The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

In the heart of Northway City stood the formidable Grimshaw Castle, a bastion of power and legacy. Asher knelt in the castle's

solemn chapel, his back as straight as an arrow, beads of sweat tracing a path down his forehead. His lips were sealed tight, and as

he lifted his gaze to meet that of Oliver, the patriarch seated before him, his elongated, phoenix-like eyes betrayed a storm of

discontent beneath their submissive facade.

Oliver saw right through Asher's facade, but he didn't give it a second thought. "You've really grown snerve, haven't you?

Strutting off with a handful of men to challenge the Perez family as if you've got a death wish! If it wasn't for Joss taking that hit for

you today, you'd be the one lying on a deathbed!"

His paused. "Asher, if you find the title of Grimshaw heir too hot to handle, just say the word. There's no shortage of brothers in

this family itching for the throne. We won't miss one!"

Indeed, they wouldn't miss just one.

There was always Ethan Grimshaw, the bastard son.

Asher bit back the retort that bubbled to his lips, knowing full well it would only fuel Oliver's anger. His eyes shifted subtly,

suppressing his resentment. "Dad, you insisted we find that bioweapon. | finally tracked down Vivienne's whereabouts and learned

of her ties to the Perez family... It was careless of me. | didn't anticipate how crucial she would be to them."

"Crucial, my foot!" Oliver couldn't help but let loose a curse. "You think I'm unaware of your schemes? You thought the Perez family,

scattered and weakened over the years, would be an easy target? You don't even weigh enough to throw your hat in the ring, yet

you dared to snatch someone from their grasp? You're lucky Jasper didn't finish you off for the insolence you showed! Vivienne?

You've slapped the Perez family in the face, and you think Jasper's as spineless as Gavin Abernathy?"

Oliver stood up, snatching a document from the table and tossing it into Asher's lap. "Take a look. There are ways to handle

Vivienne, but not by barging into the Perez family's territory like a bull in a china shop. You accomplished nothing and managed to

cback stinking of trouble!"

Asher subtly pinched his own thigh to contain his frustration. He removed the paper from his face, scanning it quickly. The familiar

n‘Kaitlyn Littleton’ caught his eye, and he frowned, "The Littleton family? You mean to approach from their end? But isn't their

line all but extinguished? And hasn't the Abernathy family always been the one to handle Kaitlyn? How will we explain our actions

to them?"

Oliver was close to rolling his eyes at his son's naivety.

That idiot boy, now worried about the Abernathys when they were nothing compared to the Perezes!

Oliver nearly ground his teeth to dust, exhaling deeply, "You blockhead! Gavin's been useless, unable to retrieve what's ours.

What's left to collaborate on? The Littleton line might be gone, and Kaitlyn left with nothing, but as long as she's connected to

Vivienne, she's our weapon against her!"

Oliver tossed him a business card. "This is the firm where Sadie and Julian were last employed. Contact this man; get them some

work to do. Leave the bioweapon to me; I'll find someone else to take care of it. You want to deal with Vivienne? Here's your

chance. Whether you can extract what we need from Vivienne through Kaitlyn is up to you."

With that, Oliver left Asher alone in the chapel. Holding the business card, Asher's face was shrouded in shadows. After a moment,

a sinister chuckle echoed through the solemn space.

Meanwhile, in Rivenwood, a certain school district superintendent received a mysterious call. No one knew what was said, but

moments later, the superintendent, accompanied by a team, headed straight for the Littleton residence.

It was three in the afternoon when Kaitlyn was helping Tyler with his rehabilitation in their living room. As she was about to guide

him to the couch for a rest, a group of men in black suits burst into the house and whisked her in-laws away for questioning

without explanation!

Frantic, Kaitlyn immediately called Vivienne.

Vivienne was at the Perez family estate listening to her uncles discuss the Grimshaw family's intrusion when she took Kaitlyn's call.

Hearing the situation, she frowned, "Aren't your in-laws already dismissed from their posts? What more could they be questioned

about?"

Kaitlyn's voice was fraught with anxiety, "They said there were still doubts about that incident from before. So, they took them

away. Vivienne, can you help? Please, can you get them out?"

Vivienne's brows knitted together, "Alright, | got it. Don't worry; I'll find a way."

Back at the Abernathy household, Gavin was lounging in the blissful company of his wife, Madeline, enjoying her tender touch

when Oliver's call cthrough.

Without checking the caller ID, Gavin answered with a contented sigh, "Who's this?"

As Madeline's giggles filled the line, Oliver's eyes flashed with contempt, "Gavin, seems like you're living the life. How's that little

task | gave you coming along?"

The tone was light, but the undercurrent of threat was unmistakable.

Gavin's eyes widened in recognition as he shoved Madeline aside and sat bolt upright.

Even through the phone, without seeing his face, Oliver knew the look on Gavin's face was one of sycophantic charm. "Look at you,

talking like that. | owe all my comfortable days to your good graces. Rest assured, I'll secure what you want without delay or

hindrance to your grand plans."

Oliver's gaze narrowed slightly, a hint of a sneer in his voice. "Hmph, I've been hearing about you securing that secret recipe for

years, yet I've seen nothing. You've reaped quite the benefits from me! Gavin, you don't think I'm that easy to fool, do you?"

Gavin shuddered at the rising tone from the other end. He glared at Madeline, who was trying to sidle up and eavesdrop, and

slipped out of bed, plastering on a smile as he spoke, "How could | ever think that? Oliver, you're a pillar of our ancient warrior

lineage. I'd be fooling myself before | ever fooled you. It's just that dealing with Kaitlyn has been tough; she's somehow gotten

herself a new patron, but you can be sure I've got a plan to handle it..."

Before he could finish, Oliver cut him off, his patience worn thin. "Don't makeany more promises! | knew you were useless, but

in the end, who has to clean up? Kaitlyn's in-laws are already behind bars on charges of endangering students. You go to the police

station and sort this out. I'm giving you one last week. If | don't get that secret recipe, all the favors you've milked from the

Grimshaw family over the years—you'll pay them back to the last penny!"

Without waiting for a response, Oliver ended the call.

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