The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne gazed at the text message on her phone, a gentle curve forming in her eyes as she smiled.

Unbeknownst to her, the live stream audience could see it clearly as day.

Her usually cool and collected profile was now brimming with unmistakable sweetness.

The kind of sweetness that screamed she was head over heels in love.

Screenshots of her expression flooded the internet in an instant.

Everyone was swooning.

Come on, what kind of angelic beauty was this?

But within half a minute, all those screenshots mysteriously vanished.

Matthew, who was in charge of erasing Vivienne’s digital footprints, texted her in surprise.

[Vivienne, did you delete those screenshots yourself?]

She turned off the live stream. Her lips still curved in amusement. [Nope, my significant other took care

of it.]

Matthew was speechless.

Meanwhile, said significant other had set the highly sought-after screenshots as their phone wallpaper,

chat background, and even Facebook cover.

The original focus of the reality show was supposed to be Stephen and Lucia, stirring up a romance for

the fans.

But a single live broadcast had shifted everyone’s attention to Vivienne and Kala.

With Vivienne’s subtle steering, more eyes were on Kala, giving her career a fresh boost.

Lucia’s scandals were dug up as the filming days passed, and her career plummeted.

…

Midway through, Vivienne returned to the hospital.

Anna had come around but was still recovering from her injuries, confined to ongoing treatment in the

hospital ward.

When Anna saw Vivienne enter, she tried to rise, nearly wincing with pain.

“Stay put. I’m just here to check on you,” Vivienne said, taking a seat beside the bed. “Why did you act

on your own?”

Anna looked down, her face etched with remorse. “I… I found out the truth about my mother’s death.”

Vivienne frowned.

Anna’s mother, Daphne, had been a trusted ally of her mother. After a mission failure, Karen had split

the potion, keeping one part and entrusting Daphne with the other.

Afterward, Daphne vanished, only to resurface in Havenwood with a little girl in tow—Anna.

Then Daphne met an untimely death, and Anna disappeared.

Vivienne knew Daphne’s death was no accident, just like her mother’s.

“What did you find out?” She asked, her voice low.

Anna kept her head down. “My mom’s death was indeed tied to GTO, but the key player was the

Brooks family!”

“How did you find out?” Vivienne pressed.

Anna hesitated, then realized, “You knew? Is Lark also…”

Vivienne gave a slight nod.

It was why she had not left the Brooks family.

Scott had tried to kill her mother at their engagement party. After her mother fled, neither GTO nor

Scott ceased their pursuit. Scott had been lurking within the Brooks family, using his status as the

eldest son to do GTO’s bidding.

But when Vivienne learned that after Judith’s death, the reclusive Baron had taken the reins, she knew

something was amiss.

Scott had been the head of the Brooks family, but Baron was suddenly in charge after his mishap.

That was when she realized the actual head of the Brooks family had always been Baron.

Her mother’s persecution, though perhaps not directly by Baron’s hand, was undoubtedly linked to him.

So, even with Scott’s disappearance, Vivienne remained with the Brooks family.

From Vivienne’s reaction, Anna realized she had been too impulsive.

Vivienne had long been aware of the Brooks family’s schemes and was simply biding her time to strike.

“Sorry, Ms. Vivienne. I acted rashly,” Anna said, filled with regret.

Vivienne did not blame her. She herself, upon discovering the true cause of her mother’s death, would

have found it hard to stay her hand.

A mother’s murder was an unforgettable vendetta.

“What have you uncovered?” Vivienne continued.

Anna took a deep breath, her cold eyes briefly clouded with sorrow.

“I was studying finance at Elite University. Ronald Brooks, an esteemed alumnus, gave a talk recently.

He quoted something my mother used to say—’To find out where your enemy is, let them know where

you are.'”

“I was shocked, so I started digging into Ronald’s background. He was clean, but one person drew my

interest.”

“Scott?” Vivienne guessed.

Though Ronald was Timothy’s son, Scott practically raised him in the business world. Not just him,

Timothy and Melissa, the whole Brooks family looked up to Scott.

And without a son, Scott watched as Ronald, the family’s eldest grandson, naturally followed in his

footsteps.

Anna nodded. “Yes, him. But you had just returned to the Brooks family back then, and I didn’t realize

he wasn’t your biological father. So, I started my own investigation. I discovered they were abducting

kids under twenty. I took a chance and let myself get caught, but I overestimated my abilities.”

Anna bit her lip and continued, “When I went in there, they wanted to run experiments on us. I thought I

could avoid it with my smarts, but I couldn’t. They injected me with a virus, and it hit me fast—I had no

chance to save myself. Thank goodness that little girl saved me.”

Her voice dwindled as she spoke. Yesterday, Leopold had visited her and revealed Scott’s true identity

to her.

She realized she had been overthinking and narrow-minded.

Even if Scott really were Vivienne’s biological father, she would not let him off the hook simply because

of that connection.

Especially since he was an impostor.

Anna apologized again, “Ms. Vivienne, I was wrong to doubt you. I should have filled you in before

taking any action. It wouldn’t have caused you so much trouble then. I’m truly sorry, and I promise, from

now on, any move I make will be communicated to you in advance, and I’ll act only with your

permission.”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates…

Vivienne gave Anna’s head a gentle pat. “Right now, you just focus on your college life. When I need

you, I’ll let you know. Remember this lesson—next time, you might not be so lucky.”

Anna understood. It was a good thing she had disguised herself when she acted alone. Otherwise,

returning to Elite University and blending in would have been twice as difficult.

After checking on Anna, Vivienne went to visit Natalia and Yasmine. Zelda was there, caring for things,

while Jasper played with his granddaughters.

Vivienne watched the family scene from a distance and felt a wave of warmth.

Zelda turned around and saw Vivienne, promptly inviting her in. “Vivienne, you finally made it. The old

man has been asking about you for a while.”

Vivienne smiled as she stepped closer. “Jasper, what have you been saying about me?”

Jasper chuckled affectionately, his pride evident. “Oh, quite a lot. You must be tired of hearing it, but

that’s all me talking about you.”