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."

words, she

bionic technology to the combined expertise of the Pendleton

her way to the underground

stint with the DEA, Patrick had been

his water cell, Patrick was a

him, studying his pale and swollen face

drugs, stealing her mother's research for profit, colluding with

was a betrayal that struck at Vivienne's

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

swallowed hard, the chains binding him clanking. "I don't know. I've never met him. We've only ever communicated

you

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

could feel the fury in her grip as he

was wrong. Please, I beg you, let me go. I know I made a

her grip, her anger making her want to twist his neck right off. But as

a moment, he thought

meet a girl from GTO. She's the only

his loyalty meant

ever

avoiding her gaze, "Yes... he did. But the technology is still immature. It only functions for ten seconds in front

connection

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

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

she had the help of a projector, but no matter what, she could not have escaped from under her and Percival's watch without leaving a

person who had "exploded" before them, leaving nothing behind, was not a person at all-it was a biorobot created by