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

up on the couch, accepted a glass of

second son who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "Mom, if you hadn't eaten so much, we wouldn't have followed suit. Why did you have to be so compliant?" "Yeah, Grandma," Huxley chimed

really think I

were taken

mother. "What

just you. I didn't want to eat either, but my hand acted on its own, reaching for food and

"Dad, could it be we've been

Teresa and Yannick felt similarly manipulated. Teresa confessed, "It was indeed like being possessed. I moved when Vivienne moved and ate uncontrollably even though I was fully aware." Mara shuffled closer to Hayden, frightened. "Don't scare me,

is,"

wanted to show. Eliza connected the dots. "Vivienne stayed in some convent in Havenwood before going to Rivenwood.

"That explains why Percival, of all people, would fall for a country girl. She must have bewitched

Yannick growled, still seething from the recent nausea. "Some backwater girl isn't going to best us, especially not here in

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

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

at their villa, Vivienne and Percival

antics. "What did

supposed to control people for half an hour, making them do as they wish. I simply enhanced it a

with pride. "Look at you, my

where the servants had everything prepared for a

If anything is missing, just press the button by the bed, and we'll be at your service. We won't disturb you any further-have a good