The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

A man clad in a tailored grey suit, with the double dragons and pearls pattern stitched onto his lapels, cut an imposing figure with

his stern features as he strolled in, flanked by two burly bodyguards.

The crowd that surrounded them parted like the Red Sea, making way for the entourage.

Vivienne squinted her eyes, discerning the pin on the man's chest that seemed akin to an heirloom, her gaze flickering with

recognition. "Asher Grimshaw?"

Asher looked surprised, "You know me?"

Vivienne eased off her aggressive stance, though her muscles remained coiled and ready. "I've heard tales from the elders in my

family, Asher."

In his thirties, Asher was about the sage as Maddox Perez, yet both were bachelors.

Unlike Ethan Grimshaw, whose image was one of austerity and resilience, Asher presented himself differently to the world. Always

mild-mannered and polite, he epitomized the very essence of a gentleman.

Seeing Vivienne, a girl barely in her twenties, his expression softened further. "You seem well-informed, young lady. I'll cut straight

to the chase. | have no desire for violence; just hand over what you're holding, and you all can leave unharmed."

He casually gestured towards the black briefcase with his slender hand, his tone brooking no argument.

Vivienne's eyes turned icy, her voice a low growl, "And if | refuse?"

At her words, Asher didn't get angry. Instead, he gently waved a folding fan in his hand, his voice still smooth and pleasant, "If you

refuse, well, then I'll have to be less than courteous."

As if on cue, the Grimshaw family members surged forward upon Asher's command.

Vivienne passed the briefcase, which contained a bio-weapon, to Donald. "Protect it at all costs. We can't let the Grimshaws get

their hands on this!"

"Don't worry, Vivienne."

Both Matthew and Donald understood the gravity of the situation, their voices firm.

Vivienne didn't waste another moment. Her hands moved swiftly, and a flurry of silver needles flew, pinning nearly half of the

Grimshaw members in place, rendering them immobile.

Asher narrowed his eyes; he hadn't expected this seemingly incidental encounter with a young girl to prove so formidable.

He had brought his most reputable men, thinking victory was assured, but they had already lost half their number.

His composure cracked as he quickened his pace towards the nearest minion.

"Acupuncture pressure points? | never imagined someone still possessed such skills," Asher mused. Over the years, following his

father's research, he had encountered many extraordinary techniques.

A mere glance at the tiny needle mark on his subordinate's body made him realize what had transpired. His gaze towards Vivienne

now carried a weight of respect.

He was about to change tactics, but it was too late.

"You won't be able to stop us today!"

With a scoff, Vivienne kicked out when he least expected it, driving a silver needle into Asher's chest. He staggered, a sharp pain

erupting, followed by a gush of blood from his mouth.

The Grimshaw members and his bodyguards panicked.

Isaac Grimshaw, supporting Asher, his eyes fierce, demanded, "What have you done to our young master?"

Vivienne didn't answer, her hands a blur as more needles flew.

The Grimshaws tensed, dodging frantically. In their disarray, the path to the mansion's gates cleared.

With a piercing look, Vivienne shouted, "Let's go!"

The members of the Nine Mystics Society, still entangled with other Grimshaws, heeded her call and withdrew swiftly.

Draven and his team shielded Matthew and Donald as they broke through the encirclement and dashed out into the night.

Isaac clenched his teeth, "Master Asher, are you alright?"

Asher, clutching his aching chest, shrugged off his men, "I never thought a little girl would give us the slip. Very well, let's see

which family has the audacity to challenge us!"

Back at the Rivenwood suburb, summer had cloaked the woods in vibrant green.

The dense canopy of trees offered perfect cover, and Vivienne and her allies knew the terrain like the back of their hand. They

vanished into the forest, and when the Grimshaws emerged, they found nothing but rustling leaves.

Asher's face twisted with fury, "Back to Grimshaw Manor!"

Meanwhile, at Vanguard Agency.

Percival was led to Vance's office. He surveyed the changes around him. Despite having only been away for a short while,

something about Vanguard Agency felt different.

"What's the main focus of Vanguard Agency now?"

The young man leading him, Alexander, once a subordinate, idolized Percival. He had offered to show Percival the way, seeing him

a bit lost.

Upon hearing the question, Alexander eagerly explained, "Ever since War God took over, we've rooted out a lot of traitors. There

was quite an uproar, and our assignments were reassigned. We've handed over most of our tasks to other departments, except for

scritical ones. Vanguard Agency has been renamed to the Publicity Department."

Publicity Department?

Percival mulled over the name, unsure of what expression to wear. Was War God here to retire? Taking over an intelligence division

only to turn it into a Publicity Department?

Oblivious to Percival's thoughts, Alexander ushered him into Vance's office. "Here we are. This is the office of Vance, | mean Chief

Vance. Captain, I'll take my leave now."

Although Percival was no longer with Vanguard Agency, Alexander still slipped into old habits with the title, and he didn't think

there was anything wrong with it.

After Alexander had left, Percival knocked on the door with a casual rap of his knuckles.

"Cin."

Once a titan in the intelligence world, the director of Vanguard Agency, Vance, was propping his head with one hand, glancing at

the newcomer. Upon recognizing Percival, his bored eyes finally lit up with a spark of interest.

Straightening up, he gestured for Percival to sit down. "What brings you to my neck of the woods today?"

Percival didn’t stand on ceremony and plopped down across from him. "Heard through the grapevine that you got a promotion. Just

swinging by to check out the new digs. Pretty spacious office you've got here."

"Cut the crap," Vance waved dismissively. "What promotion? It’s like being cast out to Siberia. They've got us, masters of

undercover and surveillance work, pushing papers and fretting over promotional posters and video edits. | can’t fathom what the

top brass is thinking."

Clearing his throat, Percival’s eyes briefly scanned the security camera above Vance's head. "I'm not here to trip down memory

lane. What do you know about the ancient warrior lineage's secret manual?"

Vance's demeanor shifted to one of seriousness, now on a subject of mutual intrigue. "You're married into the Perez family now.

Why don’t you ask Jasper Perez?"

Percival raised an eyebrow. "Considering you're someone who's been trying to dismantle the ancient warrior lineage, | figured

you'd have more comprehensive intel than Jasper."

The Perez family was one of the few remaining prominent families of the ancient warrior lineage.

Already on shaky terms with the other families, how could they possibly hold the keys to such secrets?

Vance let out a silent sigh, acknowledging the prowess of Vanguard Agency's most capable captain. He pulled open a drawer and

retrieved a file. "lI don't know the specifics, and if we leave the big five families out of it, the rest of the ancient warrior lineages still

have their own secret weapons."

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