The Million-Dollar Heart

Vivienne stared at Finnian. It would be a lie to say she did not resent him.

The death of Finnian had been a thorn in her side for years, a constant reminder of what she perceived as her medical incompetence. It gnawed at her, thinking that Finnian might still be walking the earth if her skills had been just a notch higher.

For a long while, self-doubt had engulfed her, and she had shouldered the blame for Finnian's demise.

After all, apart from Karen, Finnian was the most significant person in her life. His loss had delivered a crushing blow to her heart.

Finnian, sensing the weight of the moment, capitulated. "80 million is already a fortune. If it were 800 billion, it might just send me to an early grave!"

"Kid," Finnian began, with a weary shake of his head, "I was being hunted. I had no choice but to fake death to escape. I didn't want to drag you all into this mess. It was a last resort." As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a long, ugly scar on his right forearm.

The scar was surrounded by dark tissue and was as deep as half a coin. It bore the hallmark of a specialized weapon-one laced with deadly poison.

Vivienne's eyes flashed with concern as she gently took Finnian's hand, inspecting the scar. "You've been poisoned, and you never told me? Do you have someone who can cure this?"

After a closer examination, she could see that, although the scar looked fierce, it was healing, and the black hue was the residual poison that no longer posed a threat to his life.

Finnian withdrew his arm and nodded. "Yeah, a master healer, a friend of mine. I'll introduce you someday."

Vivienne furrowed her brow. She was a medical prodigy known as the Specter Healer. Yet, she knew in her heart that this poison was beyond her ability to cure. There was someone with medical skills that surpassed hers in Veridia?

She did not consider herself the best in the world, but it struck her as odd that she had never heard of such a proficient healer. And over the years, Finnian did not seem to have any friends.

The only person Finnian ever called a friend was her mother, and Vivienne had never met him even before her mother's passing. It was clear that even if Finnian had friends in the past, he no longer wished to associate with them.

Finnian, a man who would boast about a particularly intelligent parrot for weeks, would surely have mentioned such a formidable friend. Why the silence?

Caught by Vivienne's scrutinizing gaze, Finnian picked up his cup and took a sip to hide his discomfort. "Why are you looking at me like that, you rascal?"

hands, Vivienne pressed, "Who is this master healer friend of yours? And who's the one hunting you that you'd fake your death to escape? There can't be many who could

explain. You've probably

a startled glance.

from the ancient warrior lineage were the Martinez

are you being hunted by the Martinez or the Perez

lineage, and in modern times, only the Martinez and the Perez families are known. But my feud has nothing to do with them. Don't worry about

good people. Don't resist getting to know

"You've been keeping

hastily changed the subject. "Don't go blabbing about seeing me to anyone, okay? Even though the ones after me aren't from the Martinez or Perez family, these ancient warrior lineages are interconnected. If they find out I'm

out, her mind swirling with questions about

these families were shrouded in secrecy, that a family that crossed them had vanished overnight. Yet, the Perez

was

more pressing to Vivienne was the identity of the mysterious

her eyes. He

IOU on the table, her

relentless, kid. Like I said, I'll introduce you when the time is right. Until then, drop it. There are things you're better off not knowing."

dismissively, "You're all grown up; a young lady shouldn't

sensing the mystery healer must be sharing Finnian's

plenty of space. You could move

free his arm. "Go

If you don't, Mr. Wolf's eighty million is off the

shrugged, saying,