The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Gavin held the phone away from his ear as the busy tone droned on. After confirming that the line was indeed dead, he slammed

the device down and spat in disgust.

"That old coot really thinks he's at the top of the ancient warrior lineage," he sneered. "Pfft! If it weren't for the Abernathy family

hitting hard times, do you think I'd give him the tof day?"

Sensing his frustration, Madeline sashayed over and ran a soothing hand across Gavin's chest. "Con, there's no need to get

worked up over that bully. Oliver might be a bit heavy-handed, but he's been good to us over the years. What did he want us to do

this time?"

Ever since the patriarch of the Abernathy family, Victoria's grandfather, had passed away, their allies had dwindled. Most had

defected to the Grimshaw family, who had shot up from a middle-ranking family among the five major families to the top spot in

just a decade.

Gavin might not have been the most capable leader, but he knew how to hitch his wagon to a star. Remembering the benefits they

had reaped under the Grimshaws' wing, his mood lightened slightly. "What else could it be? Wakingup in the middle of the

night to beratefor sperceived failure in my duties! He acts as if we're nothing but a subsidiary of the Grimshaws. Go fetch

Victoria; tell her to make a trip to the police station."

As he dressed with Madeline's help, Gavin stomped towards the main hall, grumbling under his breath, "That useless girl! If she

had any skill, she would have secured the Littleton family's secret by now. If she fails again, we're all done for!"

Madeline followed quietly, a smug satisfaction swelling in her as she heard her husband berate Victoria. Her eyes gleamed with

opportunism as she caught up to him. "Gavin, it's late. Victoria and Harrison have surely retired for the night. Besides, with the

Littletons already in custody, anyone could ask them a few questions. Why not let Sophie handle it? She's a night owl, probably still

up. It could be a good experience for her, don't you think?"

Gavin halted, considering her suggestion. Victoria was not a morning person and might resist being dragged out at this hour. Plus,

Harrison had advised easing up on her to avoid pushing her to defiance, which could ruin their plans.

But could Sophie handle it?

As the moonlight illuminated his face, Madeline saw his indecision and doubled down. "Victoria's been at it for ages with nothing to

show. Maybe it's tfor a different approach. She's hot-headed and clashes with people too easily. Kaitlyn seems no pushover,

either. Maybe a softer strategy with Sophie could work. The item's with Vivienne now, but what's been given can be taken back. If

Sophie can build rapport with Kaitlyn, securing the secret should be a breeze."

Her words struck a chord with Gavin.

He figured that even if Sophie proved useless, with the Grimshaws backing them and the Littleton elders in custody, they'd retrieve

the secret one way or another.

Without further hesitation, he nodded subtly and led Madeline toward Sophie's quarters. "Let's do it your way."

Meanwhile, Vivienne, having received a call from Kaitlyn, drove to the Littleton family estate. It was the only house with lights on in

the otherwise dark neighborhood.

As Vivienne and Percival entered, they found Kaitlyn and Tyler in the living room, looking utterly defeated. Amelia, exhausted from

crying, had finally fallen asleep in her mother's arms, tears still visible on her cheeks.

The couple tensed at the sound of the door, fearing the return of their assailants, but relaxed upon seeing Vivienne.

Kaitlyn rushed to Vivienne's side. "Oh, Vivienne, you're here! | don't know what to do! My in-laws... they're so old, and it's all my

fault. If only | had handed over the secret sooner, none of this would have happened!"

She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

Tyler limped over, his heart aching for her. "It's not your fault. Blthose despicable thieves that did this!"

Vivienne frowned at the disarray in the room, then handed Kaitlyn a handkerchief. "Don't worry, I'll take you to them. We'll get your

parents-in-law out."

Percival chimed in, "Tyler, you should stay and take care of the kid with that leg of yours."

Knowing his limited mobility, Tyler nodded in agreement.

After a few words of reassurance to her husband, Kaitlyn wiped away her tears and followed Vivienne out into the night.

With urgency pressing and the late hour upon them, Percival floored the gas pedal, determined to waste no time.

In the backseat of the car, Vivienne patted Kaitlyn's shoulder while asking, "Kaitlyn, can you break it down for me? How is it that

something not thoroughly investigated can be dredged up years later?"

She had had her people look into the old couple's troubles before. Upon discovering that Kaitlyn was the benefactor who had

helped her and her mother, Vivienne had considered helping to overturn the wrongful accusations.

However, with too many other things on her plate and over a decade having passed, the investigation by Matthew required time,

so she hadn't mentioned it to Kaitlyn.

But what she hadn't expected was for trouble to arise just as she was awaiting results!

Tears still streaked Kaitlyn's face, her eyes rimmed red. Vivienne's question brought back a flood of memories, and she couldn't

hold back the tears that fell like rain, "Back then, the Abernathy family, leading an ancient lineage of warriors, coveted our family's

secret recipe. After | got married, they deliberately caused trouble for my in-laws and husband."

By then, Kaitlyn had been blacklisted by every company in Rivenwood and could only work as a waitress in a hotel.

Fortunately, her in-laws, both esteemed teachers, received excellent benefits, and with her husband Tyler's income, they managed

to scrape by.

But she never imagined that those people would go to such lengths to steal the secret recipe.

One day, Kaitlyn went to the school to deliver lunch to her in-laws. From a distance, she saw a crowd of people arguing with her

father-in-law, their voices raised.

She caught words like "bribery" and "corruption" and immediately sensed something was amiss. She rushed forward, scattering

the accusers.

It wasn't until she got hand spoke with her father-in-law that she learned the truth. There was a certain student in his class, a

rather unremarkable one with no special talents to speak of, and cfrom a family that was neither wealthy nor powerful, clearly

not the type to attend a prestigious academy.

Her father-in-law happened to be the headmaster of that child, and he had been treating the child well. However, somehow, her

father-in-law becthe target of these outrageous accusations.

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