The Million-Dollar Heart

Wendy was the first to pick up her milkshake and take a gulp, setting off a reluctant chain reaction among the others. They had no choice but to follow suit and sip away.

It was not until the last drops of the milkshake were consumed that Vivienne stood up, flicking her wrist in dismissal, "That'll do for today. Get some rest, folks. See you all tomorrow." With that, Vivienne and Percival left the Boyd residence and returned to the house Maddox had prepared for them to catch some sleep.

No sooner had they left than Wendy, forgetting her cane, bolted to the bathroom and began to hurl.

The other Boyds followed suit, much to the dismay of the household staff, who pinched their noses in disgust.

It was revolting.

To have so many people retching at once was unheard of, and Yannick even spewed on Wendy's beloved woolen rug.

Already, the house was tainted with the smell of barbeque and smoke, and now this collective upheaval of recently chewed food added insult to injury.

The odor was insufferable.

The Boyds spent a grueling half-hour vomiting before they finally collapsed back onto the couches, utterly spent.

The once prized woolen rug had been relegated to the trash, a sight that made Wendy's heart ache.

Theodore, drained and pale, leaned on his wife's shoulder, still dry-heaving.

Teresa, repulsed, shoved him away. "Get off me. You stink of decay. It's disgusting."

Theodore weakly slapped Teresa, not because he could not bear to hurt his wife, but sheer exhaustion. "You wench, you think you smell any better?"

"You dare hit me? Believe it or not, I'll divorce you for this!" Teresa howled, her voice nearly giving out from the strain.

had the

accepted a glass of water from a servant

Why did you have to be so compliant?" "Yeah, Grandma," Huxley chimed in. "I gave you so

you really think

were taken

her mother. "What do you mean,

didn't want to eat either, but my hand acted on its own, reaching for food and bringing

sob. "Dad, could

and ate uncontrollably even though I was fully aware." Mara shuffled closer to Hayden, frightened. "Don't scare me, not

is," Wendy

or so she thought. What she found was likely only what Vivienne wanted to show. Eliza connected the dots. "Vivienne stayed in some convent in Havenwood before going to Rivenwood. Maybe she

all people, would fall for a country girl. She must have

still seething from the recent nausea. "Some backwater girl isn't

amiss. "She's just a girl. Even if she learned something, it couldn't be that powerful. The real masters are all over fifty. There must be another reason." "Regardless, Vivienne is trouble. We can't let her be with Percival, or who knows how much

for inviting Percival to Sea City-to marry him to Gillian Ashford and cement an alliance between the Boyd and Ashford families. No matter how far Vivienne and Percival had gone, Gillian was destined

Vivienne and

about Vivienne's earlier antics. "What did you do to make Wendy

half an hour, making them do

with pride. "Look at you,

laughed together, making their way into the villa, where the servants had everything

anything is missing, just press the button by the bed, and we'll be at your service. We won't disturb