The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

"Sophie, watch your tongue," Harrison chastised with a frosty tone, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "Victoria and Kaitlyn are like oil and water; how could she ever lift a finger to help her? You're trying to smear her nwith nothing but empty accusations-it's completely out of line!" Victoria was taken aback by Harrison's unexpected defense. She glanced at him, her eyes revealing a flicker of surprise but void of any real emotion.

She thought back to their past dealings, a shadow crossing her expression, as she found a seat next to Harrison. "Sophie, I'm beginning to question if you have any sense at all. After all I've done for this family, do you really think I'd sabotage Kaitlyn? Do you takefor a fool? Helping her would be like shooting myself in the foot! And letremind you, it's none of a bastard child's business to meddle in my affairs! You'd best mind your words. Your eagerness to pin this on someone else only betrays your own guilt." The couple was a rare spectacle, harmoniously united in rebuke.

Sophie found herself at a loss for words, nervously twisting her handkerchief, unsure how to counter.

Madeline stood beside Gavin, internally cursing the fool. She caught Gavin's suspicious gaze and blinked back tears, "Gavin, did you hear what Victoria just said? Despite everything, Sophie is her sister. How could she accuse her like that? She's still so young and hardly knows Kaitlyn. How could she be involved in this mess?" Madeline's body wilted, leaning into Gavin for support, "Besides, every night the estate is guarded by professionals. With Sophie's limited skills, she couldn't possibly match them." "Yes, Dad," Sophie added reluctantly, eager to clear her name. "You know I'm not exactly a martial arts expert. But my sister, and her bodyguard-they're the real deal in the Abernathy family." Harrison interjected, "Yet, the guards from last night didn't report seeing Victoria. And Seaton, skilled as he may be, couldn't possibly take on several seasoned fighters at once." Victoria, growing tired of the back-and-forth with Sophie, pulled Harrison aside, "Why bother arguing with her? She can barely hold her own in a sparring session, let alone gauge the combat skills of our family." "Sister..." "Enough!" Gavin, fed up with the bickering, slammed his hand on the table, "Silence, all of you! I will get to the bottom of this! Until then, no one leaves the Abernathy estate unless absolutely necessary!" His command was final, brooking no opposition.

Victoria's brows knitted in frustration, but before she could protest, Harrison held her back.

Off to the side, Sophie tugged at Madeline's sleeve, thinking of her own schemes.

Madeline gently pushed Sophie's hand away, offering a reassuring glance.

Later that night, the estate was silent. Madeline lay curled up in Gavin's embrace.

With freshly manicured red nails, she traced circles on his chest after their intimate moment, Gavin's eyes half-closed in contentment.

As the day's tensions faded, Madeline propped herself up, watching him silently, her hesitance showing as she contemplated speaking, only to lie back down.

Her peculiar hesitation caught Gavin's attention. He turned to her, taking her hand, "Something on your mind?" Madeline looked down, biting her lip lemurely, he youthful coyness surprisingly evident. Her eyes, rimming with water, sought his, now it's not the best timing, but you romised we'd start looking for natch for Sophie. Now that we've fecured the heirloom, shouldn't we nove forward with it?" Content >elongs to englishGavin considered her, curiosity in his gaze, "I thought you weren't too keen on the Sterling family before?" Madeline faltered, then quickly recovered, playfully nudging Gavin, "I simply hadn't met the Sterling heir before." "Recently, I've done sdigging. The Sterling family may not be as prominent as the Ellingtons, but they have a certain standing in Rivenwood. And their son-he's quite the catch, a perfect match for Sophie. Gavin, when can we arrange a meeting between our families?" Her voice, sultry in the afterglow, laced with seduction, left Gavin momentarily entranced as he pulled her close. Yet his eyes betrayed no desire, "I initially wanted Sophie to mingle with the Sterlings for the sake of that recipe. Now that we've retrieved it, perhaps we should reconsider..." "Absolutely not!" Madeline snapped, sitting up, "You heartless man! Using our daughter as a pawn for your own gains, and now you think she's not good enough for the Sterlings?" With a provocative sway of her hips, she teased him, "I won't have it! You promised me, and you can't back out now. At the very least, let the young ones meet. Who knows? It could turn into a powerful alliance for us." Gavin sighed and loosened his grip, contemplating the next move in the high-stakes gthat mingled family interests and personal ambitions.

"It's not as simple as you're making it out to be. When I considered an alliance with the Sterling family, it was because of their close ties to the Ellingtons. I thought maybe Sophie could leverage that to our advantage. I never really intended to marry her off. Besides, think about it, the Ellingtons despise us all thanks to that wretched Vivienne. Do you really think Percival would agree to his friend marrying our Sophie?" The very thought made Madeline nervous. But recalling what Sophie had said, she couldn't deny her own excitement at the prospect.

et After a pause, she decided to double down, sitting up straighter beside Gavin, "Why not? That's ancient history. Besides, it's Leopold who would be marrying Sophie, not the whole Ellington clan. They can't possibly want to control everything. And, after all these years, Percival was just a kid back then, his feelings for Vivienne might not even be that deep." She laid out her points one by one, all the while keeping an eye on Gavin's expressions.

Seeing that he didn't object, she continued, "You won't know unless you try. What if Percival is completely oblivious to the past events, and all this is just Vivienne being spiteful on behalf of Kaitlyn, acting on her own?" "Hmm..." Gavin furrowed his brow, lost in thought.

Madeline's reasoning was sound. The Sterlings were, after all, high society in Rivenwood, and a union with them could mean the Abernathys wouldn't need the support of the Grimshaws anymore. He could restore the Abernathy family to its former glory. And by then, even Jasper wouldn't be a match for him! Seeing Gavin silent, Madeline nudged him, prompting a decision. His eyes darkened slightly, "Alright, I'll arrange a meeting between the two." "But make sure you remind Sophie to keep her temper in check. We don't want other families taking offense." A smile broke across Madeline's face, "Don't worry, don't you trust our daughter?" Once she met with Leopold, that would be her stepping stone to reach Percival. She refused to believe that with her daughter's capabilities and their family's background, Sophie would fall short compared to Vivienne, that ruthless, impulsive madwoman! mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1 mmMwWLliI0fifl0&1 mmMwWLlilOfiflO&1