The Million-Dollar Heart

Alyssa's arms were etched with scabs and whip marks that Brianna could clearly see, yet she pretended not to notice.

Those were the handiwork of Grandpa George himself, a man who wouldn't stop until he'd drawn blood.

The mention of it left Alyssa in a daze.

Right, she thought, I'm the eldest daughter of the Wright family. Even for the sake of the family name, Arthur shouldn't have treated me this way.

It must be Sasha who's stirring things up.

"Big sis?"

Brianna watched Alyssa zone out, her eyes betraying a hint of disgust.

Winston, accompanied by a servant, came jogging over, his young face full of concern that seemed genuine. He was startled upon seeing Alyssa's injuries, "Big sis, what happened to you?" Alyssa frowned and withdrew her hand.

The last person she wanted to see right now was Winston.

If it hadn't been for him, Grandpa George wouldn't have been so harsh on her.

Brianna saw it all and, hiding her scorn, explained to Winston, "Little bro, someone bullied your big sis. Didn't you notice?"

"Bullied?"

Winston's young brow furrowed, puzzled as he looked at Brianna. "Big sis, who bullied big sis?"

Brianna's face turned cold at being called 'big sis.' "Who else could it be? In the Linklater family, who wields such power? If not Sasha and her daughter Vivienne, then who?" Winston quickly figured it out.

Shaking his head, he spoke clearly, "I trust Auntie; she wouldn't bully anyone. Maybe big sis didn't apologize to Auntie? Grandpa said if you do something wrong, you have to own up to it." Brianna raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.

Alyssa's face darkened.

She knew what she had done and certainly didn't need a five-year-old lecturing her.

Winston said in his soft voice, "Then I'll apologize to Auntie for big sis. Auntie is

who was lying

puzzled. "Winston, you'd apologize to the Linklaters

I don't blame big sis. It's my fault for being too

raced, thinking of how she could use this opportunity to get into

suddenly spoke up, "Big sis, are you out of your mind? Believing a child's words? Have you forgotten how furious Grandpa was last

one thing; if Grandpa George found

longer, a servant began

Grandpa George asked, they would be

really wanted to

Arthur's favor? If he's on your side, who cares about Sasha and

pondered, "But Arthur has lost patience with

showing his face was proof of

there was a way to eliminate her, that would remove a significant thorn from

powerful as he may be, is still a man. No man

everyone in Rivenwood knows you two are meant for each other. The matriarch's position at the Linklater estate was always meant to be yours. Sasha stole it from you. What's wrong with taking

Alyssa silently agreed.

she had seen herself as Arthur's other half. Sasha's sudden appearance not only shattered her dream of marrying Arthur but also turned her decade-long wait into a

happened to her, Sasha would be too distracted to

taken aback by Alyssa's sudden intensity, quickly covering for herself, "Of course, if big sis could win Arthur over by herself, we wouldn't need to

wanted Sasha gone, not anyone

Vivienne,

tired, Brianna. You can go now," Alyssa said, turning

the bed. For some reason, she felt there was something about her big sister she couldn't

in the room, Alyssa received a secretive

number, her heart sank,

a low pitch spoke, "The boss

usually contacts me directly. Why go through

scoff, his mockery particularly grating over the phone, "With the lab trashed, the

soured on you. And

act these past few days? Do you really think he's going to

heart skipped a beat, and she hurried to explain, "I haven't betrayed