The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Judith’s face drained of color.

How on earth could Percival know about this?

She had confided this secret to no one in the Brooks family, not even her own flesh and blood.

She had taken the solitary trip to Emerald Mountain to ensure there were no loose ends.

But why?

Why did Percival know?

Judith’s expression flickered with panic before she fought to regain composure, irritation lacing her

voice. “What are you blabbering about? When have I ever brought a hitman there? Vivienne knows the

truth. She saved me. I was the one being hunted!”

Percival chuckled, a knowing smirk on his face. “You seem to be unaware that my teacher founded the

very organization of hitmen you sought out. What a coincidence, isn’t it?”

“What?” Judith was utterly stunned, disbelief etched on her face.

They were Karen’s people?

No wonder they turned on her!

She vividly recalled hiring the organization and them assigning a hitman to accompany her. All had

been well until they reached Emerald Monastery. The hitman leader’s face turned ashen when she

mentioned Karen’s name. They even double-checked with her, asking if her target was indeed Karen’s

child.

She had confirmed it without hesitation.

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And that was when they turned on her.

Unknown to them, Judith was skilled in fighting arts, a secret she had kept hidden for decades.

Cornered, she had no choice but to fight for her life.

Thus, she fled in desperation.

But these were trained hitmen. How could she possibly escape their clutches? The terrain of Emerald

Mountain was treacherous, and despite her efforts to elude them, she was eventually captured.

In a moment of sheer panic, she claimed to possess something left behind by Karen, bargaining for her

life in exchange for the item.

Perhaps the hitmen harbored deep feelings for Karen, for the mere mention of her name stayed their

lethal hands.

They demanded she hand it over, but she had nothing, especially after her frantic escape had left her

without even her phone or purse.

It was then that Vivienne appeared.

Judith only saw Vivienne toss a handful of white powder before the attackers collapsed. Recognizing

Vivienne’s extraordinary abilities, Judith clung to her for safety and begged to be escorted home.

Despite her cold exterior, Vivienne’s warmth shined through as she reluctantly ensured Judith’s safety

every step of the way.

When the hitmen caught up with them again, Vivienne dealt with them swiftly.

Whatever Karen had left behind must have been of vital importance, but Judith was clueless. All she

knew was that the chase persisted until they reached the boundaries of Havenwood, at which point the

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hitmen vanished.

Judith could not fathom why at the time, but it all made sense now.

Havenwood had been Karen’s sanctuary and Vivienne’s home. Perhaps the hitmen refrained from

disrupting Vivienne’s peace.

However, why they failed to recognize Karen’s daughter remained a mystery.

Percival’s gaze briefly flickered to Judith’s ashen face as he parted his lips to speak. “What’s more

coincidental is that these hitmen approached Vivienne before she came to the capital and informed her

of everything.”

He paused, a sly smile forming. “They didn’t just reveal the name and family of the person who hired

them to kill Vivienne; they even had a portrait.”

With that, Percival unlocked his smartphone and scrolled through to reveal a hand-drawn, remarkably

lifelike portrait of Judith.

The room fell silent as everyone absorbed the shocking revelation.

Timothy and Cheryl gazed at Judith in disbelief. “Mom? Is this true? How could you do such a thing?”

Their voices carried little weight in the Brooks family, especially now with Scott at the helm. They

usually kept quiet on family matters.

However, they had made an effort to be helpful to Vivienne within their means out of gratitude to Karen

for her past kindness.

They had initially mistaken Arabella for Karen’s child and had urged the family to treat her well. Once

Vivienne returned, the children took an instant liking to her, much to their satisfaction.

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As for family affairs, such as acknowledging Calista as one of their own, they had objected, but Judith

and Scott were adamant. There was little they could do.

Knowing how much their mother had adored Karen, they had planned to discuss the matter with their

mother if Vivienne faced any mistreatment upon Calista’s return. But they could have never imagined

that their mother would go so far as to order a hit on Karen’s daughter.

Why would she do such a thing?

Judith’s facade crumbled as she stood there, her grip tightening on her walking stick, her expression

dark and menacing. “Yes, I did it! So what? Karen, a woman of dubious origins, by what right did she

deserve to marry my most accomplished son? My son should have married someone of equal

standing, someone who could benefit the Brooks family! But Scott was blinded by her, insistent on

marrying her!”

Judith’s voice was filled with venom. “I am a good mother. How could I fight with my son over a

woman? So, I pretended to adore her and treated her like family. But that woman dared to cheat!”

Vivienne’s brows drew together in a barely perceptible frown at those words.

Percival’s expression darkened.

Timothy and his wife were in disbelief.

Scott seemed to have known all along. His hands clenched tightly by his sides, his face mirroring the

storm clouds above, brewing with silent fury.

Among the younger members, Kala was the first to snap out of the shock, immediately retorting,

“Impossible! Karen is not that kind of person!”

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When Karen and Scott were together, she was just a kid, but the fragments of memories she clung to

painted Karen as a warm-hearted aunt. She would flash a comforting smile, shower her with quirky

toys, and stand up for her when the neighborhood bullies came around.

Back in those days, her parents were always tied up with the family business, barely sparing a moment

for her. The taunts and teases she endured went unnoticed by them, but Karen was the one who would

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as capable of the things they said.

“I saw it with my own two eyes!” Judith bellowed, her voice laced with fury, “Right there in the shadowy

alley by the Brooks Mansion, they were wrapped in each other’s arms, that hussy, toying with my son’s

heart!”

As Judith spat the words, her gaze cut to Vivienne, filled with a bitter venom. “And then you had to go

and be the result of their sordid affair!”

The room erupted into an audible gasp!

Stunned faces all around!

Timothy was beside himself, exclaiming, “Mom! What are you spewing? My brother himself handled the

paternity test! How could Vivienne not be his child? You can’t just throw around accusations like that!”

“I’m not making this up!” Judith seethed. “She’s not a true Brooks. She’s the illicit child of Karen and

that man!”

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