The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The shadow of the F-Poison conspiracy loomed large, and there was simply no tfor Percival and Vivienne to entertain thoughts of wedding bells just yet.

Percival got it. He really did.

Sure, the GTO’s weapon manufacturing plants and virus research facilities were obliterated. But he was under no illusion that this was the end.

As long as F-Poison was out there, peace of mind was but a pipe dream.

“Grandpa Jasper and Richard,” Percival declared with reassuring confidence, “trust me, | will give Vivienne the most romantic, the grandest wedding the world has ever seen!” Given the certainty in his voice, the two old men had no objections to offer.

They shared a silent moment before their gaze shifted to Karen, seated quietly to one side.

As Vivienne’s mother, she naturally had a say in her daughter's nuptials.

Karen was lost in a hefty turkey sandwich when she felt her father’s eyes on her. Hastily swallowing, she chimed in.

“Vivienne’s right, and besides, there's still someone missing if we were to have the wedding now.” The room paused, puzzled. Zelda, curious as ever, asked, “Sasha, who are we missing here? Isn't Willa with you?” Zelda mistakenly thought Karen meant Willa.

But Karen shook her head, nodding subtly toward Vivienne. “Her dad!” Everyone's confusion cleared. They had never dared to ask Karen outright about Vivienne’s biological father’s whereabouts. [x] Even Melissa, despite her curiosity, had held back, fearing that Vivienne’s father was no longer alive and that bringing it up might stir up painful memories for Karen.

To their surprise, Karen brought it up herself.

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Zelda pressed, “Sasha, where in the world is Vivienne’s dad?” Karen just smiled, “I don’t know yet, but when | find him, we'll have a good talk.” While everyone was still at sea about her response, they saw the happiness in Karen's smile and wisely chose not to probe further.

That night.

Vivienne and Karen lay in bed, taking the chance to really talk for the first tsince their reunion.

The day’s events had weighed on Vivienne’s mind.

Truth be told, she, too, was eager to know who her father really was.

Neither Dorian nor Scott was her birth father.

Karen teased her daughter's nose, breaking the silence. “Are you wondering where your dad might be?” Vivienne nodded, moving closer to her mother. “Mom, you didn’t get abandoned by him, did you?” Karen playfully slapped Vivienne’s forehead. “Abandoned? Honey, if anything, | would be the one doing the abandoning! He never had the power to leave me!” Rubbing her forehead, Vivienne persisted, “Why did you two split? You used to say | was too young to understand, but I’m grown up now. You can tell me.” Karen's lips pressed slightly, and her eyes sparkled with a reminiscence that words could hardly describe.

Finally, she said softly, “Frost, if Percival had to leave you one day because he had an important mission to fulfill, would you be angry? Would you feel like you were not the most important thing to him?” After a moment's thought, Vivienne replied, “No. To carry his mission and honor as a soldier, that’s the Percival | love. If he gave up his duty and responsibility for me, I'd eventually becthe one abandoned. That's not the man | fell in love with.” Karen nodded in agreement. too. | fell for your dad because he stood by his honor. | wasn’t abandoned, and he would never abandon me. Even though we're worlds apart now, we're both working towards the sgoal.

When the world finds peace, we'll be together.” Vivienne understood that everyone has their mission in life.

Doctors heal, soldiers protect, and even the common folk battle for their families.

Her parents had their own glories to pursue and their own battles to fight.

Karen brushed the hair from Vivienne’s forehead, caressing her cheek tenderly, “Don’t worry. Your father will be back before you know it.” Vivienne let out a soft acknowledgment, dropping the subject of her elusive father.

“Mom, did you see that photo Noah took back in the day?” Vivienne asked, shifting gears.

Karen's gentle gaze darkened, a hint of ferocity flickering in it. “Yes, | saw myself in it.” “Do you have any memory of that at all?” “Not a thing. | don’t remember ever meeting Noah when | was little, let alone taking that photo.” In the photo, Karen looked to be about ten, and the timing matched closely with when she had been kidnapped.

What puzzled Karen was that when Noah had taken her to the Vanguard Agency, nobody had informed the Perez family.

Perhaps, Karen thought, the information had been deliberately suppressed, causing the Perez family to miss their chance at finding their daughter.

Vivienne's eyes narrowed. “Mom, there's someone else in that photo.”Books Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated for All Books Updates...

Karen's gaze lifted, and in the dim light, her eyes - so like Vivienne’s - glinted darkly. “Scott!” “Does that mean F-Poison wasn't there?” Out of the twelve children, aside from Karen and Scott, the rest were accounted for. F-Poison could not be hiding among them.

Karen shook her head, “Not necessarily. Maybe from the start, F-Poison intended to remain hidden within those kids.” F-Poison was sly and cunning, pressed hard at the tby the Perez family and the Vanguard Agency. It was not beyond the realm of possibility for him to hide in plain sight among the victims.

“F-Poison was still a guy back then, right? Playing the part of a kid at his age?” Vivienne asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It was nothing but a masterful disguise. Back then, F-Poison had already perfected the art of disguise; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to infiltrate the Perez family and takeaway so easily,” Karen said as she shifted onto her side and gave Vivienne a gentle pat, “Get sshut-eye. I'm meeting with Scott tomorrow, and who knows? We might just stumble upon something new.” Vivienne nodded, her eyelids heavy, and soon she was lost in the embrace of sleep.