The Million-Dollar Heart

Astrid fidgeted nervously beside Vivienne, apparently still wracked with guilt over the previous day's events.

Vivienne, unfazed, glanced at Astrid with eyes as soft as a strawberry cheesecake and stood up.

Astrid halted her with a call, "Vivienne."

Vivienne's lips curved into a smile, her bright eyes flashing with disinterest. "What is it?"

Astrid rose and approached her, lifting her shirt.

On her slender waist was a hideous black scar.

A knife wound, poisoned.

Astrid clenched her fist. "I got this on a mission when I fell into the enemy's trap. Now, I still suffer from the pain, especially when it rains, my whole body aches.

Vivienne, I'm not trying to gain your sympathy. I just want to tell you that we've sacrificed our lives to ensure that our organization can develop a defense against the biochemical weapons of rival nations.

So, on behalf of the organization and our country, I'm inviting you to join our fight!"

Vivienne's gaze fell on the scar on Astrid's waist.

It was clearly real.

She grasped Astrid's wrist and felt for her pulse.

The poison had been lurking in her body for years; she, indeed, had suffered greatly.

Vivienne casually took out a life-saving pill and popped it into Astrid's mouth. "This poison isn't hard to cure. Just come to me once a day."

After a pause, she added, "I'm quite interested in what you've said. I'll give it a try."

Astrid froze, surprised. "You mean you agree?"

Vivienne nodded slightly. "Yeah, but I'm out if your experiments don't meet my standards."

"Great. You'll find our experiments fascinating," Astrid said with a smile. "I'll notify the organization and see when they can take you to the lab." With that, Astrid went into her room.

Looking at her door, Vivienne let a sly smile creep onto her face.

and

[Came up empty. You?]

[Hook, line, and sinker.]

Vivienne's cunning expression from those words -

the

you can't get out of bed yet,"

their imagination. A mere

hospital visit, he might have

limped to the couch. "I'm

in agony. It was better to

mind me. What about Fiona?

with anger. "What else? It was that wench Vivienne's doing. Percival isn't any better. No matter what, Fiona was good to him. How could he just throw her out of the company?" "I told you, I should have joined the company instead of

sat nearby, equally furious, shouting upstairs to Fiona's room, "Fiona, what are you doing hiding all day? Think you can get back into the company that way? Come out and figure out how

mainstay of the Ellington family's second branch, with half

that she was out, they had lost a significant

Jeffrey's complaints below. She put on headphones,

was not her most pressing concern. It was her clandestine

needed the Ellington Group's resources and connections, even

her livelihood, her

agreements. If she failed to

dialed an unknown number on her phone. "How's

our hands, being moved as

a close eye. I'll find

Fiona rubbed her fingertips, her usually cool face fading

unfamiliar

hesitating, she answered,

woman's voice replied,

Fiona paused.

Calista?

Fiona had heard of Calista in their

of traditional medicine, the cheap daughter of

had also become reclusive.

asked, her voice smooth, the

voice came through. "Got time for