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!

propped her chin in her palm, her mind racing

she turned to Percival. "Percival, why don't you take Isolde back home? Everything's under control here. I'll stay with her." Slowly sitting up, Mara

Percival's, her smile beaming at

such that even she would have been

was all about

love, Mr. Wolf merely

appealing

to her. Since that was the case,

out her IV and stumbled to her feet, only

never meant for things to go so far. I was awful, please don't be angry with me anymore? I

there, her forehead hitting the floor. Though intentionally hard, she had assumed that even if Percival did nothing and Isolde was too young to understand, at least Cecilia would rush to stop her. After all, if you're going to

one came

out loud but managed to

until Mara lifted her head, her eyes filled with fear and pleading, "Vivienne, will you

smile, mimicking Mara's tone. "What are you doing? I never blamed

suppressed mirth. He smiled, affectionately ruffling her hair. "Yeah, Vivienne is so magnanimous,

She doesn't hold grudges easily. Mara, don't pull this act again. Admitting your mistake

snorted from the corner,

elementary school was too much for Mara's ego

is right. Get up, what's with this kneeling and

could I do to apologize?" Mara screamed silently. Reluctantly, she climbed back onto her feet, and whether by design or not, she winced at a sudden pain in her face. Propping herself against the bed, she clutched her cheek. "Ah,

then did Cecilia move to her side, helping Mara back into bed. "You