The Million-Dollar Heart

William pondered for a moment before speaking up, "It was about two weeks before the boss took her own life. She sent it to me over the local network; it was a burn-after-reading kind of deal, leaving only this file with instructions to keep it safe, saying it would come in handy later. Then she just vanished without a trace."

"It was the same for me. The boss made me promise not to let these secrets out," Zachary also chimed in.

Vivienne's brow furrowed with concern. It would come in handy later?

How so?

Her mother was dead. What good could it possibly do now?

"Master, could this be... bionic technology?" William ventured to ask.

Vivienne nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm entrusting to you. I've consolidated all the Ashford and Boyd family resources, and the labs are all set up, but I don't have the time to manage them. I'm hoping you can handle it. Will that work for you?"

"Of course, it's perfect," William replied, his voice tinged with excitement. "Master, aside from my work in holistic medicine, I've been relying on this document from the boss to research bionics. I always felt something was missing, but now that you've brought this to us, it's all starting to make sense."

Zachary nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I've always wondered what the boss meant by it might come in handy. Turns out she was waiting for you to come to us, Madam."

Vivienne's lips curved into a slight smile.

Waiting for her to come to them? Did her mother have the same capabilities as her mentor, to know the future?

How could her mother be so sure that she would come?

A myriad of questions flickered through Vivienne's mind, slowly shaping into a theory.

"You guys can handle the Havenwood and Rivenwood affairs. Patrick has been making progress with the bionics project over the years, but he never quite cracked it. Keep pushing in that direction, and you're bound to see results soon."

After giving her instructions, Vivienne stood up. "If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me."

she left without looking

entrusting the bionic technology to the combined expertise

her way to

stint with the DEA, Patrick had been secretly

water cell, Patrick was a

studying his pale and swollen face

mother, manufacturing and trafficking drugs, stealing her mother's research for profit,

was a

her approach, Patrick struggled weakly and managed to gasp, "Madam... I know I was wrong. Please, let me go." Vivienne's eyes narrowed as

binding him clanking. "I don't know. I've never met him.

yet you chose to betray

Vivienne's icy tone, Patrick shivered and stammered, "Initially, GTO approached me and offered me a lot. They said I could make a fortune if I followed them. I was desperate for money, I..." Before Patrick could finish, Vivienne's hand was already tightening around

feel the fury in her grip as he struggled for his life,

beg you, let me

his neck right off. But as she saw the blood in Patrick's

for breath. For a moment, he thought he was truly going to

I did meet a girl from GTO. She's the only one I've ever met." Patrick hastily tried to prove

his loyalty meant

"Did F-Poison ever ask you for the bionics

immature. It only functions for ten seconds in front

deepest connection was with

were extraordinarily lucrative and had sustained GTO's finances for years. With a swift chop, Vivienne knocked Patrick out cold. His head sank

of the water cell and sitting in her car, Vivienne could not

what, she could not have escaped from under her and Percival's watch without

nothing behind, was not a person at all-it was a biorobot created