

Their War God was not one to rush to judgment. What in the world had Vivienne done to earn such a frown from Arthur? Curiosity piqued.

...

At Vivienne's mansion.

As she entered with Leopold, Kaitlyn and Percival rushed to greet them.

"Vivienne, please check on Amelia." The woman's eyes were swollen with tears, and without waiting for a reply, she pulled Vivienne towards Amelia's room, "She's been feverish since earlier, and the medicine isn't helping. It's almost hitting 104 degrees. Could something be wrong?" "I'll take a look." Vivienne's pupils contracted, taking charge. She let go of Kaitlyn's hand and stepped into the room first.

On the pink little bed, Amelia's delicate brows were furrowed. Her small face was flushed from the fever, like a ripened fruit. The washcloth on her forehead did little to ease her discomfort. Her lips parted slightly as she struggled to breathe, her throat emitting a pained whimper, stirring a deep sense of pity.

Vivienne reached out, frowning at the scorching touch. She took silver needles from the drawer, inserting them at specific points, "She's been scared." As the silver needles went in, Amelia's complexion visibly improved. Vivienne turned to Kaitlyn, "How's your husband?" <elieved by the improvement, Kaitlyn's heart still clenched, "He's loing okay. The injuries were serious, but thanks to your quick iction and the ointment, the leeding stopped. He even managed o eat a bit earlier. But Amelia's` condition is worse. I was terrified. hose heartless bastards, they were ifter my secret recipe, they should have just cfor me! Why did they ave to torment my family? If it veren't for me, Amelia and the >thers wouldn't have suffered like his!" :wVivienne closed Amelia's door, leaving a crack. She instructed the team brought by Draven to watch the child and led Kaitlyn to the living room, "Even if it wasn't Amelia and your husband, they'd have found other ways to target you." She guided Kaitlyn to sit on the couch, her gaze shifting towards Jerry, who was typing away, "Did you file the paperwork?" Don't worry, Vivienne." Jerry flashec in OK sign. And without missing a >eat, he glared at Percival, "They'll jet their subpoenas from the court his afternoon. Now, we just need to Jather our witnesses. Once the trial starts, leave it all to me." Leopold nodded towards a figure on the floor, "Look, there's one witness. The rest should be on their way." "That guy who slandered Julian for taking bribes, he'll be here by afternoon." Draven chimed in, "Young Master, the most pressing issue now is the girl who attempted suicide due to severe depression. She's been closely guarded by someone from an ancient warrior lineage, making it tough to get close." Outside, thunder rumbled ominously.

Vivienne spoke with a casual air, "No worries. The cards we hold are more than enough to topple their previous arguments." Kaitlyn wiped away her tears, still not quite grasping Vivienne's strategy, "Can we really overturn Zinnia and her cronies, and even the Abernathy family?" The sound of raindrops pelted against the windowpanes.

Vivienne glanced outside, and in a fleeting moment, the heavens opened up as a torrential downpour was whipped around by the howling wind.

The whooshing sound rattled everyone's eardrums, while Vivienne toyed with the edge of the velvetsofa cushion, slowly saying, "Broken Windows Theory. It's not hard to overturn Zinnia's arguments. The tricky part is how to draw out the Abernathys behind her and expose them. We need to show everyone that whether it's the tragedy that befell your Littleton family, or Julian's case, it was all their doing, all to snatch what you hold in your hands." Percival followed Vivienne's gaze towards the storm outside, "Are you worried that the Abernathys might have more schemes up their sleeve?" mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1