The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Halfway through dinner, Daphne took the initiative, lifting her wine glass in a toast to Vivienne. "Viv, this one's for you, on behalf of my precious Emily. If it hadn't been for you taking her away from that godforsaken place of Havenwood and mentoring her, I can't begin to imagine what could have becof her." "Now, seeing her thriving by your side, I reckon it's the universe doing us a solid." Perhaps memories of her own past trials made her emotional, as Daphne's eyes briefly welled up.

Vivienne stood up, her response heartfelt, "You're givingtoo much credit. Emily's success at Vanguard Agency is all her own doing. All I did was recognize her potential." Then, replacing her wine with a glass of water nearby, she added, “Been battling a bit of a cold, hope you don't mind my switching to water." Daphne nodded in understanding, letting her be at ease, as she herself downed the wine.

The dinner went smoothly, wrapping up in a warm atmosphere. Vivienne offered Daphne a ride home.

As they left the restaurant, a sudden chill of danger washed over them. Across the street, a group of menacing figures in black, armed and heading straight for them, appeared out of nowhere.

"Viv, watch out!" Emily was the first to react, instinctively stepping in front of Vivienne.

Before Emily could act, a dozen elite guards materialized around Vivienne, swiftly encircling the attackers.

The confrontation was quickly contained, with Vivienne's gaze turning icy.

These were operatives of Mr. Wolf, a last resort not deployed lightly.

It appeared Abigail had been aware of this.

As everyone lowered their guard, an inconspicuous bystander glanced their way, a gun blatantly aimed at Vivienne.

With a subtle raise of her eyebrow, Vivienne prepared to counter, but the gunman shifted aim to Emily and fired without hesitation.

Vivienne's expression darkened as she moved to intervene, only to see someone else had already stepped in front of Emily. Caught off-guard, Vivienne's elite guards, who were solely focused on her safety, missed protecting one of their own.

Their mission was singular: safeguard Vivienne at all costs.

Daphne was hit by the bullet and collapsed immediately.

Emily, in shock, caught Daphne, crying out, "Mom! Are you okay? Please, don't scare me!" Vivienne signaled her team to follow the shooter as they rushed Daphne to the hospital.

Once there, Vivienne took charge, performing surgery on Daphne herself. She carefully extracted the bullet from her shoulder, noting a small butterfly tattoo with an existing scar.

After the surgery, Percival approached, gripping her hand, "Viv, you alright?" Vivienne shook her head, asking, "Where's Emily?" Percival replied with concern, "We've got the shooter. She insisted on interrogating him herself." Knowing Emily's temperament, Vivienne understood she wouldn't just sit idly by, especially not when someone she loved was hurt.

Vivienne, removing her surgical gown, told Percival, "Call my folks, I've got questions for them." Percival, still shaken by the day's events, hesitated but complied.

The call went through minutes later, with Sasha's voice coming through, "Missingalready?" Vivienne, ever composed, got straight to the point, "Mom, Daphne's back." The news sent Sasha into a flurry of excitement and questions, to which Vivienne simply replied, "Chome. We need to talk." Hanging up, Vivienne pondered the complexities of the situation.

Back at the hospital, with Percival ensuring Daphne's safety, Vivienne decided to check on Emily but was stopped by Percival's insistence on her needing rest. Content belongs to en.kikistories"Standing through a two-hour surgery and you say you're fine?" Vivienne had to admit, maybe Mr. Wolf had a point.

Forced to rest, Vivienne stayed updated over the phone. Thomas, on the other end, informed her of Emily's relentless interrogation of the shooter.

The attacker had been motivated by a significant sum of money, but the details remained murky.

Vivienne's cold inquiry about the specifics revealed a complex plot with no clear answers, leaving more questions than before. Tom grumbled, "Anna's relentless curiosity is about to send my guys running for the hills with all her screaming." Vivienne's voice carried an air of indifference, "Let her be. You handle the rest." Tom sighed, realizing he might have been overthinking things.

If the lady of the house were here, the poor soul wouldn't last ten minutes under her scrutiny.

The next day.

Vivienne was on her way to the airport to pick someone up when she got a call from Finn.

Sasha, upon hearing that Daphne was back didn't waste amet After hopping on two flights, finally boarded a plane back hthe following afternoon. Content belongs to en.kikistories"Master, I'm on my way to pick up my folks. I'll swing by your place later," Vivienne said.

Finn's voice was a mix of jest and seriousness, You cheeky brat, don't say I didn't give you a heads up. It's not that can't wait for you, but this thing we've got doesn't wait for anyone. Plus, I'm over at your granddad's place, and this is not something I dare mess with lightly." Content belongs to en.kikistoriesWithout hesitation, Vivienne commanded, "Tom, turn around. We're heading to the Perez residence." Tom couldn't help but marvel at her dedication.

Family obligations could be put on hold at a moment's notice.

They were barely halfway to the airport when the car swiftly made its way to the Perez residence instead.