The Million-Dollar Heart

Percival casually snapped off a twig and flicked away the power line in his path. Thankfully, he was in the garden; otherwise, he would have had to endure a jolt of electricity. But Finnian's test was not something to be taken lightly.

No sooner had Percival tossed aside the twig than a snake, tongue flickering, shot towards him along the branch.

That did it. Percival was livid. He grabbed the snake by its body and slammed it to the ground.

But as he did, something felt off.

Why was this snake so light?

Frowning, he glanced back at the pit he had passed and the discarded power line.

He decided to shut his eyes, ignoring anything else he might touch or sense.

Thirty seconds later, Percival reached the garden fence. With a firm kick, the fence collapsed. Only then did he open his eyes and turn to see that there was neither pit nor snake-just projections from a high- tech projector!

Finnian possessed the same kind of cutting-edge projector that Karen had been researching!

Percival's gaze sharpened, and some thoughts in his mind were now confirmed beyond doubt.

The only problem was the lack of evidence.

Stepping over the fallen fence, he approached the villa's main gate.

With the delay, Finnian was long gone.

Percival exhaled a sigh of resignation. When Vivienne woke up, she was going to be furious.

He would have to think of a way to sweet-talk her.

he heard

up, the eight still out cold would get

nodded. "A little trick like that won't

was too fast. I

said with a vengeful tone before slipping her arm through Percival's. "Mr. Wolf, let's head back." Percival gave Vivienne a once-over.

can't sleep. Mr. Wolf, let's have a drink." Standing before her

Percival's favorite whiskey from the cabinet and poured two glasses, her eyes shimmering as she looked at him. Holding out a glass, she stretched out her leg and hooked Percival's, her lips glistening in

motion. "Or maybe, drink lying down?" Vivienne was startled, but in the next instant, Percival had flicked her leg aside, and his elbow came down hard on her

and shattered, and Vivienne

of flirtation, only threat and

who the hell

her eyes quickly lost their luster, like

the

It was a robot!

be indistinguishable from a real person, even mimicking Vivienne's tone of voice? Then the robot's mouth opened, and a scroll fell that read, [Congratulations, you've passed

this another of Finnian's

it a test of his resistance to

If he

bedroom, where the real Vivienne was still sound

indeed strong; even Vivienne had succumbed to

his immunity was part of this so-called

Vivienne's room, leaning against the

mansion somewhere in Rivenwood, Finnian relaxed on a sun

got a good eye and steady nerves. Looks like he knew from the start that the Vivienne replica was not the real deal." Finnian nodded

time to think about

lips in a silent smile,

glanced at the unfinished bionic robot in a nearby room. "Aren't you worried about sending this out? What if the