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 a loud noise

Vivienne was up, the eight still out cold would get an earful,

little trick like that won't fool me. Did

Finnian was too fast.

him cough up 800 billion!" Vivienne said with a vengeful tone before slipping her arm through Percival's. "Mr. Wolf, let's head back."

inside, Vivienne flopped onto the couch, half-sinking into it, and sighed, "After all that, I can't sleep. Mr. Wolf, let's have a drink." Standing before her with a

glasses, her eyes shimmering as she looked at him. Holding out a glass, she stretched out her leg and hooked

an attractive Adam's apple, and rolled up his sleeves with a decisive 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

shattered, and Vivienne found herself pinned

of

who the hell

eyes quickly lost their luster, like

realized the truth when he lifted the person beneath

It was a robot!

opened, and a scroll fell that read, [Congratulations, you've passed the second trial.

this another

a test of his resistance

If he felt nothing for

faux Vivienne to her bedroom, where the real Vivienne

even Vivienne had succumbed

seemed his immunity was part of

leaning against the robot double, and

a mansion somewhere in Rivenwood, Finnian relaxed on a sun lounger while a man applied ointment to his

that the Vivienne replica was not the real deal." Finnian nodded approvingly,

time to think

silent smile, seemingly privy to the previous

room. "Aren't you worried about sending this out? What if the