The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Scott furrowed his brows, a shadow of concern darkening his expression.

It was clear to him that Percival and Vivienne were determined to bring matters to a head today.

His gaze narrowed, voice dropping to a husky whisper, “Vivienne, Percival, it seems Grandma might’ve

been rattled today, and Vivienne has had her fair share of grievances. Let’s not dwell on the past. From

now on, she’ll take some time for herself, perhaps a sabbatical. I’ll see to it that no one in this

household gives her any more trouble.”

Kala snorted dismissively.

Who had been bullying Vivienne, anyway?

It was just him and that illegitimate daughter of his!

She and the other youngsters always got along fine with Vivienne.

Vivienne lifted her gaze, those cool and detached eyes briefly meeting Scott’s before she spoke evenly,

“Your assurances mean nothing to me, Scott. If Judith wants to settle scores, let’s clear the slate

completely, so no one can say I took advantage of the Brooks family’s generosity!”

Scott’s eyes tightened, a dangerous edge creeping into his demeanor. “Are you sure this is what you

want?”

Vivienne smiled, a touch of defiance in her tone. “Absolutely.”

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, Scott felt an unsettling leap in his heart at her piercing gaze. He

was about to respond when Vivienne turned away, her voice calm. “Mr. Wolf, I’m famished!”

“Alright,” Percival said softly, “Let’s get this over with and grab something to eat.”

Calista bristled at their disregard for everyone else in the room, her anger boiling over. Yet, she could

not shake this gnawing feeling that if she spoke now, she might just implicate herself, especially since

Percival had mentioned that folks from Vanguard Agency were still outside. Despite her confidence in

her innocence, who knew what kind of trap Vivienne could set for her?

She had to tread carefully. The last thing she wanted was another visit to the Vanguard Agency.

“Judith.” Percival’s voice suddenly turned icy as he fixed his gaze on her, sharp as an arrow, his tone

as biting as frost. “Let’s settle the accounts for my grandmother’s death, as well as the three friends

and six nannies who took care of her!”

The room fell into stunned silence, so quiet one could hear the whisper of the wind.

Judith’s face drained of color, her hands trembling on her cane. Panic surged through her.

Even Scott was taken aback. Despite his experience in high-stakes situations, this revelation left him

reeling.

Could it be that his mother was behind Dahlia’s murder?

Impossible.

He remembered the case from years ago. It had made national headlines, and the perpetrator was

never found. His mother had an alibi; she was at her father’s house when the police investigated, and

surveillance footage confirmed she had not left the premises.

“What?” A thunderous roar erupted from within the Brooks Mansion.

Everyone turned to see Baron, cane in hand, staggering down the stairs, shock written all over his face.

“What did you just say, Percival? Say it again!”

A family reunion had turned into a farce the day before, yet here they were again. Baron certainly did

not plan to show up.

However, hearing from the servants about the conflict between Percival, Vivienne, and Judith over

some unresolved matter had piqued his interest enough to observe from the balcony.

He had always been curious to see how Percival would strip away Judith’s mask of deception. But he

never anticipated uncovering such a startling secret.

Percival glanced at Baron, his eyes cold and unforgiving. “Are you telling me you didn’t know Judith

killed my grandmother?”

Baron felt as if his mind had been struck by lightning, buzzing with disbelief. Shaken, he approached

Judith, voice trembling. “No, I don’t. If I knew, how could I have allowed her to live freely over the

years?”

If he had known, he would be the first to kill Judith. He would make her suffer in a place worse than

hell, doomed to wander the world for eternity, paying for her sins even after death.

Seeing how emotional Baron was, Percival was a little surprised. His eyes gloomy as he said, “It seems

Judith is quite a master criminal. Even her husband doesn’t know what she has done.”

The next moment, Baron turned around and slapped Judith hard. Clenching his teeth, he glared at her

with fury. “It was you! You killed her! You wench!”

Still in a daze, this slap brought Judith back to her senses.

Filled with disbelief, she held her face and looked at Baron. “You hit me again? This is the second time

you’ve hit me ever since we got married! How could you?”

Baron retorted, “Hit you? You killed Dahlia. You should be thankful I’m not cutting your throat! Judith,

you’ve done all kinds of malicious and evil little things, but I never cared. Never would I have expected

you to kill Dahlia.”

Baron, overtaken by emotion, grabbed Judith by the throat, his face twisted with rage as he roared,

“Didn’t I tell you? Anything else, I could turn a blind eye, but if you dared to lay a finger on Dahlia, I’d kill

you myself!”

Judith, gasping for air, tried to fend him off, but realizing the gravity of the situation, she dropped her

hands, her face pale. “After all these years, you’d believe a stranger over your wife? I despised her,

sure, but murder? That’s a death sentence. If it was me, why haven’t the police arrested me all these

years? Why is it only now, with Percival’s accusation, that this comes to light? He just can’t stand to

see the Brooks family prosper!”

Baron hesitated. She had a point. If she was behind it, how could the police have failed to uncover the

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Percival could not help but crack a hollow laugh that did not seem out of joy at all. “Now that’s an

excellent question,” He said, his voice laced with a chilling mirth.

As his words hung in the air, he slowly rose to his feet and strolled over to Judith. “Since we’re settling

scores,” he said, his tone frosty, “Let’s make everything crystal clear so you don’t end up six feet under

with a grudge.”

Judith met his icy gaze with mounting panic. Suddenly overwhelmed, she blurted out, “Shut up! What

scores? The Brooks family owes you nothing! We don’t want you here, so get the hell out!”

“Who dare kick him out?” Baron snapped as he brushed past Judith, his voice a low growl. “This has to

be settled! I want it all laid out, down to every detail. I need to know who took Dahlia’s life!”

Without missing a beat, Baron pulled out his phone and dialed Richard’s number. “We need to get

Richard in on this, clear the air once and for all,” He said with a steely resolve.