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.

in his soft voice, "Then I'll apologize to Auntie for big sis. Auntie is so nice;

and Alyssa, who was lying in bed, were

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

my fault for being too weak, it has nothing to

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

out of your mind? Believing a child's words? Have you forgotten how furious Grandpa was last time? He won't let you take Winston out again."

family was one thing; if Grandpa George found out she'd taken Winston there, it would be another storm of

servant began to urge

George asked, they

really wanted

of begging Sasha for forgiveness, why not seek Arthur's favor? If he's on your

has lost patience with me...

the Linklater estate without Arthur showing his face was proof of Sasha's

a way to eliminate her, that would remove a

"Big sis, you're getting it all wrong. Arthur, powerful as he may be, is still a man. No man dislikes a

position at the Linklater estate was always meant to be

Alyssa silently agreed.

Arthur's other half. Sasha's sudden appearance not only

threw out her idea, "Sasha cares so much about her daughter. If something happened to her, Sasha would be too distracted to bother with

win Arthur over by herself, we wouldn't need to resort

Sasha gone, not

Vivienne, who

can go now," Alyssa said, turning

Alyssa on the bed. For some reason, she felt there was

Alyssa received a secretive

number, her heart sank,

a voice altered to a low pitch spoke, "The

usually contacts me directly. Why

scoff, his mockery particularly grating

on you.

act these past few days? Do you really

and she hurried to explain, "I haven't