The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Not far off, Willa sat pensively atop a stone wall, her eyes fixed on the joyous scene unfurling in the Perez family’s backyard. The guilt that had clung to her heart was finally dissolving, bit by bit.

Watching Jasper’s face brighten with laughter, a smile unwittingly crept across Willa’s lips.

Just like Diana, Willa had always known she was adopted.

As a child, she had longed to call Jasper “Dad” just like Diana did, but for sreason, the words never ceasily.

But deep down, she was certain there was only one man in her heart who could ever take the place of a father, and that was Jasper Perez.

It was not until she unraveled the mystery of her past that she understood the source of her discomfort.

Willa had resolved then and there to bring Sasha back home, to gift Jasper with one genuine, wholehearted laugh.

Now, at last, that wish had cto fruition.

Gradually, Willa’s gaze shifted to Maddox. She watched him clutch his head in a comical display of distress and couldn’t help but chuckle.

That guy, no matter what life threw at him, never changed! Willa lingered on the wall for a while longer before slowly getting up, ready to leave.

Suddenly, she caught Karen's meaningful glance from afar. Despite the distance, she knew Karen was looking straight at her.

With a resigned shake of her head, Willa realized Sasha had caught on.

She pulled out her phone and shot Karen a text, [I'll be Ee waiting. Spend squality twith Jasper.] Jasper had a long talk with Karen, eager to catch up on all the years gone by. Karen summarized the events, omitting her twith her foster family and simply mentioning that her foster parents had passed away, leaving out the rest.

Towards the end of their conversation, Jasper glanced over at Vivienne playing with Natalia and Yasmine and asked, “Sasha, who exactly is Vivienne’s father?” Karen knew this question was inevitable and didn’t shy away from it, but she also was not ready to reveal too much.

“Dad, all I can tell you is he’s the bravest, most remarkable man in the world, my true love. Our separation has always been due to our careers, not because of any problems between us. He's no heartbreaker.” Listening to Karen's description, Jasper felt a bittersweet pang in his heart, as if his little girl had grown up and been taken away by syoung rascal.

Now, if Percival was rascal number two, then this unknown son-in-law was number one! “Is he really as great as you say?” Jasper still harbored sdoubts.

Karen raised an eyebrow smugly. “Indeed, it takes a special man to win your daughter's heart, to makewillingly bear his children.” Reassured by Karen's conviction, Jasper felt at ease. “Alright then, he’d better at least measure up to that Ellington boy, or else | won't be satisfied.” “I promise he’s even better!” Just then, Vivienne called out, “Mom, no badmouthing Mr. Wolf behind my back!” Karen clicked her tongue and helped Jasper to his feet. “See what | mean? Girls grow up so fast. Dad, lettake you to rest. It's getting late.” Jasper was reluctant to sleep, but he could not fight off the drowsiness. After smore chit-chat, he finally drifted off to sleep.

Stepping out of the bedroom, Natalia and Yasmine had already called it a night, leaving just the adults sitting in the yard.

Maddox tossed a can of beer to his sister as she emerged.

Karen caught it with one hand and took a seat next to Zelda, Vivienne by her side.

Cracking open a can, Maddox initiated a toast, “Sasha, you owethis drink, remember?” Karen had indeed forgotten, but Maddox's reminder triggered a vague memory.

It was New Year's when Karen was nine, and Maddox had just turned sixteen, eager to mimic the adults and have a drink.

Karen had threatened to join him, which led to Jasper catching them and Maddox getting a beating.

Back then, Karen had said, “Maddox, I'll drink with you when I'm eighteen!” Memory fuzzy, Karen simply raised her can, “Maddox, cheers!” The group clinked their cans together, beer spilling over the edges, unable to contain their collective joy and excitement.

After taking a sip, Yuri looked at his sister with concern, “Sasha, do you really not remember anything from our childhood? What's the reason? Was it because of the injury Diana caused?” Karen shook her head. “It’s not that. While I did have a head injury, it was not fatal, and | could heal myself. | have recovered, or else | wouldn't have cup with the bionic tech. There must be other reasons | haven't discovered yet.” Vivienne leaned against Karen's shoulder. “Could it be that GTO gave you skind of drug that damaged your neural pathways, making it hard to remember the past?” “That's a possibility, but what kind of drug could neither you nor | counter?” It was indeed a puzzle for the ages.

Anything that could stump both Karen and Vivienne was exceedingly rare.

“Sasha, do you know the origins of GTO?” Yuri inquired.

Karen nodded. “I do. GTO and Flynn Ellington’s CK were both born from a criminal organization called RST. After Dad and Yorick took down RST, their leader, F-Poison, left behind his daughter Willa and disappeared. | was abducted by him three years after he vanished.” “That's right, | remember the case file mentioned F-Poison was into human trafficking for experiments to develop a virus. Could it be you were part of those experiments?” Vivienne sat up. “But GTO’s experiments didn’t involve memory loss. Instead, it's the potion my mother researched that they've been seeking for years. Mom, what exactly is that potion?” Karen's eyelids drooped heavily as she spoke, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. “That potion’s nis ST-1. It was developed back when | was undercover at GTO. During my experiments, | discovered that ST-1 was not your run- of-the-mill virus. It contained a myriad of healing agents. But when my cover was blown, | had to grab all the ST- 1 samples and make a run for it. | never got the chance to fully analyze them.” Vivienne’s eyes widened in surprise. She had always thought those potions were deadly toxins brewed by Karen herself!Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

“In a way, you could say I did create them. | simply picked up where their experiments left off. Nobody clued us in on what the potion was ultimately meant for, so | followed my gut. Turns out, | was onto something big and GTO took notice. If Scott had not uncovered my true identity, | might have taken down their whole operation by now.” As she spoke, Karen took a swig of her beer, the bitterness of missed opportunities lingering on her tongue.

Zelda chuckled. “You haven't changed a bit since we were kids.” “Neither have you, Zelda. Still as glued to Yuri as ever!” Karen teased with a smirk.

Zelda's cheeks flushed a bright pink. “You're supposed to have forgotten all about those days. How do you still remember to tease me?” “It was Maddox who told me!” Karen shot back with a grin.

“Yeah, | can vouch for that. It was all Uncle Maddox's doing!” Vivienne added.

Maddox snorted. “What? What does it have to do with me?” Yuri shrugged. “Can’t help it. It always comes back to you to take the heat when Luke isn’t around!”