The Million-Dollar Heart

Madeline felt as if she had plunged into an icy cellar. A bone-chilling cold seeped into her very marrow, a testament to Gavin's ruthlessness-a side of him she had always known existed but had never truly witnessed until now. His cold-heartedness had reached a new low, targeting not some distant adversary, but her own brother. What if, Madeline wondered, a day came when she and her daughter, Sophie, inadvertently crossed his path? Would Gavin discard them as easily as he had her brother?

"But those guys were all dealt with by Uncle Joe," Sophie chimed in, trying to mask her concern with a touch of nonchalance. Despite her reluctance, she attempted to reason with Gavin, "If Uncle Joe gets locked up, won't that put everyone he's dealt with under scrutiny? If they start digging into us..."

She let her words hang, a deliberate pause to gauge Gavin's reaction. He paused, a flicker of realization crossing his face as he remembered the financial transactions linked to Kipling that could potentially implicate him as well.

With a calculating look, Gavin reassured Sophie, patting her hand gently, "You're thinking ahead, Sophie. Don't worry, your uncle won't end up behind bars. I've got people handling the accounts to ensure the Abernathy family won't get dragged into this mess. He might just have to take a short 'vacation,' but he'll be out in no time."

Sophie nodded, her gaze drifting towards Vivienne whispering to Percival, a flicker of jealousy passing through her eyes.

"Why bother with all that? Isn't Aunt Victoria a granddaughter to the Ellington family? Just have her talk to Vivienne. I bet Richard Ellington would listen," Sophie suggested with a sly tilt of her head. Gavin instinctively opposed, "That's not an option. Our ties with the Ellingtons are..."

Madeline, catching her daughter's cue, quickly composed herself, wiping away her tears. "You're worried about the past feud, but family bonds skip generations, don't they? As Richard Ellington's granddaughter, how could he not cherish Victoria?"

She leaned in closer to Gavin, whispering, "And isn't this the perfect chance to see if the Ellingtons would take that woman back? It could be a way to test the waters."

Meanwhile, Victoria Abernathy snuggled deeper into her blankets, feeling a sudden chill despite the summer's end. She glanced at Harrison Schram, absorbed in a live stream at her vanity table, and quipped, "Instead of burying yourself in paperwork in your study, what are you doing here fussing over this?"

up. "I'm here to discuss any

rolled her eyes, "What's there to discuss?

couldn't decipher. "She's

of Vivienne. With all the effort it's taking her to deal with Kipling, you think she can take

on, the corners of Harrison's mouth turned up slightly. Once she finished, he shook his head, "No, this is just to stir the pot. Watch, she'll

if he had pieced together so much, it was

have every

alone could topple him? You're underestimating him," she said, gesturing towards Ramona

Abernathy empire, not a shell. If Vivienne succeeds through Kipling, all my efforts would be for naught. But she's proving to be quite the adversary." Victoria wrapped herself tighter in her blanket, contemplating her next move in

make her move, Harrison caught her. "Hey Victoria, how about you head over to the Ellingtons tonight, check things out for me, will you?"

sharp eyes slicing through him. "Do

inch. His cool, calculating gaze held a flicker of intelligence. "It's just a small favor, Victoria. You're not going to bail on me over this,

to do your dirty work, Harrison? What kind of man does

Ridiculous!