The Million-Dollar Heart

At this very moment, even a brief second of tranquility was more than Ramona could bear.

She had been rattled to her core by the surveillance footage, tears streaming down her face as she screamed, "This is it! I've said all I can say! Please, please let me go! I haven't even started anything! It wasn't me who messed with your mom; it was all the Grimshaws. I was cornered. I was truly forced!"

Vivienne settled back on the couch, her gaze drifting lightly over Ramona. It was unclear whether she believed her or not. She crossed her legs and said nothing.

Percival had been silent since the beginning, his eyes only on Vivienne, not deviating in the slightest, playing the role of the devoted husband to perfection. Ramona's eyes flickered swiftly.

It seemed like a flash of resentment passed through them.

But it was so quick no one saw.

"Ma'am." Anna stood by her, Ramona's tireless voice echoing in her ears.

She turned a deaf ear, simply waiting for Vivienne's command.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed before Vivienne finally spoke indifferently, "Let her go."

The evening wind sliced across Ramona's face like a blade.

She sped along the freeway, scenes from the night's confrontation with Vivienne racing through her mind.

Her heart burned with fury!

If it weren't for the mission, if her meridians hadn't been altered, preventing her from using force!

She would've twisted Vivienne's head off herself!

focused on the road

unseen corner, two figures vanished swiftly into the

Rivenwood toll booth,

bed. His message read, [Donald is on it; the target

tail; we need

a few terse messages sent, Vivienne turned off her

The next day.

Vivienne opened her eyes, Percival was already gone

from Matthew popped up immediately, [At seven sharp this morning,

"What happened?"

Vivienne got out of bed and

with Donald last night, but this morning, there's been no response to calls or texts. We've heard from the people watching Ramona's place that she's back from the suburbs, but there's still no

"Alert everyone, find Donald-dead

Mystics Society, search every nook of Rivenwood, including the suburbs.

couldn't afford

her

phone vibrated. She checked it swiftly, not Matthew,

was chilling enough, [Next time, I won't

picture of Donald tied to a post, strapped with the latest model of a time bomb-instead of gunpowder, the glass vials were filled with an unknown green liquid. The sender even had the audacity to include the

[Who

The Ellington family.

hadn't kept his head down for long. Messages from the other side came daily, as if certain he posed no threat, urging him to proceed with the next step. "Stop right

sneaking out like always, a

relief, "You scared me half to death. What are you doing up this

maniac Vivienne? What have you been up to these days, sneaking around? Didn't you say

replied, "What's the rush? I'm waiting for the right moment. When it comes, you'll

planning, just remember this-I'm still at Vivienne's mercy. If you have even a shred of sibling love left, don't drag me down with you,

grown up with Wendy, always had the

Huxley felt a