The Million-Dollar Heart

An hour had passed before Mara finally stirred, a ghostly pallor on her face. Her voice was a weak whisper, barely there.

She had never felt so terrible in her life-it was like being on death's doorstep!

That Gillian had actually given her a bottle of sleeping pills, and here she had thought they were vitamins.

If only she had known, she would not have taken a single one!

"Mara, you're awake." Cecilia's voice carried a mixture of relief and worry, as if a great weight had been lifted from her heart upon seeing Mara's eyes open.

To underscore her feebleness, Mara coughed deliberately, a decision she instantly regretted as her stomach convulsed painfully.

"Auntie, what happened to me?" Mara's eyes brimmed with tears, but her pain was genuine.

Cecilia sat by the hospital bed, wiping away the tears streaking Mara's face. "Oh, you silly girl. Do you have any idea how close you came to never seeing me again?" Mara feigned shock, glancing down at her wrist as if seeing it anew, a look of realization crossing her face. "I... I'm sorry, Auntie. I just wasn't thinking straight."

"You really..." Cecilia held Mara's hand, her heart full of unsaid words.

Across the room, Percival sat brooding on the couch, his eyes stormy as the horizon's edge.

Vivienne, on the other hand, watched the scene with a certain amusement.

Such a promising talent, indeed.

Mara seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Gillian had been.

If she were to be signed and groomed properly, she might even outshine Kala!

Kala: Impossible, utterly impossible!

in her palm,

words with Mara were enough before she turned to Percival. "Percival, why don't you take Isolde back home? Everything's under control here. I'll stay with

her arm through Percival's, her smile beaming at Mara.

such that even she would have been surprised at

was driven-Vivienne was all about

Mr. Wolf merely a supporting

"Now I'm not only less appealing than a strawberry cheesecake

reach out to her. Since that was the

feet, only to

forgive me. Gillian and Grandma misled me, and I never meant for things to go so

Isolde was too young to understand, at least

no one came

loud but managed

awkward silence until Mara lifted her head, her eyes filled with fear and pleading, "Vivienne,

are you doing?

suppressed mirth. He smiled, affectionately

hold grudges easily. Mara, don't pull this act again. Admitting

from the

out of elementary school

Isolde is right. Get

back onto her feet, and whether by design or not, she

Cecilia move to her side, helping Mara back